Şêx Hemîd

General Information

Also Known As

Sheikh Hamid shrine, Şêx Hemîd shrine, Ziyareta Şêx Hemîd

Type

Ziyareta

Nahiya (Subdistrict)

Şera

Village or Nearby Villages

Qestela Cindo

Religious Affiliation

Yezidi

Şêx Hemîd is a shrine of Qestela Cindo in the Şera sub-district.

Map and Location

Coordinates: 36.616725, 37.009568

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

Physical & Landscape Features

The shrine stands to the west of the village, on the road to Qitmê.1 It sits with its cemetery between Qestela Cindo and Baflûnê, two historically Yezidi villages, on ground that lay along the frontline between the Afrin canton and the A'zaz area before 2018.2

Dedicated Figure & Historical Roots

In February 2019 the sacred tree in front of the shrine was cut down and at least one gravestone in the surrounding cemetery was knocked over. Over the following two weeks more graves were vandalized and an entire portion of the shrine's wall and roof was knocked in.3 In May 2020 an armed group identified with the Sultan Murad Division and the Levant Front excavated the shrine, and the cemetery beside it was vandalized repeatedly, first by armed factions and later by displaced people settled in the area, despite the local residents' attempts to restore the tombstones.4

Transcripts

Qestela Cindo (Ax û Welat – Episode 1106):

  • 12:36 – An elder points out the Şêx Hemîd shrine to the west of the village, on the road to Qitmê.

Videography

Qestela Cindo (Ax û Welat – Episode 1106): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GH0xdCVZhA

Bibliography

References

  1. Ax û Welat, "Qestela Cindo," Episode 1106 (village Qestela Cindo), YouTube video, at 12:36, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GH0xdCVZhA. Kurdish quote: "Û ziyaretekî din jî li xerbî gund heye, li ser rêya Qitmê, vê re dibêjin Ziyareta Şêx Hemîd." English translation: "And there is another shrine to the west of the village, on the road to Qitmê; they call this the Şêx Hemîd shrine." ↩

  2. Alexander McKeever, "Afrin: Incidents Of Desecration And Destruction Of Cultural Sites," Bellingcat, July 11, 2019, https://www.bellingcat.com/news/mena/2019/07/11/afrin-incidents-of-desecration-and-destruction-of-cultural-sites/. Direct quote: "The Sheikh Humayd shrine and cemetery are located here, between the historically Yezidi-populated towns of Qestel Jindo and Baflune, and on what had been the frontlines between PYD-controlled Afrin and the opposition stronghold of A‘zaz." ↩

  3. McKeever, "Afrin: Incidents Of Desecration And Destruction Of Cultural Sites." Direct quote: "On February 17, 2019, local Afrini activists posted pictures on Twitter showing that a sacred tree outside the Yezidi shrine of Sheikh Humayd had been cut down and that at least one gravestone in the surrounding cemetery had been knocked over. Photos and videos published in the following two weeks show that multiple graves had been similarly vandalized and an entire portion of the shrine’s wall and roof had been knocked in." ↩

  4. Kurd Online, "The Forgotten Yazidi Villages in Afrin: Ongoing Violations Throughout the Years of War in Syria," https://english.kurd-online.com/the-forgotten-yazidi-villages-in-afrin-ongoing-violations-throughout-the-years-of-war-in-syria/. Direct quote: "According to the organization 'Syrians for Truth and Justice,' the same armed group excavated another Yazidi shrine in the same month in the village of Qastal Jando, which is the 'Sheikh Hamid' shrine. The military group was identified and found to be affiliated with the 'Sultan Murad Division' and the 'Levant Front' (Al-Jabha al-Shamiya)." Direct quote: "The 'Sheikh Hamid' cemetery near the shrine of the same name was repeatedly vandalized, first by members of armed military factions (specifically the Levant Front), and later these attacks were repeated by displaced persons arriving in the area, despite local residents’ attempts to restore their tombstones." ↩