Devil Worship: The Sacred Books and Traditions of the Yezidiz

The Arabic manuscript here translated was presented to me before I left Mosul by my friend Dâud a-âîġ as a memento of our friendship. awâja a-âîġ was a man of culture, in sympathy with western thought, and an intimate acquaintance of M. N. Siouffi, the vice-consul of the French Republic in Mosul. From the first page of the manuscript it appears that through some Yezidis he had access to their literature. I know he was in close touch with many of them, especially with the family of Mulla aidar, which is the only Yezidi family that can read and guard the sacred tradition of the sect. The manuscript comprises a brief Introduction, the Sacred Books, and an Appendix. In the first, the compiler indicates the source of his information and gives a sketch of the life of Šei ëAdî, the chief saint of the Yezidis.