Of the Spoken, Of the Written

The first written mentions of Ezidis are brief, tangential to the primary subject being examined, and depict them as a sect that holds comparatively distinct or divergent beliefs from mainstream forms of Islam. Nonetheless, they are considered Muslim. A good example is Ibn Khallikan’s brief mention that the religious order founded by Sheikh ‘Adi, held a ‘belief in [Sheikh ‘Adi’s] sanctity [that] was so excessive that, in saying their prayers they took him for their kibla’231. Later, more comprehensive depictions fall into either the tradition of Ottoman historiography and travelogues or Christian missionary diaries. The best examples of the former are Sheref el-Din Bitlisi’s Sheref-name and Evliya Çelebi’s Seyahat-name.