Yazidism Timeline

Yazid ibn Mu'awiya reigns over the Umayyad Caliphate.

Muslim historian 'Abd al-Karim al-Sam'ani first records the Yazidis as a distinct community.

The Sufi mystic Sheikh 'Adi journeys to the Kurdish mountains in Iraq. His followers eventually call themselves "Yazidis."

Yazidi culture and ethnic identity coalesce after the death of Sheikh 'Adi in 1162 CE.

Sheikh Hasan, the grandson of Sheikh 'Adi's nephew, expands Yazidi influence throughout the Muslim world. Yazidis immigrate to large swathes of the Middle East.

Fearing a Kurdish revolt, the provincial governor of Mosul sends his forces to burn Sheikh 'Adi's bones in Lalish. Sheikh Hasan, the leader of the Yazidis, is captured and beheaded.