Publications in Russian devoted to Yezidism can be counted on one's fingers. The last work in this field was a detailed review (in fact, an article) by A. A. Semenov, which included translation and commentary of two key sacred Yezidi texts -the Book of Revelation (Kitab-e jilve) and the Black Book (Maskhaf-e Rash) [Semenov, 1927]. In Rashad Sabri Rashid's ethnographic monograph on the Kurds, a chapter is devoted to the Yezidis (Rashad Sabri Rashid, 2003). However, attempts to fully investigate Yezidism in Russia have not yet been made, which cannot be said for Western studies (for new works, see the monographs [Allison, 2001; Kreyenbroek, 1995], which consider both the history of Yezidism and its current state).
The reviewed monograph is intended to fill the annoying gap that has formed in Russian yezidology. The book consists of three chapters and several appendices. The first chapter is devoted to the origin of Yezidism. A description of the Yezidi sacred texts - Kitab-e Jilve and Maskhaf-e Rash-is given; the Yezidi concept of God is considered on the basis of Yezidi oaths and prayers; the biography of the main Yezidi reformer of the XI century is given. Sheikh Adi and his ideas. The author tries to reconstruct the main archetypes of Yezidism - the images of the peacock (Malaki Tausa) and the ram. The worship of the peacock caused a lot of controversy among researchers. Especially important is his role in the sacred Yezidi history: while helping God to create creation, he refused to bow down to the Creator's created man, for which he was cast down. Of particular interest is the study of modern variations of images of cult symbols by Yezidi artists. Next, we analyze religious prescriptions and prohibitions that play a huge role in the practice of Yezidis, initiation rites, which are compared with initiation rites in Zoroastrianism and the Vedic religion. Interesting is the description of Yezidi religious holidays, compared by the author with Zoroastrian gahambaras. ...
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