Film description

The Yezidi are members of a centuries-old Kuridsh religion that combines elements of Islam, Christianity, Judaism, ancient Persian beliefs and Hinduism. They believe in reincarnation and a strict caste system, christen and circumcise their children, consider Adam their forefather, with Abraham and Mahomet as prophets. There are no converts – you can only be born a Yezidi, and marriage outside the community is forbidden. There are about one million Yezidi, half of which live in northern Iraq, with the remainder in Turkey, Syria, Armenia, Georgia, Iran and Western Europe, including Norway. The spiritual centre of Yasidism is Lalish in the north of Iraq; it is a place of pilgrimage, a sanctuary in a verdant valley near Mosul.

Anja Breien visited Lalish in the autumn of 2007 right after the Islamic terrorist attacks in nearby Kurd villages in which many inhabitants were killed and many other forced to flee their homes. Confused spiritual leaders cancel an annual celebration in fear of another massacre, but pilgrims arrive nevertheless. The director examines the exotic rituals, wondering about the future of the Yezidi – those from Iraq and those from Norway.