Ain Sifni

Ain Sifni
city
Ain Sifni

Location in Iraq

Coordinates: 36°41′30″N 43°21′00″E / 36.69167°N 43.35000°E / 36.69167; 43.35000Coordinates: 36°41′30″N 43°21′00″E / 36.69167°N 43.35000°E / 36.69167; 43.35000IQ
Country  Iraq
District Shekhan

Ain Sifni is the capital of the Sheikan district in northern Iraq. Its inhabitants are primarily is Yazidis. It is one of the primary holy cities of the ethno-religious group of the Yazidis, and functions as a capital for them as it is the residence of the current hereditary leader (Mīr, or prince) of the Yazidi people, with the current holder being Tahseen Said. The town is also the seat of the Shekhan District in the Mosul Governorate in Northern Iraq.[1]

The town is mainly populated by Yazidis, with a minority of Assyrian Christians.[2][3] The churches are Mar Yusuf (Saint Joseph) Chaldean Catholic and Mar Kyriakos, which belongs to the Assyrian Church of the East. The languages spoken in the town are the Kurdish dialect of Kurmanji, Arabic and Assyrian Neo-Aramaic.[4]

History

Beginning on August 10, 2014, Yazidi refugees have been fleeing to the town and Lalish from Sinjar through Syria after the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant placed that city under siege.[5][6][7]

See also

References

  1. "Basic information about Shekhan District" (PDF). Christian Aid Program in Iraq. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 25, 2012. Retrieved October 7, 2014.
  2. First Church- http://www.ishtartv.com/en/viewarticle,35628.html
  3. Second Church- http://www.ishtartv.com/en/viewarticle,35598.html
  4. "What you did not know about Iraq’s Yazidi minority". Al Arabiya News. Al Arabiya Network. Al Arabiya Institute for Studies. August 11, 2014. Retrieved October 7, 2014.
  5. "Iraq crisis: the last stand of the Yazidis against Islamic State". The Telegraph. August 12, 2014. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
  6. Soguel, Dominique (August 12, 2014). "World Middle East A sanctuary for Iraqi Yazidis – and a plea for Obama's intervention". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
  7. Spencer, Richard (August 13, 2014). "Iraq dispatch: terrified Yazidi people seek refuge inside holy temple". The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group Limited. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
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