Şêx Elî

General Information

Also Known As

Sheikh Ali shrine, Şêx Elî shrine, Ziyareta Şêx Elî, الشيخ علي

Type

Ziyareta

Nahiya (Subdistrict)

Efrîn

Village or Nearby Villages

Basûfanê

Religious Affiliation

Yezidi

Şêx Elî, the Ziyareta Şêx Elî, is a shrine of Basûfanê in the Efrîn sub-district. Basûfanê is a Yezidi village on the Çiyayê Lêlûn plateau.1

A separate tomb of the same name, the Tirba Şêx Elî, stands in Kurkê Jorin.

Map and Location

Coordinates: 36.340816, 36.876936

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

Physical & Landscape Features

The shrine stands near the middle school on the eastern side of the village.2

Dedicated Figure & Historical Roots

Suleiman Jaafar, co-chair of the Legislative Council of the Afrin region and a Yezidi of Basûfanê, dates the shrine to the first century AD.3

Current Status

Armed groups stole and destroyed the shrine's contents in January 2019.4 In late April 2020, militants of the Failaq al-Sham group, together with settlers living in Basûfanê, dug up the shrine, opened the tomb of Şêx Elî in search of gold and treasures, and destroyed parts of the dome with a bulldozer amid shouts of the takbir, describing the shrine as a place for atheists and infidels.5 In October 2020 armed groups seized a plot of land near the village school intending to build a mosque. The villagers protested and the groups left, though residents feared their return.6

Transcripts

Bibliography

References

  1. Afrin 366, "Basûfanê," Episode 178 (village Basûfanê), YouTube video, at 03:32, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNf4ftYGb7M. Kurdish quote: "Ev gundê me dî çiyayê Şêrawa da ye, çiyayê Şêrawa, tê ra dibên çiyayê Lêlûn." English translation: "Our village is on the Şêrawa mountain, the Şêrawa mountain, which they call Çiyayê Lêlûn." The same speaker notes the Yezidi faith of the village. ↩

  2. North Press Agency, "Armed men and settlers in Afrin destroy the dome of a Yazidi shrine," https://npasyria.com/en/41296/. Direct quote: "The Sheikh Ali shrine is located near the middle school in the eastern side of the village of Basofan, and armed groups stole and destroyed its contents in January 2019." ↩

  3. 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: "He noted that members of the Turkish-backed armed opposition groups 'dug up the shrine, which dates back to the first century AD, and opened the tomb of Sheikh Ali in search of gold and treasures, and now, the dome is destroyed.'" ↩

  4. North Press Agency, "Armed men and settlers in Afrin destroy the dome of a Yazidi shrine." Direct quote: "armed groups stole and destroyed its contents in January 2019." ↩

  5. Ahmad, "Turkish forces and opposition groups destroy nine Yazidi shrines in Afrin." Direct quote: "Human Rights Organization – Afrin, in the northern countryside of Aleppo, confirmed on Saturday that militants of the Failaq al-Sham group, along with settlers residing in Basoufan village, destroyed parts of the dome of Sheikh Ali shrine using a bulldozer amid high voices shouting 'Allah Akbar', describing the shrine as a place for atheists and infidels." ↩

  6. North Press Agency, "Turkish-backed armed opposition groups seizes land in Yezidi village to build mosque," October 9, 2020, https://npasyria.com/en/47949/. Direct quote: "Local sources told North Press that on Thursday, opposition groups tried to build a mosque in the Yezidi village after seizing a plot of land near the village school." Direct quote: "Sources added that the villagers protested the seizure, and that the groups left the village after the protest, though residents fear their return and the establishment of the mosque." ↩