Bîlalê Hebeş

General Information

Also Known As

Bîlalê Hebeş shrine, Bîlalê Hebeş, Ziyareta Bîlalê Hebeş, Ziyareta Şikefta Bîlal, Sehba ye Bilalê Hebeş

Type

Ziyareta

Nahiya (Subdistrict)

Reco

Village or Nearby Villages

Elendara, Zerka, Ĥec Xelîl

The Bîlalê Hebeş shrine is tied to Çiyayê Bîlalê Hebeş and to the names Sehba ye Bilalê Hebeş, Bîlalê Hebeş, and Şikefta Bîlal.

Physical & Landscape Features

Mount Bîlalê Hebeş lies south of Elendara, with Zerka to the west.1 The mountain rises to roughly one thousand two hundred meters above sea level, and around eight villages sit around it: Zerka, Elan Dalo, Çaqmaqê Çûçik, Şençeliya, Gundê Xelîlê, Kûra, Çerxeta, and Çobana.2 The shrine itself is a deep cave, about fifteen meters deep, ten to twelve meters wide at the bottom, and about six meters high at the mouth.3 Large stones stand around the cave, with remains of walls and trees left by a people who once lived and spent their lives there.4 There are no graves or cemetery at the site, but traces of that older life remain. Plowing still brings up roof tiles, and at least two ancient cisterns survive on the mountain, though villagers say more once existed and have been lost to plowing, trees, and property division.5

Dedicated Figure & Historical Roots

The mountain is named after Bilal al-Habashi, and Zerka villagers say they heard the name from their grandfathers.6 In the time of Islam people came to regard the cave as a shrine.7 Some local accounts say Bilal visited the mountain, though the same telling calls this possibly legendary.8

Ritual Practices & Beliefs

  • Rain Prayers and Sacrifices: In years when rain did not fall, villagers of Zerka climbed up in the spring and sacrificed animals before the cave, saying "Let us go before the shrine of Bilal Habeshi so that it may rain."9 On the Elendara side the summit is likewise a place where sacrifices are made and hope for rain is asked of God.10 Bilal's Cave was a place of visitation in the villagers' belief, and in times of drought, following the beliefs of the ancestors, the village would climb the high hill and slaughter sacrifices and offerings for the generosity of the skies.11
  • Wish-Stones: At the bottom of the cave there is a narrow stone opening. Elî, a Zerka villager, remembers that when they were children they would make a wish and try to slip through it. If a person slid through the stone, the wish would come true. If the stone held the person back, the wish would not be fulfilled. As schoolchildren he and his friends wished to become doctors and engineers, and they squeezed through it.12

Transcripts

Elendara (Ax û Welat - Episode 1173):

  • 12:02 – Narrator details that the village of Alemdar was built on the road north of Mount Bilal al-Habash.
  • 29:35 – Narrator details that Mount Bilal Habesh is located to the south of the village.
  • 29:47 – Narrator describes Mount Bilal Habesh as a place where sacrifices are made at the summit, and prayers for rain are offered to God.

Zerka (Ax û Welat - Episode 743):

  • 03:25 – Xelîl describes the shrine as a deep cave ringed by large stones, with traces of walls showing that a people once lived there, regarded as a shrine since the time of Islam.
  • 09:22 – Narrator calls Bilal's Cave a place of visitation and describes the drought rite of climbing the hill to slaughter sacrifices for the generosity of the skies.
  • 10:15 – Elî gives the mountain's height as roughly one thousand two hundred meters and counts eight surrounding villages.
  • 11:44 – Elî says the name Bilal Habeshi was heard from the grandfathers.
  • 11:50 – Elî gives the cave's dimensions: fifteen meters deep, ten to twelve meters wide at the bottom, six meters high at the mouth.
  • 12:13 – Elî describes the rain rite: in rainless years villagers come in the spring and sacrifice animals before the shrine.
  • 12:35 – Elî says there are no graves or cemetery at the site, only traces of ancient life such as roof tiles and cisterns.
  • 13:18 – Elî describes the childhood wish practice of squeezing through the stone opening at the bottom of the cave.
  • 14:48 – The narrator says some sources claim Bilal visited the mountain and then calls the account possibly legendary.

Videography

Elendara (Ax û Welat - Episode 1173): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23GXWfMaCO4

Zerka (Ax û Welat - Episode 743): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pBA9djRct4

Bibliography

References

  1. Ax û Welat, Episode 1173 (village Elendara), "Elendara," published 2017, YouTube video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23GXWfMaCO4. Direct quote: "Li başûr Çiyayê Bilale Hebeş, çemê Aqûbê. Gundê Zerka, li rojava çemê Kereng." English translation: "To the south is Mount Bilal Habesh, the Aqûb River. Zerka village is to the west, [with] the Kereng River." ↩

  2. Ax û Welat, Episode 743 (village Zerka), "Zerka," published 2017, YouTube video, at 10:15–10:45, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pBA9djRct4. Direct quote: "Bilindiya xwe... bilindiya xwe hezar û dused metre teq... yanê wadora ne, ne ekîd e, wadora ne. Serûçkê behrê yanê."; "Dorê heşt gunda ne."; "Zerka, Elan Dalo, Çaqmaqê Çûçik, Şençeliya... Gundê Xelîlê, Kûra, Çerxeta, Çobana." English translation: "Its height... its height is roughly one thousand two hundred meters... meaning around there, not exactly, but around there. Above sea level, that is."; "There are around eight villages."; "Zerka, Elan Dalo, Çaqmaqê Çûçik, Şençeliya... Xelîlê village, Kûra, Çerxeta, Çobana." ↩

  3. Ax û Welat, Episode 743 (village Zerka), "Zerka," published 2017, YouTube video, at 11:48–12:08, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pBA9djRct4. Direct quote: "Dorê pazdeh... pazdeh metra heye."; "Ferebûna wê heye... biniyê wê, dora... dora deh metra, diwazdeh metra heye."; "Bejna wê jî dora şeş metra heye, ferehî devê wê, jor." English translation: "Around fifteen... it is fifteen meters [deep]."; "Its width is... its bottom, around... it is around ten meters, twelve meters."; "Its height is also around six meters, the width of its mouth, up high." ↩

  4. Ax û Welat, Episode 743 (village Zerka), "Zerka," published 2017, YouTube video, at 03:30–03:47, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pBA9djRct4. Direct quote: "Bi xwe şikeftek e. Kûr e. Derdora wê jî em bêjin sênîce hene. Tiştên aswarî hene. Yanî dîwar, dar hene, em bêjin miletek berê tê de jiyaye. Û tê de heyat derbas kirine yanî." English translation: "It is actually a cave. It is deep. Around it, let's say there are large stones. There are archaeological things. Meaning walls, trees, let's say a people lived there in the past. And they spent their life there." ↩

  5. Ax û Welat, Episode 743 (village Zerka), "Zerka," published 2017, YouTube video, at 11:11–13:10, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pBA9djRct4. Direct quote: "Wellehî min bi xwe dorê diduya dîtiye, jê zêdetir dibêjin hene, bes hinda bûne, çûbûne... Netîce ajoytin e û dar û bi melk..."; "Na, tu goristan tinen e."; "Bes heye, eser hene, ha yanê... netîce cotar, cû da dajon derdixin qermît e, wela ew sarnicên ha ne... Sarnic min bi xwe dîne hene." English translation: "By God, I have personally seen about two of them; they say there are more than that, but they are lost, gone... As a result of plowing, trees, and property ownership..."; "No, there are no cemeteries."; "But there are traces, meaning... as a result of plowing, the plow brings up roof tiles, or those cisterns are there... I have seen the cisterns myself, they exist." ↩

  6. Ax û Welat, Episode 743 (village Zerka), "Zerka," published 2017, YouTube video, at 11:44–11:47, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pBA9djRct4. Direct quote: "Welleh ev navê... em ji bapîrê xwe bihîstine ev nava ye, Bîlal Habeşî." English translation: "By God, this name... we heard this name from our grandfathers, Bilal Habeshi." ↩

  7. Ax û Welat, Episode 743 (village Zerka), "Zerka," published 2017, YouTube video, at 03:25–03:34, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pBA9djRct4. Direct quote: "Bîlalê Hebeş bi xwe yanî em bêjin di wextê misilmaniyê da... Yanî wek ziyaret dihesibandin." English translation: "Bilal al-Habashi himself, let's say in the time of Islam... I mean they considered it like a shrine." ↩

  8. Ax û Welat, Episode 743 (village Zerka), "Zerka," published 2017, YouTube video, at 14:41–14:52, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pBA9djRct4. Direct quote: "Hên çavkanî vê dibêjin, ku Bîlalê El-Habeşî ev çiya serdan kiriye. Lê dibe ev jî yek ji mijarên efsaneyî be, ku digohê welatiyên gund da ta nihomaye." English translation: "Some sources say that Bilal al-Habeshi visited this mountain. But this may be one of the legendary subjects that has remained in the ears of the villagers until now." ↩

  9. Ax û Welat, Episode 743 (village Zerka), "Zerka," published 2017, YouTube video, at 12:09–12:30, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pBA9djRct4. Direct quote: "Aaa, tên... salên baran nebarî, biharê tên qurbana li ber dikin. Dibên em darên ber ziyareta Bîlal Habeşî ji bo baran lê ke. Dihatin qurban dikirin li ber."; "Aa ziyaret e, ziyareta Bîlal Habeşî." English translation: "Ah, they come... in years when it didn't rain, they come in the spring and sacrifice animals before it. They say, 'Let us go before the shrine of Bilal Habeshi so that it may rain.' They used to come and sacrifice animals before it."; "Yes it is a shrine, the shrine of Bilal Habeshi." ↩

  10. Ax û Welat, Episode 1173 (village Elendara), "Elendara," published 2017, YouTube video, at 29:47–29:51, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23GXWfMaCO4. Direct quote: "Sehba ye Bilalê Hebeş wekî cihekî li serwêr qurban tên kirin. Û hêviya baran ji xwedayê xwestin." English translation: "The slope of Bilalê Hebeş is a place where sacrifices are made at the summit. And hope for rain is asked of God." ↩

  11. Ax û Welat, Episode 743 (village Zerka), "Zerka," published 2017, YouTube video, at 09:22–09:43, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pBA9djRct4. Direct quote: "Şikefta Bîlal li gorî baweriya gundiyan, ev cih serdangah bû."; "Di heşkesaliyan de, û li gorî baweriyên pêşiyan, gund radipelîkîn girê bilind. Qurban û gorî ji bo camêriya ezmanan serjê dikirin." English translation: "Bilal's Cave, according to the villagers' belief, this place was a place of visitation."; "In times of drought, and according to ancestral beliefs, the village would climb the high hill. They would slaughter sacrifices and offerings for the generosity of the skies." ↩

  12. Ax û Welat, Episode 743 (village Zerka), "Zerka," published 2017, YouTube video, at 13:13–13:45, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pBA9djRct4. Direct quote: "Û heye vê derê... vê helek qul be heye... e şikate... binî şiketê... Zeman em çûçik bûn dihatin... Ee kavir pê va tê de xiş de, eger mirazê xwe... yanê bimeşiya... biba... ...kavir pê va dizelqî. Eger neba..."; "Kavirê dihat... kavir diket digot nameşe."; "Te çi xwest? Çi miraz xwest?"; "Wa digot em bi necihim, hema em ta... mektebî bûn. Wa digot em bi necihim, em ba ew textûr bin, ew hendis bin, me pêva dizeliqand." English translation: "And there is here... there is a hole somewhere... uh the cave... at the bottom of the cave... Back when we were small we used to come... sliding through the stone, if your wish... meaning if you walked through... if it happened... you would slip through the stone. If not..."; "The stone would come... [if] the stone fell/stuck, it meant it won't work."; "What did you wish for? What desire did you ask for?"; "It said I wouldn't succeed, we were just... we were school students. It said I wouldn't succeed, [we wished] to be doctors, to be engineers, we would squeeze through it." ↩