Introduction
Sheikhan (Kurdish: Şêsan, “the place of the sheikhs”) is a district and town in northern Iraq, lying between Duhok and Mosul. Together with Sinjar, it is the historic heartland of the Yazidis — and it holds within its hills the holiest of all Yazidi places, the temple valley of Lalish.
Sheikhan is not only sacred geography but also the seat of Yazidi leadership, the home of the prince of the Yazidis. This profile looks at the district, its place at the centre of the Yazidi world, and its long history of faith and survival.
Key Takeaways
• Sheikhan (Kurdish: Şêsan) is a district and town in northern Iraq, between Duhok and Mosul.
• With Sinjar, it is one of the two historic heartlands of the Yazidi people.
• The holy Yazidi temple valley of Lalish lies within the Sheikhan area.
• The village of Ba’adre in Sheikhan is the seat of the Mir, the prince of the Yazidis.
• Sheikhan is a mixed area of Yazidis, Christians, and Muslims, and a disputed territory in Iraq.
Quick Facts
Name (Kurdish): Şêsan
Meaning: “The place of the sheikhs”
Country / Region: Iraq (northern Iraq / Kurdistan borderlands)
District Centre: Ain Sifni
Significance: A Yazidi heartland; site of Lalish
Seat of the Mir: Ba’adre village
Communities: Yazidis, Christians, Muslims
Status: A disputed territory in Iraq
Contents
Related People, Places, and Topics
References and Further Reading
Where Is Sheikhan?
Sheikhan lies in the hill country of northern Iraq, between the city of Mosul to the south and Duhok to the north, on the edge of the Kurdistan Region. Its district centre is the town of Ain Sifni, and within its rolling hills sits the sacred valley of Lalish. The area straddles the contested boundary between the Kurdistan Region and federal Iraq, one of the so-called disputed territories.
This is a landscape of low mountains and villages, long shared by several communities, with the Yazidis at its heart.
A Yazidi Heartland
Along with Sinjar to the west, Sheikhan is one of the two great heartlands of the Yazidi people. For centuries it has been home to a dense cluster of Yazidi villages and shrines, gathered around the holy valley of Lalish, the faith’s most sacred site. To be from Sheikhan is, for many Yazidis, to come from the very centre of their religious world — the land of the temples, the sheikhs, and the holy springs.
The Seat of the Mir
Sheikhan is also the seat of Yazidi leadership. In the village of Ba’adre lives the Mir — the prince or emir of the Yazidis — the hereditary temporal head of the community, who together with the religious leadership guides the faith. This concentration of spiritual and political authority in one small district has made Sheikhan the effective capital of the Yazidi world, the place to which Yazidis everywhere look.
A History of Survival
The history of Sheikhan, like that of all Yazidis, is marked by repeated persecution. Over the centuries its people endured massacres and pressure to convert, yet they held to their faith in these hills. When ISIS swept across the region in 2014 and carried out genocide against the Yazidis of Sinjar, Sheikhan too was threatened, and many fled — but the area was largely held or soon retaken, and it became a refuge for survivors. Through every assault, Sheikhan has remained, and the Yazidi presence here has endured.
Sheikhan Today
Today Sheikhan remains the beating heart of the Yazidi world: home to the Mir, gateway to Lalish, and a living community of Yazidis, Christians, and Muslims in the hills of northern Iraq. Its position as a disputed territory leaves its political future uncertain, but its spiritual importance is beyond question — a small district that carries the centre of an ancient faith.
Timeline
centuries past — Sheikhan develops as a Yazidi heartland around the holy valley of Lalish.
Ottoman era — Yazidis of Sheikhan endure repeated massacres and pressure to convert.
modern era — Ba’adre becomes established as the seat of the Yazidi Mir.
2014 — ISIS threatens Sheikhan during the genocide; the area is held or retaken and shelters survivors.
today — Sheikhan remains the spiritual and leadership centre of the Yazidis.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Sheikhan?
Sheikhan (Şêsan) is a district and town in northern Iraq between Duhok and Mosul, one of the two historic heartlands of the Yazidi people and the location of the holy valley of Lalish.
Why is Sheikhan important to the Yazidis?
Sheikhan holds the sacred temple valley of Lalish and the village of Ba’adre, seat of the Mir, the prince of the Yazidis — making it the spiritual and leadership centre of the Yazidi world.
Who is the Mir of the Yazidis?
The Mir is the hereditary prince or emir of the Yazidis, their temporal leader, who resides at Ba’adre in Sheikhan.
Is Sheikhan a disputed territory?
Yes. Sheikhan lies along the contested boundary between the Kurdistan Region and federal Iraq and is one of Iraq’s disputed territories.
Related People, Places, and Topics
The Yazidis · the Mir of the Yazidis · Ba’adre · Lalish · Sinjar · Duhok.