Kersanê

General Information

Also Known As

Ziyareta Kersanê, Kersanê shrine

Type

Ziyareta

Nahiya (Subdistrict)

Şera

Village or Nearby Villages

Mersewa

The Kersanê shrine (Kurdish: Ziyareta Kersanê) is the shrine of Mersewa in the Şera sub-district.

Dedicated Figure & Historical Roots

The name Kersanê also appears in historical material. Dr. Mihemed Ebdo Elî, the historian and geographer of the Afrin region, writes that the first inhabitants of Afrin city were Kurds from the village of Kersanê, and the Kurdish writer Pir Rustem lists Kersanê among the Cûmê plain villages inhabited by the Robarî group.34

Ritual Practices & Beliefs

Old oak and hawthorn trees stand by the shrine. People came there on Wednesdays, slaughtered chickens, prepared dinner, invited neighbors, ate and drank together, played music, and walked around.1 Older healing practices included taking sick people, sheep, and cattle around the shrine. People also slaughtered chickens there and mixed the blood with soil from the place. One man described bringing his daughter there on a Wednesday, slaughtering a chicken, mixing the blood with soil, and then seeing her lose and later regain movement during the visit.2

Transcripts

Mersewa (Ax û Welat - Episode 1064):

  • 29:05 – The host and a guest stand near the shrine and discuss the name and status of the Ziyareta Kersanê.
  • 29:41 – A guest describes earlier healing practices around the shrine, including taking sick people and animals around it.
  • 31:19 – A woman describes the old oak and hawthorn trees and Wednesday visits with chicken slaughter, meals, neighbors, music, and walking around.

Videography

Mersewa (Ax û Welat - Episode 1064): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HCvmIrIxFs

Bibliography

References

  1. Ax û Welat, Episode 1064, "Mersewa," published 2017, YouTube video, at 31:19-31:56, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HCvmIrIxFs. Quote: "Ev darrê jî kevin e, li vir? ... Em darê palîtê hene, darê gûbîjê hene. ... Em tên vidarê li Karsanê mirîşka xwe şerjê dikin, şîva xwe dikin. ... Em bes Çarşemê tên. ... Tên vidê ziyaret dikin, şîva xwe dikin, dixun, vedixun, lêdixun, digerin." English translation: "Are these trees old too, here? ... We have oak trees, we have hawthorn trees. ... We come here to Karsanê, slaughter our chickens, and make our dinner. ... We only come on Wednesdays. ... They come here to visit, make dinner, eat, drink, play music, and walk around." ↩

  2. Ax û Welat, Episode 1064, "Mersewa," at 29:41-31:16. Quote: "Berê, bes nexweş dibû. Tîna dora ra difitilandin. Nexweşî didiya. ... Mirîşka xwe şerjê dikir, mirîşka xwe. We axê cem dikir, tê dikir wê xwînê. ... Qîza min wana kanî bî û bî sibe çarşem e ... min mirîşka xwe şerjê kir û daka genda ax ra kir, tevlî xwînê kir. ... Deng kirim tine, meş tine, lafz tine. ... Dest û lingê wê şûştin, heta nîvro meşiya." English translation: "In the past, when someone became sick, they would take them around it; the sickness would go away. ... He slaughtered his chicken. He gathered soil and put the blood in it. ... My daughter was like that, and it was Wednesday morning ... I slaughtered my chicken and put it with the village soil, mixed it with blood. ... Sound was gone, walking was gone, speech was gone. ... They washed her hands and feet, and she walked until noon." ↩

  3. Mihemed Ebdo Elî, Çiyayê Kurmênc (Efrîn): Lêkolîneke Xaknîgarî ye tevahî (Efrîn, 2008), 181. Quote: "Rûniştvanên bajarê Efrînê yên destpêkê, Kurdên gundê Kersanê bûn." English translation: "The first inhabitants of Afrin city were Kurds from the village of Kersanê." ↩

  4. Pir Rustem, "العشائر الكوردية," Pir Rustem (blog), https://pirkurdi.wordpress.com/. Quote: "يقطن الروباريون المنطقة المعروفة باسمهم Çiyayê Robariya وقراهم هي: جلبل، Cilbirê باصلحايا، Bênê، Basilê زريقات، خريبكة، كشتعار، Zaretê ديرمشمش، إضافة إلى كفربطرة وجومكي Cûmkê وكرسانة Kersanê في سهل جومه، كما توجد عدة عائلات منهم في قرية جلمه ولهم وجود هام في مدينة عفرين نفسها." English translation: "The Robarî inhabit the area known by their name, Çiyayê Robariya, and their villages are Cilbirê, Bênê, Basilê, Zaretê, Dermişmiş, as well as Kfarbatra, Cûmkê, and Kersanê in the Cûmê plain; there are also several families from them in the village of Celmê, and they have an important presence in Afrin city itself." ↩