Lalish

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Lalish (Kurdish: لالش, romanized: Laliş,) also known to the Yazidis as Lalişa Nûranî ("luminous Lalish"), is a valley and temple complex in the Shekhan district of northern Iraq. It is the central temple of the Yazidis, who are expected to make a pilgrimage there once in their lifetime where possible. The temple is about sixty kilometers north of Mosul and 14 kilometers west from the village Ayn Sifna. The temple is built at about 861 meters above sea level and situated among three mountains. Lalish and the surrounding region is also called Mergeh. The title of the Baba Sheikh, the head of the Yazidi religion, Extiyarê Mergehê ("Old Man of Mergeh"), comes from this name. The complex stands around the tomb of Sheikh Adi ibn Musafir, a 12th-century figure venerated by the Yazidis, which lies under the highest of six conical domes. Its buildings and grounds also include shrines of other holy figures, springs used in ritual cleansing, caves, and trees with sacred associations. The main pilgrimage...

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