Religion of the Peacock Angel

Garnik S. Asatrian is Chair of the Department of Iranian Studies, Yerevan State University, Armenia. He is author of many books, most recently The Etymological Dictionary of Persian. Victoria Arakelova is Associate Professor in the Department of Iranian Studies, Yerevan State University, Armenia. She is co-author, with Garnik Asatrian, of The Ethnic Minorities of Armenia.

• Introduction Part 1: The One God 1. Malak-Tawus: The Leader of the Holy Triad 2. Sheikh 'Adi 3. Sultan Ezid Part 2: The Yezidis' Pantheon and the Syncretic Features of their Religion 4. The Yezidi Minor Deities, Saints and Holy men 5. Aspects of Nature and Celestial Bodies in Yezidi Tradition 6. Yezidi Religious Syncretism Conclusion. Index

"A new, authoritative, and much-needed account of the religion of a little known, much-misunderstood Middle Eastern religious group, the Yezidis. The analysis of this fascinating faith and its intricate syncretism (which includes Gnosticism and heretical Islam) presents a very important contribution to the study of comparative religion." - Martin Schwartz, University of California at Berkeley "The first scholarly attempt to offer a complete account of Yezidi beliefs in all kind of spiritual beings. This comparative study of heterodox Islam and its derivatives, as well as many other 'heresies' of the region, reveals a series of parallels that will prove of great benefit to scholars interested in the comparative history of the world religions." - Adriano V. Rossi, Oriental University of Naples