Qehzeqla

General Information

Also Known As

Qehzeqla shrine, Ziyareta Qehzeqla

Type

Ziyareta

Nahiya (Subdistrict)

Cindires

Village or Nearby Villages

Tetera

Qehzeqla is a shrine of Tetera in the Cindires sub-district.

Physical & Landscape Features

The shrine stands beside an old cemetery on Çiyayê Qaziqli, the mountain above Tetera, a village locally known as Qaziqli. The cemetery is very old, and long ago the surrounding villages brought their dead to be buried at the shrine, among them Bozê, Baflûrê, Sênarê, and Kefer Sefrê, as well as villages across the border in Turkey before it was closed.1

Dedicated Figure & Historical Roots

A visitor from the Reco district recounts that Çiyayê Qaziqli was, in the past, a gathering place for Kurdish artists and poets. He names the singer Cemîl Horo and Bavê Selah among those who met and held their rehearsals on the mountain.3

Ritual Practices & Beliefs

Visitors come from across the Kurd-Dagh. Each year around July, families gather at the shrine and stay overnight, often for four nights or up to a week. The site is also a popular Friday gathering and picnic spot for people from the Afrin region.2

Transcripts

Tetera (Ax û Welat – Episode 1092):

  • 19:10 – The host reaches the cemetery and the Shrine of Qehzeqla on Çiyayê Qaziqli.
  • 20:04 – A villager explains that surrounding villages once buried their dead at the shrine.
  • 22:11 – Description of the yearly July gathering, with families staying overnight.
  • 24:10 – A visitor describes the mountain as a former gathering place for artists.

Videography

Tetera (Ax û Welat – Episode 1092): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElgqSyvOiaI

Bibliography

References

  1. Ax û Welat, "Tetera," Episode 1092 (village Tetera), YouTube video, at 19:10–20:31, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElgqSyvOiaI. Kurdish quote: "Belê, naha jî em derbas goristanê bûn. Derbasî ziyaretek bûn. Vêra dibêjin Ziyareta Qehzeqla." English translation: "Now we have passed the cemetery and come to a shrine. Here they call it the Shrine of Qehzeqla." Kurdish quote: "em li vê xakê ne, navê gundê me Qaziqli ye... Ji ber wê gotin Çiyayê Qaziqli." English translation: "we are on this land, the name of our village is Qaziqli... and so they called it Qaziqli Mountain." Kurdish quote: "Ji ciyê bilind dianîn, ji gundê Bozê dianîn, ji Baflûrê dianîn, ji Sênarê dianîn..." English translation: "They brought the dead from high places, from the village of Bozê, from Baflûrê, from Sênarê..." ↩

  2. Ax û Welat, "Tetera." Kurdish quote: "Milet, hemû mantiqa Çiyayê Kurdaxê tê. ... Teqban di Temûzê da. Tên vê derê û bi aîle, xew dikin, radibin, dixwin, vedixwin. Û pir şeva, yanî dimînin şevîn, çar şevîn, heftokê dimînin, vedigerin diçin mabetê." English translation: "People come from the whole Kurd-Dagh region. ... Approximately in July. They come here with their families, sleep, get up, eat and drink. And many nights they stay over, four nights, up to a week, then return home." Kurdish quote: "Mantiqa me Efrîn, Kurdaxê me, li vê derê ... seyrangeh e." English translation: "Our Afrin region, our Kurd-Dagh, this place here is a resort." ↩

  3. Ax û Welat, "Tetera." Kurdish quote: "Em hatine vira, ji berê da dibêjin, ev çiyayê Qaziqli, multaqayê hunermenda bûye. Hunermend û hostilvan dihatin li vir kom dibûn, wekî nemir Cemîl Horo... Bavê Selah... Brovê xwe kulab dikirin li vira, li çiyayê Qaziqli." English translation: "We came here; they say that from the past this Qaziqli mountain has been a meeting place for artists. Artists and masters used to come and gather here, like the immortal Cemîl Horo... Bavê Selah... They held their rehearsals here, on Qaziqli mountain." ↩