Yazidism in Turkey

The Yazidi cemetery Hesen Begê in southeastern Turkey

Yazidism in Turkey refers to adherents of Yazidism from Turkey, who remained in Turkey after the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire. The Yazidis living in Turkey during and after the second half of the 20th century gradually left for European countries. In the 1980s, there were 60,000 Yazidis situated in Beşiri, Kurtalan, Bismil, Midyat, Idil, Cizre, Nusaybin, Viranşehir, Suruç and Bozova. Today, these places are almost empty due to exodus to Europe which was provoked by political, religious and economic difficulties. Today only small number remain in villages around Midyat, Viranşehir, Çınar and Beşiri. According to the census of 2000, only 423 individuals adhering to Yazidism remained in the country.[1]

Approximate current settlement area of the Yazidis in Southeastern Anatolia. The provinces of Mardin, Batman, Şanlıurfa and parts of Şırnak and Diyarbakır provinces are inhabited by Yazidis.
  1. ^ Açıkyıldız, Birgül. (2010). The Yezidis : the History of a Community, Culture and Religion. London. ISBN 978-0-85772-061-0. OCLC 772844849.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)