#ezdiki

The Ezidis are one of the ancient peoples of the Middle East, with a distinct identity, language, culture, and religious tradition known as Sharfadin. This brief overview introduces their historical homeland, language, literature, and enduring identity as a people.

The Ezidis are one of the ancient peoples of the Middle East. According to estimates that still require clarification, the Ezidi population reaches up to one million people.

Most Ezidis live in their historical homeland, Ezidkhan. In northern Iraq, the regions of the areas surrounding , and . Ezidis also live in Syria, the Al-Hasakah Governorate, Qamishli, and Afrin. In Turkey,the regions around , and ), only a small number of Ezidis remain.

One of the largest Ezidi populations once lived in the former Soviet Union, particularly in Armenia and Georgia. Following the collapse of the USSR, many Ezidis relocated to Russia, Ukraine, and European Union countries. Large Ezidi populations can also be found in Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Belgium.

The native language of the Ezidis is Ezdiki and belongs to the western branch of the Iranian language group. A rich body of religious poetry exists in this language, including sacred texts such as and , which serve as important sources for the study of the Ezidi religion, Sharfadin. In addition to religious literature, there is also secular literature, much of which was created by Ezidis from Georgia and Armenia during the Soviet era.

Source: . Ezidi Dance Ensemble from Tbilisi, Georgia, during the All-Union Folk Dance Festival in Moscow 1936.

Although Ezidis and many Kurds speak the same language, Ezidis and Kurds developed over centuries as distinct ethnic groups. The Ezidis formed a unique social and cultural structure and became a relatively closed theocratic society, shaped historically by persecution from radical representatives of the dominant religions in the region.

In the twentieth century, some representatives of the Ezidi intelligentsia increasingly began identifying themselves as Kurdish Ezidis, although they represented a minority among Ezidis. This was influenced by policies promoting ethnic unification and by the shared language, while the identity of the majority of Ezidis was often overlooked. Today, as in the past, a significant number of Ezidis identify themselves as a distinct ethnic people, which is reflected in the census results of Georgia, Armenia, Russia, and Belarus.

Source: . A Ezidi Family in Armenia. Sometime during the 1950s.

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Writing in Ezdiki using the Ezidi script is now possible on modern smartphones. By installing the Keyman keyboard app, you can easily type the Ezidi script in messages, social media, notes, and other writing apps.

Keyman supports many languages and works on both iPhone and Android phones, making it a practical solution for anyone who wants to write Ezdiki using the Ezidi script.

Below is a simple numbered guide that explains how to install and activate the keyboard.

Step by step guide

1. Download the Keyman App

Go to your phone’s app store (App Store or Google Play), search for Keyman, and install the app on your phone.

2. Open the App and Start the Setup

After downloading the app, open it. When you launch Keyman for the first time, the app will guide you through the setup process. You will need to add the Ezdiki keyboard and enable the Keyman keyboard in your phone’s settings.

3. Download the Ezidi Keyboard

Inside the app, click on “Add a keyboard for your language”, then click on the “+” sign and search for “Ezidi” in the list of languages.

Download the Ezidi keyboard and tap Next to continue the installation.

Click on “Add a keyboard for your language”.

Click on the + sign.

Search “Ezidi”.

Click on “Install Keyboard”.

Click on “Next”.

Select “Ezidi” and then click on “Install”.

Click on “done”.

4. Open Your Phone’s Keyboard Settings

Go to Settings on your phone.

Tap General, then tap Keyboard.

Go to “Settings” on your phone.

Go to your phone settings and click on “General”.

Click on “Keyboard”.

5. Add the Keyman Keyboard

Tap Keyboards, then select Add New Keyboard.

Scroll down to Third-Party Keyboards and choose Keyman.

Click on “Add New Keyboard”.

Choose “Keyman” among the Third-Party Keyboards.

6. Enable Full Access

In your list of keyboards, tap Keyman and enable Allow Full Access so the keyboard can work properly.

Now in your list of keywords, click on “Keyman”.

Click on the “Allow Full Access” key.

7. Select the Keyboard in a Writing App

Open any app where you can type, such as Messages, Notes, WhatsApp, or social media.

Tap the language/globe button on the keyboard and select Keyman.

Click on the globe button.

Pick the Keyman keyboard in the list of languages.

8. Choose the Ezidi Language

If the Keyman keyboard appears in English or another language, tap the language button within the keyboard and select Ezidi.

You are now ready to write in Ezdiki using the Ezidi script on your phone.

In case Keyman is set to English by default; long press the globe button and pick “Ezidi”.

Select “Ezidi”.

This article is a shorter version of the original article by Yilmaz Algin published in 2018. The original article can be read on the website of Êzîdî Press.

One of the most discussed questions about Ezidis is their language. Many people say Ezidis speak “Kurdish.” However, many Ezidis themselves call their language Ezdiki, meaning “the language of the Ezidis.”

This idea is not new. In 1895, the anthropologist Ernest Chantre wrote that Ezidis called their language “zyman e ezda,” which means the language of the Ezidis. According to his research, Ezidis said that Kurds speak their language, not the other way around.

Today, the language spoken by most Ezidis is often called Kurmanji. Kurds usually describe Kurmanji as a dialect of Kurdish. But names of languages can be different depending on who is speaking and how people identify themselves.

In linguistics, the name of a language is called a glossonym. One language can have different names depending on the group that uses it. For example, Serbian, Croatian, and Bosnian are different names for very similar languages. The same happens with Hindi and Urdu.

Because of this, using the word Ezdiki is not wrong. It is simply a different name used by Ezidis for the language they speak.

For many Ezidis from the former Soviet Union, the word Ezdiki has been used for generations. Older Ezidis say they already used this name when they were children, long before modern political debates.

There is also historical evidence. In 1926, the Ezidi writer Arab Shamilov (Êrebê Şemo) wrote about the opening of schools in Armenia where children would study in the Ezidi language. This shows that the idea of an Ezidi language existed publicly many decades ago.

Over time, politics also influenced language names. During the Soviet period, the term Ezdiki disappeared from public use and was often replaced with Kurmanji or Kurdish. Later, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the term Ezdiki began to appear again, especially in Armenia where it became officially recognized as a minority language.

Historical sources clearly show that Ezidis have long referred to their language as Ezdiki; the language of the Ezidis.

04.03.2026

Ezidi Times

Look at this photo and see what languages are listed in the person’s profile. As many readers are aware, there is a constant debate about whether Ezidis speak the language of Kurds (Kurdish), or whether it is the Kurds who speak (among many other languages they claim as “Kurdish”) the language of Ezidis (Ezdiki).

Many Ezidis choose to call their language Kurdish or Kurmanji when they get in touch with state institutions or when they are in contact with people in general. The reason behind this is that it is “easier.” Some claim that since Ezidis and their identity are not well known to outsiders, it is simply easier to go along with it and say that they speak “Kurdish.”

We beg to differ, because that is just a path toward diminishing and slowly eroding our over 6,700-year-old history and identity.

Look at this person who has decided to list both Ezdiki and Kurmanji in the list of languages they know. Instead of fighting and trying to reason with people who are not reasonable in the first place, this person has simply listed Ezdiki in their profile bio.

Why do we want to share this with you?

Well, we just want to show you an exemplary way of staying true to one’s roots and not being afraid just because other people simply do not have knowledge about who Ezidis are or that they speak Ezdiki.

Be proud of being Ezidi and of speaking Ezdiki. Because after all, Ezdiki is the DNA of our history, culture, and identity.

And to this specific user who has listed Ezdiki in their profile;

As part of our ongoing commitment to keeping the Ezidi people informed, Ezidi Times would like to make our readers aware of organisation in Australia, namely the "Ezidi Youth Association in Australia" (EYAA).

The EYAA was founded by a group of dedicated young Ezidis with the goal of supporting and empowering the Ezidi people living in Australia. On October 16, 2024, the association marked a significant milestone for the Ezidis in Australia by becoming the first-ever incorporated Ezidi association in the country.

The primary focus of the EYAA is to promote integration and advocate for the rights and well-being of the Ezidi people. The association is also working hard to preserve the Ezidi cultural heritage, address essential needs such as funeral and wedding halls, and ensure the proper maintenance of graveyards.

In addition to supporting the older generations, EYAA is committed to empowering the youth. The organization actively promotes awareness, fosters a sense of community, and provides a platform for young Ezidis to connect with each other and their cultural roots.

While the EYAA has not specifically asked for us to share this information, we believe it’s important for the Ezidis in Australia to know about organisation. If you are an Ezidi living in Australia, we encourage you to learn more about the association, get involved, and support its mission to build a strong, vibrant, and united community.

Kurdish PKK Fighters in the Kandil Mountains. Photo: flickr.

The situation in Sinjar has become a growing concern for Turkey. The PKK, a Kurdish militant group, has been setting up its base there with support from external powers. The PKK’s presence in Sinjar is not just about “helping” the Ezidis; it’s a serious threat to Turkey’s security. Since ISIS left the area, the PKK has taken advantage of the power vacuum, aiming to control a strip of land that could connect Syria and the Kandil Mountains, where the group has had a stronghold for years.

In addition to this, Kurdish politicians and propaganda have skillfully used the suffering of the Ezidis to gain international support. Following the brutal genocide of Ezidis by ISIS in 2014, many political groups, including the PKK, presented themselves as saviors of the Ezidi people. They portrayed their efforts to protect and rebuild Ezidi areas as a noble cause, attracting global sympathy and assistance. However, this support has often been used to justify their presence in Sinjar and to expand their influence in the region. The PKK, in particular, has strategically taken control of Ezidi areas under the guise of “liberation”, while gradually consolidating power and shifting the focus away from the real needs of the Ezidi people.

Turkey has every reason to be worried. If the PKK is allowed to strengthen its hold in Sinjar, it could turn the region into a second Kandil, where they would be able to further challenge Turkey’s borders and stability. Security experts agree that Turkey needs to act quickly, just like it did with past operations such as Euphrates Shield, to prevent this from happening.

While the PKK uses the suffering of the Ezidis to gain sympathy and legitimacy in the West, the truth is they are using the Ezidis as a cover for their own plans. The PKK’s actions show that their goal is not to protect the Ezidis, but to establish control in a key area. This is dangerous for Turkey, and the longer the PKK is allowed to stay in Sinjar, the harder it will be for Turkey to push them out.

A set of nearly 300 forgotten photographs taken in northern Iraq during the 1930s has been rediscovered in the archives of the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. The photos capture everyday life, cultural traditions, and sacred spaces of the Ezidis, one of Iraq’s most ancient peoples.

The photographs were originally taken by archaeologists working on excavations in Mesopotamia. While their main focus was ancient civilizations, they also documented the Ezidi people they encountered in towns and villages near Sinjar and Mosul. For decades, the photos remained largely unnoticed, scattered among thousands of excavation images.

It wasn’t until 2022 that a doctoral student at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in Philadelphia stumbled across a photograph of an Ezidi shrine—one that had been destroyed by ISIS during its campaign of terror. This discovery sparked a larger search, leading to the assembly of a visual archive that today provides a unique record of Ezidi life before persecution and displacement reshaped the community.

Memory Against Erasure

The Ezidis endured systematic attacks by ISIS in 2014, which the United Nations has recognized as genocide. Thousands were killed, women and children were enslaved, and countless families were driven into exile. Religious sites, shrines, and cultural landmarks were deliberately destroyed in an attempt to erase Ezidi identity.

Against this backdrop, the photographs carry a profound weight. They preserve images of Ezidi shrines, weddings, and daily life—moments that extremists tried to eliminate not only physically but also from memory. In this way, the collection itself becomes a form of resistance, safeguarding heritage that was nearly lost.

The photos are openly available for the public through the Open Museum Archives and they can be accessed here.

A Living Archive

The visual archive has since been shared through exhibitions in Iraq and abroad. One of the first displays took place in April, coinciding with the Ezidi New Year. Remarkably, some of the photographs were shown outdoors in the very landscapes they had documented almost a century earlier, creating a bridge between past and present.

The collection has also been digitized to reach the Ezidi diaspora, many of whom were displaced after 2014. For families who lost their personal photographs, wedding albums, and home videos in the chaos of war, these rediscovered images provide a rare and moving link to their roots.

The importance of this archive extends beyond remembrance of tragedy. The photographs portray Ezidis as they truly lived—celebrating, working, building families, and practicing Sharfadin, their ancient religion. In doing so, the archive challenges a narrow global perception that too often associates the Ezidi people only with suffering and persecution.

Locals who have seen the exhibits describe them as a way to reclaim dignity, reminding the world that the Ezidi people are not defined solely by the violence they have endured, but by a vibrant culture that has survived despite centuries of oppression.

Preserving the Past for the Future

While ISIS destroyed temples, villages, and cultural landmarks, these photographs survived in museum drawers thousands of miles away. Today, they are more than just images from the past—they are pieces of a cultural memory that help the Ezidi people protect and rebuild their identity for generations to come.