The Baba Sheikh: Spiritual Head of the Yazidis
- Dala Sarkis
- 5 hours ago
- 12 min read
Introduction
If the Mir is the prince of the Yazidis, the Baba Sheikh is their spiritual father. His title means the Father of the Sheikhs, and he is the supreme spiritual leader of the Yazidi faith, the figure who presides over its sacred ceremonies, guides its clergy, and embodies the religious life of the community. Seated at the holy sanctuary of Lalish, in the inner courtyard of the shrine of Sheikh Adi, the Baba Sheikh stands at the very heart of Yazidi worship.
Drawn from the Shamsani line of the sheikh caste, and traditionally from the family of Sheikh Fakhradin, the Baba Sheikh is a man of deep piety, bound to long fasts and a holy way of life. Many of the great ceremonies of the faith cannot take place without him, and once a year he travels among the Yazidi villages to give his blessing and to settle disputes. He is, in the words of some, the Yazidi pope, the spiritual head of an ancient people.
Together with the Mir, the prince of the community, the Baba Sheikh forms one half of the supreme leadership of the Yazidis, the spiritual complement to the Mir's princely authority. To understand the Baba Sheikh is to understand the religious heart of Yazidism and the sacred office that has guided the worship and the discipline of the faith through the long centuries, one of the central institutions of one of the most ancient religions of the Kurdish world.
Contents
Who Is the Baba Sheikh?
The Baba Sheikh, a title meaning Father Sheikh or Father of the Sheikhs, is the supreme spiritual leader of the Yazidi community. He is drawn from the Shamsani line of the sheikh caste, traditionally from the family of Sheikh Fakhradin, and he is also known by the title Extiyare Mergehe, the Elder of the Mergeh, the sacred area in which Lalish lies. Seated in the inner courtyard of the shrine of Sheikh Adi at Lalish, he presides over the religious ceremonies of the faith, guides its clergy, and lives a life of strict piety. Though formally appointed by the Mir, the prince of the Yazidis, the Baba Sheikh is regarded as the religious head of the whole community.
The Father of the Sheikhs
The very title Baba Sheikh, the Father of the Sheikhs, expresses the nature of the office. He is the head and guide of the sheikh caste, the priestly class of the Yazidis, and through them of the religious life of the whole community. As the supreme spiritual authority, he is sometimes described as the Yazidi equivalent of a pope, the chief religious leader to whom the faithful look for guidance in matters of worship, ritual and religious discipline. His person carries great sanctity, and his presence is essential to the proper conduct of the faith.
The Baba Sheikh's authority is spiritual and religious, complementing the more princely and temporal authority of the Mir. In the structure of Yazidi leadership, the Mir is the prince and supreme head, both worldly and sacred, while the Baba Sheikh is the foremost spiritual leader, the guardian of the rituals and the religious life. The two great offices work together at the summit of the faith, the prince and the spiritual father, and between them they uphold both the worldly governance and the sacred worship of the Yazidi people.
Key Takeaways
The Baba Sheikh is the supreme spiritual leader of the Yazidis.
His title means the Father of the Sheikhs, head of the priestly caste.
He is drawn from the Shamsani line, traditionally the family of Fakhradin.
He is formally appointed by the Mir, the prince of the Yazidis.
He is seated at Lalish and presides over the great ceremonies of the faith.
He leads a life of strict piety, including long periods of fasting.
Quick Facts
Title: Baba Sheikh (Father of the Sheikhs); also Extiyare Mergehe
Role: Supreme spiritual leader of the Yazidis
Caste: The sheikh caste; the Shamsani lineage
Family: Traditionally the family of Sheikh Fakhradin
Appointed by: The Mir, the prince of the Yazidis
Seat: The shrine of Sheikh Adi at Lalish; resides at Ain Sifni
Duties: Presiding over ceremonies, guiding clergy, settling disputes
Discipline: Long fasts and a strict, pious way of life
Tenure: Held for life; cannot be dismissed unless he leaves the faith
Recent holder: Sheikh Ali Ilyas (since 2020); before, Khurto Hajji Ismail
The Shamsani Lineage
The office of the Baba Sheikh belongs to the Shamsani branch of the Yazidi sheikh caste, one of the three great sheikh lineages alongside the Qatani, from whom the Mir is drawn, and the Adani. The Shamsani trace their descent from the four sons of the prince Ezdina Mir, the great Yazidi holy family. More specifically, tradition holds that the Baba Sheikh comes from the family descended from Sheikh Fakhradin, one of the four sons, who is honoured as the first holder of the office of the Elder of the Mergeh.
This sacred descent gives the Baba Sheikh his religious legitimacy. As a member of the Shamsani line, rooted in the holy family of Ezdina Mir and in the lineage of Fakhradin, he carries the spiritual inheritance of one of the founding sacred families of the faith. The division of the highest offices among the three sheikh lineages reflects a careful balance in the Yazidi religious order: the Qatani provide the Mir, the Shamsani provide the Baba Sheikh, and the Adani provide the Pesh Imam, the authority on ceremonies. Each office is rooted in its own holy descent, and together they uphold the sacred structure of the community.
Appointed by the Mir
Although the office of the Baba Sheikh is traditionally hereditary, passing within the Shamsani family from father to son, the holder must be formally appointed by the Mir, the prince of the Yazidis. According to Yazidi religious rule, only the Mir has the power to name a new Baba Sheikh, and the appointment is confirmed in a ceremony at the holy sanctuary of Lalish. This relationship expresses the structure of Yazidi leadership, in which the Mir stands as the supreme head from whom the spiritual office of the Baba Sheikh receives its formal sanction.
Once appointed, the Baba Sheikh holds his office for life, and he cannot be dismissed or replaced unless he dies or abandons the Yazidi faith. This security of tenure reflects the gravity and sanctity of the office, which is not a position to be lightly given or taken away but a sacred trust held until death. The bond between the Mir and the Baba Sheikh, the one appointing and the other serving as spiritual head, is one of the foundational relationships of the Yazidi religious order, joining the princely and the spiritual authorities of the faith.
Duties at Lalish
The Baba Sheikh's seat is at Lalish, the holiest sanctuary of the Yazidis, in the inner courtyard of the shrine of the great saint Sheikh Adi. His presence is essential to the religious life conducted there: he must be present at all the important rituals and ceremonies of the faith, and many of the great observances at Lalish cannot properly take place without him. He presides over the sacred rites, guiding and overseeing the worship at the spiritual heart of the Yazidi world.
Beyond the sanctuary, the Baba Sheikh has a pastoral role among the wider community. Once a year, by tradition, he travels among the Yazidi villages to give his blessing, to conduct ceremonies, and to resolve disputes among the people, acting as a spiritual guide and an arbiter of conflicts. He also guides and instructs the religious clergy in their duties, overseeing the proper conduct of the faith throughout the community. In his hands lies the care of the rituals, the discipline of the clergy, and the spiritual welfare of the Yazidi people, a wide and weighty responsibility befitting the Father of the Sheikhs.
A Life of Piety and Fasting
The Baba Sheikh is expected to lead a life of exceptional piety and religious discipline, a model of devotion for the whole community. Among his obligations are long periods of fasting, including the great forty-day fasts observed in summer and in winter, known as the Chile Havine and the Chile Zivistane, periods of withdrawal and devotion that mark the depth of his religious commitment. His life is to be one of holiness and self-discipline, set apart for the service of the faith.
This demand for piety reflects the sacred character of the office. The Baba Sheikh is not merely an administrator of ceremonies but a holy man, whose own devotion and purity of life lend authority to his spiritual leadership. By his fasting, his prayer and his pious conduct, he embodies the religious ideals of the faith and stands as a living example to the community he guides. The rigour of his way of life is itself a part of his office, the discipline through which he is fitted to be the spiritual father of the Yazidis.
The Baba Sheikh in Modern Times
The office of the Baba Sheikh continues to the present day. For many years the position was held by Khurto Hajji Ismail, a widely respected spiritual leader, until his death. In 2020, more than a month after his predecessor's passing, Sheikh Ali Ilyas was appointed as the new Baba Sheikh by the Mir, Hazim Tahsin Beg, and was inaugurated in a ceremony at the holy temple of Lalish attended by thousands of Yazidis. In keeping with Yazidi rule, the appointment was made by the Mir, the only one able to name a new spiritual leader.
Honesty requires noting that, like the contemporary office of the Mir, the recent appointment of the Baba Sheikh came amid the divisions that have afflicted the Yazidi community in the difficult years following the catastrophe in Sinjar. Some Yazidis, particularly in the Sinjar region, and certain religious and community figures, expressed disagreement with the appointment, saying they had not been consulted, and declined to recognise the new spiritual leader. These tensions reflect the strains upon a community that has suffered grievously and is grappling with profound modern challenges, even as the ancient office of the Baba Sheikh endures as the spiritual heart of the faith.
Symbolism and Meaning
The Baba Sheikh symbolises the spiritual dimension of Yazidi life and leadership. As the Father of the Sheikhs, he embodies the religious authority of the faith, the guardianship of its sacred rituals, and the discipline of holy living. In his person the worship of the Yazidis finds its head and its guide, and through him the great ceremonies of the faith are upheld and the clergy are directed. He is the living embodiment of the spiritual order of the community.
His office also symbolises the careful balance of authority in the Yazidi world, the partnership of the spiritual and the princely. Alongside the Mir, the prince, the Baba Sheikh represents the spiritual pole of leadership, the two together upholding the faith and the community. And in his strict piety, his fasting and his holy way of life, he symbolises the ideal of devotion to which the faith aspires. To contemplate the Baba Sheikh is to contemplate the spiritual depth of Yazidism, its reverence for holiness, ritual and sacred order, embodied in the Father of the Sheikhs at the heart of Lalish.
The Baba Sheikh and the Kurds
The office of the Baba Sheikh holds an honoured place in the heritage of the Kurds, and above all among the Yazidis, the followers of one of the most ancient faiths of the Kurdish world. As the supreme spiritual leader of the community, the Baba Sheikh has guided the religious life of the Yazidis through the centuries, presiding over the sacred ceremonies at Lalish and upholding the discipline and devotion of the faith. He is a central figure in the religious heritage that the Yazidis have preserved through long ages of hardship.
For a people who have endured terrible persecution, the continuity of the office of the Baba Sheikh, like that of the Mir, has been a source of stability, dignity and spiritual sustenance, a sign that the Yazidis endure as a distinct people with their own ancient religious leadership. To honour the Baba Sheikh is to honour the spiritual heritage of the Yazidis within the wider story of the Kurds, and to recognise the depth and resilience of a faith that has preserved its sacred offices, its rituals and its devotion through the long centuries, guided by the Father of the Sheikhs.
Debates and Misconceptions
Is the Baba Sheikh the same as the Mir? No. The two are distinct offices, the two highest in the Yazidi community. The Mir is the prince, the supreme head of the Yazidis in both temporal and spiritual matters, drawn from the Qatani line, while the Baba Sheikh is the foremost spiritual leader, the Father of the Sheikhs, drawn from the Shamsani line. The Mir appoints the Baba Sheikh, and the two work together at the summit of the faith, but they are different offices with different roles and different sacred lineages.
Does every Yazidi recognise the same Baba Sheikh? Traditionally the Baba Sheikh appointed by the Mir is the spiritual head of the whole community. In recent years, however, amid the divisions that have followed the Sinjar tragedy and the wider political tensions, the appointment of the current Baba Sheikh was disputed by some Yazidis, particularly in the Sinjar region, who declined to recognise him. Honesty requires acknowledging this division, which reflects the strains upon a community under great modern pressure, even as the traditional office continues at Lalish.
Is the Baba Sheikh's role connected to anything sinister? No, and it is important to be clear. The Baba Sheikh is the spiritual head of a monotheistic faith, the guardian of its sacred rituals and the guide of its clergy. Yazidism worships one God, who created the world and entrusted its care to the Seven Holy Beings led by Tawuse Melek, the Peacock Angel, who are benevolent powers of the divine order. The persistent prejudices that have been directed against the Yazidis over the centuries are founded on misunderstanding, and the office of the Baba Sheikh is simply that of a revered spiritual leader, the pious father of an ancient and honourable faith.
Related Topics
The Mir: the prince of the Yazidis, who appoints the Baba Sheikh
Sheikh Fakhradin: the Shamsani ancestor from whose family the Baba Sheikh is drawn
Lalish: the holy sanctuary where the Baba Sheikh is seated
Sheikh Adi: the supreme saint at whose shrine the Baba Sheikh presides
Sheikh Shems: a Shamsani saint, brother of Fakhradin in the holy family
The Seven Holy Beings: the Seven of the Yazidi faith led by the Peacock Angel
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the Baba Sheikh?
The Baba Sheikh, meaning Father of the Sheikhs, is the supreme spiritual leader of the Yazidi community. He is drawn from the Shamsani line of the sheikh caste, traditionally from the family of Sheikh Fakhradin, and is seated at the holy sanctuary of Lalish. He presides over the religious ceremonies of the faith, guides its clergy, and leads a life of strict piety. Though appointed by the Mir, he is regarded as the religious head of the whole community.
What does the Baba Sheikh do?
The Baba Sheikh presides over the great religious ceremonies of the Yazidis, especially those at Lalish, many of which cannot take place without him. He guides and instructs the clergy, and once a year he travels among the Yazidi villages to give his blessing, conduct ceremonies, and resolve disputes. He is the spiritual head and guide of the community, charged with the care of its rituals and religious life.
How is the Baba Sheikh chosen?
The office is traditionally hereditary, passing within the Shamsani family of Fakhradin from father to son, but the holder must be formally appointed by the Mir, the prince of the Yazidis. According to Yazidi rule, only the Mir can name a new Baba Sheikh, and the appointment is confirmed in a ceremony at Lalish. Once appointed, the Baba Sheikh holds the office for life and cannot be dismissed unless he dies or leaves the faith.
What is the difference between the Baba Sheikh and the Mir?
The Mir is the prince of the Yazidis, the supreme head of the community in both temporal and spiritual matters, drawn from the Qatani line. The Baba Sheikh is the foremost spiritual leader, the Father of the Sheikhs, drawn from the Shamsani line. The Mir appoints the Baba Sheikh, and the two work together at the summit of the faith, the prince and the spiritual father, but they hold distinct offices rooted in different sacred lineages.
Why does the Baba Sheikh fast for long periods?
The Baba Sheikh is expected to lead a life of exceptional piety, and long fasting is part of his religious discipline. Among his obligations are the great forty-day fasts observed in summer and winter, the Chile Havine and the Chile Zivistane. This rigorous devotion reflects the sacred character of his office: he is not merely an administrator but a holy man, whose own purity of life lends authority to his spiritual leadership and sets an example for the community.
Who is the Baba Sheikh today?
For many years the office was held by Khurto Hajji Ismail until his death. In 2020 Sheikh Ali Ilyas was appointed as the new Baba Sheikh by the Mir, Hazim Tahsin Beg, and inaugurated at Lalish before thousands of Yazidis. The appointment came amid the divisions following the Sinjar tragedy, and some Yazidis, particularly in Sinjar, declined to recognise him, reflecting the strains upon the community in recent years.
References and Further Reading
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