Şêx Berekat

General Information

Also Known As

Sheikh Barakat shrine, Şêx Berekat shrine, Sheikh Barakat Shrine, الشيخ بركات

Type

Ziyareta

Village or Nearby Villages

Bircilqazê, Bênê, Celemê, Şadêrê

Religious Affiliation

Yezidi, Muslim, Druze

Şêx Berekat is a shrine on the peak of Mount Şêx Berekat, associated with the villages of Bircilqazê, Bênê, Celemê, and Şadêrê.

Map and Location

Coordinates: 36.276188, 36.822069

Source: https://akmckeever.substack.com/

Physical & Landscape Features

The shrine stands at the summit of the mountain, about thirty kilometres south of Efrîn, at an elevation of 870 metres. Its ancient Greek name was Koryphe, or Koryphos, meaning "the peak." At the top is a flat square of ground, sixty-eight metres on each side, enclosed by a wall whose massive stones have collapsed. On the northern side are large building stones, some carved with figures and crosses. The shrine itself is a square room topped by a dome, with a cellar beneath it reached by four steps.1

Dedicated Figure & Historical Roots

Written sources describe the shrine as an Islamic sanctuary that was once a Greek temple to Zeus. The Syrian Geographical Dictionary records the remains of two ancient temples to Jupiter and Selene from the Roman period and the first century AD, and says the mountain took its name from Mihemed Nofel Berekat, a fighter martyred during the early Islamic conquests.2 Sheikh Hussein, the sheikh of the Yezidis of Efrîn, holds that the shrine belongs to the Yezidis and is connected to Mîr Îbrahîm Edhem kurê Derwîş, a mysterious Yezidi religious figure. The name may also relate to Sheikh Abu al-Barakat Sakhr bin Sakhr bin Musafir, nephew of Sheikh Adi ibn Musafir. The Druze also hold the shrine sacred.3

Ritual Practices & Beliefs

It is one of the most significant Yezidi shrines today, and the Yezidi New Year celebration is held beside it.4

Current Status

In April 2020 Suleiman Jaafar, co-chair of the Legislative Council of the Afrin region, counted the shrine among nine Yazidi shrines destroyed by Turkish forces and their affiliated armed groups since 2018.5

Bibliography

References

  1. TirejAfrin, "Major Shrines in the Efrîn Region," https://www.tirejafrin.com/site/mazarat.htm. Arabic quote: "تقع في قمة جبل شيخ بركات، واسم هذا الجبل في اليونانية كان قديما (كوريفه أو كوريفوس)، بمعنى (القمة)، وهو يقع جنوبي مدينة عفرين بمسافة 30كم، وارتفاع قمته 870 م. على قمة الجبل مساحة مستوية من الأرض مربعة طول ضلعها 68م، يحيط بها سور تهدمت حجارته الضخمة، وفي الجهة الشمالية توجد أحجار بناء كبيرة، تشاهد على بعضها نقوش وصلبان. والمزار عبارة عن غرفة مربعة الشكل، تعلوها قبة، وتحت الغرفة قبو يوصل إليه بأربع درجات." English translation: "It is at the peak of Mount Şêx Berekat, whose ancient Greek name was Koryphe or Koryphos, meaning 'the peak.' It is 30 km south of the city of Efrîn, and its summit is 870 m high. At the peak is a flat square of ground 68 m on each side, enclosed by a wall whose massive stones have collapsed; on the north side are large building stones, some with carvings and crosses. The shrine is a square room topped by a dome, with a cellar beneath it reached by four steps." ↩

  2. TirejAfrin, "Major Shrines." Arabic quote: "وتقول المصادر الكتابية عن هذا المزار، بأنه مقام إسلامي بعدما كان معبد من العهد اليوناني مكرس للرب (زيوس)... و ورد في المعجم الجغرافي السوري أنه بقايا معبدين قديمين للإلهين (جوبيتر) و (سيلينة) من الفترة الرومانية والقرن الأول الميلادي وأن الجبل أخذ تسميته نسبة الى مجاهد استشهد أثناء الفتوحات الإسلامية، يسمى محمد نوفل بركات." English translation: "Written sources say of this shrine that it is an Islamic sanctuary that was once a Greek-era temple dedicated to the god Zeus... The Syrian Geographical Dictionary states that it holds the remains of two ancient temples to the gods Jupiter and Selene from the Roman period and the first century AD, and that the mountain took its name from a fighter martyred during the Islamic conquests, named Mihemed Nofel Berekat." ↩

  3. TirejAfrin, "Major Shrines." Arabic quote: "أما شيخ حسين شيخ إيزديي عفرين، فيقول عن المزار: أنه خاص بالإيزديين، وله صلة بـ (مير إبراهيم أدهم بن دوريش)، الشخصية الدينية الغامضة للإيزديين. وقد يكون الأسم الشيخ أبو البركات صخر بن صخر بن مسافر، وهو ابن أخ الشيخ عدي بن مسافر صلة باسم هذا المزار." English translation: "As for Sheikh Hussein, the sheikh of the Yezidis of Efrîn, he says of the shrine that it belongs to the Yezidis and is connected to Mîr Îbrahîm Edhem bin Derwîş, the mysterious Yezidi religious figure. The name of Sheikh Abu al-Barakat Sakhr bin Sakhr bin Musafir, nephew of Sheikh Adi ibn Musafir, may also be connected to the name of this shrine." ↩

  4. TirejAfrin, "Major Shrines." Arabic quote: "تعتبر هذه الزيارة من أهم المزارات الإيزدية حاليا. يقام بجانبها احتفال رأس السنة الإيزدية." English translation: "This shrine is considered one of the most important Yezidi shrines today. The Yezidi New Year celebration is held beside it." ↩

  5. Nouraddin Ahmad, "Turkish forces and opposition groups destroy nine Yazidi shrines in Afrin," North Press Agency, April 26, 2020, https://npasyria.com/en/41290/. Direct quote: "Jaafar indicated that the shrines, which were destroyed by Turkish forces and their affiliated armed opposition groups in Afrin region are Sheikh Barakat shrine on top of the Sheikh Mount southern Simeon Castle, Sheikh Hamid and Parsa Khatoun in Qastal-Jendo village in Sharra district, the shrine of Sinka village and Qara-Jorn shrine near Midanki in Sharra district, Malak-Adi shrine in Qibar village, Sheikh Jneid shrine in Faqira village in Jinderis district, Seikh Rakab shrine in Shadeiry village, and Sheikh Ali shrine in Basoufan." ↩