Kurds in Armenia

The cultural center of the Kurds living in Armenia has always been Alagyaz

In Armenia only Muslim Kurds are officially considered to be Kurds. There are no more than a thousand of them in the country. The Kurds who practice Yezidism or consider themselves Yezidis by nationality and who are about 40 000 are called Yezidis.

… (مرید). The sheikhs and the piers have always played an essential role in the Yezidi community. It was the clergy that preserved the Yezidi religion for centuries and hindered the assimilation of the Kurd-Yezidis with the other peoples. However, the Alagyaz villagers say that now in Armenia it is the clergy that contributes to the ignorance of the Yezidi Kurds of their religion: the vague answers of the {sheikhs} and {piers} do not satisfy their “flock” any more. Not that they have stopped to respect their clergy, rather their public role has become more of a fiction. Now the clergy does not care even for the preservation of the essential postulates of the Yezidi religion: the inadmissibility of the mixture of the castes and cross-marriages with non-Yezidis. Yezidis often marry Armenians and in such cross-marriages both the Armenian and the Yezidi traditions are preserved. Yezidis are tolerant to Christianity: they go to church, light candles, and worship Christian saints.

Kalash’s “uncrowned queen” at centre of funds probe

... up the required number of Bashalanis despite receiving “a huge grant” from the ministry. The Chitral DCO, who carried out an inspection of the project in 2009, reported instances of gross misappropriation of funds. He said that instead of 10, the KISP has built “just four Bashalinis” and assessed the work carried out to be worth only Rs 700,000 (8,000 US$), adding that the inspection was carried out after having received “several complaints” and on the orders of the ministry.

1: L’Iran n’est pas une puissance (1/2)-1061
2: Manekshaw a truly inspiring leader-1062
3: The Paleolithique Indo-Europeans-1066
4: L'illusion de l'extensibilité infinie de la vérité-1064
5: Zostrien (NH VIII, 1)-1065
6: Aux sources de Shéhérazade-1067
7: Zarathustra’s Homeland and the Appearance of the Prophet-1068
8: Pilgrimage to Iran -- 2006-1069
9: Brazilian Zoroastrians in the World Social Forum-1070
10: Muslim Violence — Crime or Jihad?-1071
11: Amertat in Bosnia-1072
12: فارسی شکر است-1073
13: دی-1074
14: Les surprises des récits historiques-1076
15: Darius' ascent to Paradise-1077
16: Les instruments de musique dans l'art sassanide-1078
17: Zîg î Shâh-1080
18: سیرِ نقاشی در ایران-1081
19: Aryan Revival in Tajikistan ~ September 2006-1082
20: Babylon, Persia and Judaism-1083
21: زندگی‌پرستان-1084
22: جنگ نهاوند را به یاد آوریم-1085
23: چگونه می توان زرتشتی شد؟-1086
24: Dakhma in Quba district of Azerbaijan Republic-1087
25: The Cyrus Legend-1089
26: Seti Pir-1090
27: Ādarbād son of Mahrspend-1091
28: Talyshistan-1092
29: رازهای پامیر و بدخشان-1093
30: Meher Master Moos-1094
31: Ouygur singers-1095
32: Hindu Myth, Hindu History: Religion, Art, and Politics-1096