\u201cBirds serve as models of virtues and vices, and if one wants to know one\u2019s true friends, those who will always be faithful, it is no use turning to the Starling, the Stork, the Crane, nor even to the Partridge, but to the Magpie, who is no seasonal bird who flies away when bad times come. In all these stories there is often delicately implied a moral, after the manner of La Fontaine.\u201d[4]<\/a><\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n During traditional Kurdish marriage ceremonies the bride\u2019s entrance into her new home is accompanied by various rituals, such as crossing a threshold strewn with coins and sweets, or in some cases, the release of a bird. This act is believed to bring good fortune and happiness.[5]<\/span><\/a><\/sup> Additionally, the Kurds hold various beliefs regarding birds, including the use of their feathers in healing rituals and as symbols of power. Sometimes little holes are made in the grave and filled with water, so that birds and animals may drink to the departed. During the elections of chieftains, it was believed that if a bird alights on a candidate\u2019s head, he is considered to be God\u2019s own choice.[6]<\/a><\/sup><\/span> The deeply rooted belief in the spiritual power of birds is also reflected in the tradition of releasing birds for the purpose of seeking healing for the sick.[7]<\/span><\/a><\/sup> Besides the sacred birds, there are also mythical birds like simsiy\u0101r<\/em>, a white bird of prey with black wings which reaches the age of a thousand years.[8]<\/span><\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n Birds feature prominently in Kurdish folktales and legends, which are \u201cthe favorite genre of Kurds.\u201d[9]<\/a><\/sup><\/span> These narratives encompass a wide range of stories, including those that realistically depict the societal characteristics of a specific historical period, as well as magical and fantastical tales. Additionally, there are animal tales, often didactic in nature, resembling parables.[10]<\/a><\/sup><\/span> In the Kurdish folktale of Eagle and Peacock<\/em>, which addresses the theme of power and survival, it is told that:<\/p>\n \u201cA society of birds gathered to choose their king. Each bird wished to rule. One of the birds, which was more self-assured than others, proud of its beauty, stepped onto the square and, spreading its colorful wings, declared, \u201cI am a beautiful peacock, and since I am more beautiful than all the other birds, I am worthy of becoming the king of all birds.\u201d When the birds saw the peacock, standing alone on the square with its outstretched, multicolored wings that competed with the rays of the sun, they all exclaimed, \u201cIndeed, the peacock is worthy of kingship because of its beauty, and we choose it as our king!\u201d The birds began to congratulate the peacock on its upcoming rule.<\/p>\n At this moment, a turkey came out onto the square and, bowing to the peacock, said, \u201cMy king, may I ask your majesty a question?\u201d The peacock spread its wings and said, \u201cGo ahead, ask.\u201d The turkey said, \u201cIn our society, it is customary to offer all our wealth and property to the king because the king protects our society and possessions. But if we were attacked by an eagle and a falcon, how would your majesty advise us to defend ourselves?\u201d To this question from the turkey, the peacock remained silent.<\/p>\n Then the birds realized that the peacock\u2019s boasting was useless and its beauty was powerless. Birds needed a strong protector who could defend them both in battle and in times of trouble. Therefore, the birds decided to make a fearless and powerful eagle their king.\u201d[11]<\/a><\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n Birds are also richly featured in Kurdish rugs, T. F. Aristova pointed out that \u201cKurdish carpet designs retain numerous ancient thematic motifs, with elements reflecting the Kurds’ religious beliefs, daily activities like animal husbandry, farming, and craftsmanship, as well as their natural environment. For instance, sun motifs are predominantly found in carpets crafted by Yazidi Kurds, symbolizing the religious beliefs of fire-worshippers from the past. Sun symbols occasionally appear in carpets made by Muslim Kurds, indicating a shared cultural and potentially ancient religious heritage. Symbolic bird figures are also frequent, sometimes depicted realistically and at other times stylized geometrically.\u201d[12]<\/a><\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n The Guardian Birds<\/strong><\/p>\n In the 1880s, French anthropologist Ernest Chantre travelled through Kurdish lands and made the following observation about the cult of birds:<\/p>\n \u201cIn every village inhabited by Kurds in Kurdistan and Mesopotamia, there are sacred birds. For instance, in Biredjik, it\u2019s the ibises that grace the region with their presence during spring, from March to June; specifically, the Ulbis commata, typically found in Abyssinia. Near Urfa, storks are the honored residents, while in Sooverek, it\u2019s the crows. In other places, you\u2019ll discover roller birds, starlings, or various passerines nesting in the earthen walls of houses, unless they\u2019re burrowed right into the ground. This reverence for the guardian birds of the village is so serious that a naturalist risks genuine danger in killing even a few samples of these birds, even at a great distance from the villages.\u201d[13]<\/a><\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n One of the most widely revered guardian birds among the Kurds is the stork. Peter Lerkh in 1856 recorded that the Kurds consider the stork (leklek <\/em>in Kurdish) to be a sacred bird. They believe that in harvest time, they travel to Mecca and Medina. When they depart, they are believed to go to some distant place, where they all assemble together in a temple. Here the old ones die, and the young ones alone return to their nests where they were reared.[14]<\/a><\/sup><\/span> According to Kurdish folk belief, lek<\/em> means \u2018to Thee\u2019; and leklek<\/em> is taken to mean \u2018To Thee praise, to Thee thanks.\u2019[15]<\/a><\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n The guardian birds symbolize prosperity and are believed to bring good fortune to the community in which they reside. A traveler through Mukri Kurdistan in 1890 wrote that in the area between Sainkala to Mianduab storks have built their nest \u201con every available vantage-ground, so that the whole place is alive with these sacred birds\u2014a sure sign of peace and prosperity.\u201d[16]<\/a><\/sup><\/span> Later, An observer in 1955 wrote that in the regions located to the south of Lake Urmia \u201cThe Kurds regard the stork as the harbinger of spring; no one would harm a stork. It is not uncommon to feed these animals, and it even happens that a broken stork leg is skillfully splinted. The storks, in turn, are on friendly terms with the local residents: they walk behind the plowman in the fields and accompany the shepherd to the pasture.\u201d[17]<\/a><\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n Birds as Divine Healers<\/strong><\/p>\n In the Kurdish tale \u2018Shaisma’il and Arabi-Zangi<\/em>,\u2019 a blind hero seeks help under a tree where two doves land. These doves, aware of his situation, suggest a method for him to regain his sight. After one of the doves advises him to use a fallen feather to restore his vision, the hero follows the instructions and successfully regains his sight. This theme of healing through the guidance of doves is echoed in other Kurdish tales such as \u2018Ahmad, the Knower of People, Horses, and Weapons<\/em>.\u2019[18]<\/a><\/sup><\/span> In \u2018The World-Revealing Goblet<\/em>,\u2019 fairies in the form of birds perched on a tree assist in the resurrection of two individuals.[19]<\/a><\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n In another Kurdish tale \u201cDervish<\/em>,\u201d a similar situation involving a miraculous feather repeats: three doves resurrect the killed sons of three brothers. To make the feather miraculous, it needs to be dipped in a spring beneath a mountain.[20]<\/a><\/sup><\/span> In another Kurdish fairy tale, \u2018Benger<\/em>,\u2019 tells the story of a hero who is given a feather by the Padishah \u2018king\u2019 of the Birds for feeding the entire flock during a time of famine. The hero spreads out his tablecloth, strikes it with a stick, and all sorts of food appear. The birds flock to the feast and are finally satisfied. They take to the air, and the king of the birds plucks a feather from his wing and says to Benger: \u201cKeep this feather in your pocket. When you are in trouble, call for me, and I will be of service to you.\u201d<\/p>\n Similarly, in the Kurdish tale \u201cRostam, Son of Zal<\/em>,\u201d the S\u012bmurgh bird serves as the protector of Zal\u2019s family hearth. Zal\u2019s wife was unable to bear a child, but S\u012bmurgh aided in the childbirth and healed a wound with its feather. In the same tale, S\u012bmurgh helps the hero Orindj, carrying him to the other side of a river, giving him one of its feathers, and promising to come to him every time he strikes it against a stone.[21]<\/a><\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n These various tales showcase the recurring theme of the mystical power of feathers, particularly those from magical birds. These feathers act as agents of healing, resurrection, and aid, emphasizing the sacred role of birds in these Kurdish cultural narratives.<\/p>\n The Rooster<\/strong><\/p>\n The image of a rooster is commonly associated with deities of dawn, the sun, and divine fire across many traditions. Among the Kurds, the white rooster is considered a vigilant symbol, the watcher and caller to prayer,[22]<\/a><\/sup><\/span> akin to the rituals of Mithraism where a rooster awakens the devout for prayer. In Zoroastrianism, the rooster (known as Par\u014ddarsh) is affiliated with Sraosha, the Yazata (divinity) of obedience. According to the Vend\u012bd\u0101d, a book in the Avesta concerned with the battle against demons, during the last part of the night, the time when the fire is most threatened by the powers of darkness, \u0100tar, the fire god, summons Sraosha for assistance, prompting the faithful to gather wood. Sraosha, in turn, wakens the bird Par\u014ddarsh (\u201cthe one who sees forward\u201d) to call for prayer. It is believed that during this duty, Par\u014ddarsh assumes the role of Srao\u0161\u0101varez, the assistant priest of Sraosha.[23]<\/a><\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n The Divine Eagle<\/strong><\/p>\n In a mysterious Kurdish tale, the z\u0101y<\/em> tree (\u2018tree of birth\u2019) and t\u0101y<\/em> falcon restore the King\u2019s sight, having been obtained from a distant land of fairies beyond Mount Q\u0101f, guarded by demons.[24]<\/a><\/sup><\/span> The tale is significant for its depiction of the eagle as a powerful and divine creature. Moreover, this tale is probably a mutated remnant of Kurdish creation stories still found in both Yarsani and Yezidi traditions, in which the supreme deity in the form of a bird perches on the Tree of Life<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n The Yarsani Kurds particularly venerate the eagle. They believe that God is incarnated in the eagle, and that the King-Eagle, or Sh\u0101h-b\u0101z, represents the Divinity as the universal King who has chosen to inhabit the living form of an eagle because this form, with its specific characteristics, is best suited to manifest the theophany and reveal the divine power in a physical appearance. God is also called Sh\u0101h-i Sh\u0101hb\u0101z\u0101n, the king of royal eagles. Theophanies (encounters with a deity) are always associated with a white eagle. Even if someone dares to compare themselves to the manifestation of God to boast about their own power, they are spoken of as a black eagle and not a white one. White was the color reserved for the divine eagle, explained by the purity it symbolises, making it the only suitable color for the Divine.[25]<\/a><\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n Mokri pointed out that the symbols of the eagle, the S\u012bmurgh, and the sun share the common characteristic of evoking sublimity and majesty, attributes naturally associated with God. In various folk tales, a magician displays dominance over others by transforming into an eagle. Ancient pharmacopoeias (medicine catalogues) attribute supernatural powers to the eagle, prescribing the consumption of eagle blood for strength and courage.<\/p>\n Humai <\/strong><\/p>\n According to Kurdish beliefs, the responsibility of sending rain rests with God, who employs Solomon, the ruler over all animals, as an intermediary. Solomon conveys the order to Humai, a mythical bird akin to the Phoenix. Humai\u2019s task is to gather all the birds and instruct them to collect water from the sea or ocean, dispersing it over the designated area. The size discrepancy among the birds explains the variation in raindrop sizes, while hail and snow are attributed to birds flying too high in the colder regions of the sky.[26]<\/a><\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n Additionally, in Kurdish classical poetry, the bird Humai is often portrayed as a symbol of joy and abundance. While Persian mythology associates the shadow or alighting of the Huma bird on a person\u2019s head or shoulder with the prediction of kingship, this particular motif is not known within the Kurdish tradition.<\/p>\n S<\/strong>\u012bmir, A Bird Deity <\/strong><\/p>\n S\u012bmir,[27]<\/a><\/sup><\/span> also known as S\u012b, is both a mythical and divine bird in Kurdish lore, often referred to as the \u2018king of birds\u2019.[28]<\/a><\/sup><\/span> It assumes different bird shapes, including the peacock (t\u0101w\u016bs), rooster, eagle, and stork. S\u012bmir \u2018the bird S\u012b\u2019 is the Kurdish equivalent of the Iranian bird S\u0113nmurw or S\u012bmurgh, which takes different shapes in different cultures and the same name was used for real birds and fabulous composites as well as for benevolent and malevolent beasts.[29]<\/a><\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n The dual nature of S\u012bmir in Kurdish beliefs becomes more apparent when it is identified as a t\u0101w\u016bs \u2018peacock\u2019. Alexandre Jaba recorded that in Kurdish t\u0101w\u016bs<\/em> signified the \u201cname of the devil.\u201d He mentions a Kurdish curse in Northern Kurdish, \u201cbe tawus\u00e9 here\u201d, <\/em>meaning \u2018go to the devil (hell)\u2019.[30]<\/a><\/sup><\/span> In central Kurdish, tawas<\/em> signifies \u2018hell,\u2019 leading to the curse, \u201cwa t\u016bn \u016b tawas\u201d, meaning \u2018go to hell.\u2019[31]<\/a><\/sup><\/span> Hazhar Mukriyani also mentions another curse in Central Kurdish \u201ctaw\u0101siy\u0101y tawas,\u201d which translates to \u201cto hell with it\u201d[32]<\/a><\/sup><\/span> Among Y\u0101rs\u0101ni Kurds the equivalent of this phrase is \u201cwa t\u016bn-\u012b tawas.\u201d[33]<\/a><\/sup> <\/span>On the other hand, the bird T\u0101w\u016bs or S\u012bmir is a divine figure whose meaning signifies God. Among the Yezidis, Melek\u00ea Taw\u00fbs (Taw\u00fbs\u00ee Melek) is often called S\u012bmir when addressed in prayers. Mohammed Mokri noted that among the Yarsanis the name S\u012bmurgh (S\u012bmir) is often used to refer to \u2018God.\u2019[34]<\/a><\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n In Kurdish mythology, the S\u012bmir or S\u012bmurgh motif is usually combined with various other stories that do not necessarily have anything to do with it. The hero has been sent, for one reason or another, on a dangerous journey, and he has arrived at an uninhabited place. There he rests under a big tree and sees that a snake or a dragon is just about to eat the young of a big bird. The hero kills the snake and goes to sleep. The bird arrives and sees the hero sleeping. It thinks that this is the enemy who has eaten its young in several previous years, but the young tell the bird that the hero has, on the contrary, saved them. The bird is thankful and promises to do for the hero anything he wishes. The hero has an arduous task to accomplish and he has to get to a faraway place. The difficulties are so great that even the bird exclaims: \u201cWould it be that my young had been devoured this time too? It would be more pleasant to me than helping you to get there!\u201d But because of the solemn vow that the bird has given, it carries the hero to his destination and, in some versions, also gives him a feather that he has to burn at a critical juncture so that the bird can come to help him again.[35]<\/a><\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n The motifs found in Kurdish tales are shared with broader Iranian, Mesopotamian, and Jewish traditions. In a tale S\u012bmir carries the hero out of the netherworld; here she feeds her young with her teats, a trait that agrees with the description of the S\u0113nmurw by Z\u0101dspram. The bird also feeds the hero on the journey while he feeds her with pieces of sheep\u2019s fat and water.[36]<\/a><\/sup><\/span>A Mesopotamian connection was discussed by Jussi Aro, writing that \u201cin the Kurdish folktales the eagle S\u012bmurgh helps the hero as in the Mesopotamian Lugalbanda epics and in the Etana myth.\u201d[37]<\/a><\/sup><\/span> Following Aro, Schmidt maintains that \u201cthe correspondence of these [Mespotamian] motifs with the Simor\u1e21 stories in the\u00a0\u0160\u0101hn\u0101ma\u00a0and the Kurdish folktales is obvious, showing that they are of common Near Eastern heritage.\u201d[38]<\/a><\/sup><\/span> Similarly, the scholar of the Ancient Near East Stephanie Dalley maintains that the Kurdish and Persian tales about S\u012bmurgh bear traces of Mesopotamian tradition: \u201cThere are also Kurdish folk-tales in which the Simurgh bird has its young eaten from its nest in a tree by a snake and then becomes the guardian helper of a hero. Like the eagle in the Babylonian myth of Etana, the Simurgh bird in Kurdish stories carries the hero heavenwards on its back.\u201d[39]<\/a><\/sup><\/span> A connection between the Kurdish tales and the gigantic bird pu\u0161qan\u1e63\u0101 from Talmudic lore was also discussed by D. E. Gershenson.[40]<\/a><\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n S\u012bmurgh represents the union between the earth and the sky, serving as a mediator and messenger between the two. In Kurdish folklore, the crane (stork) often serves as a mediator, thus replacing S\u012bmurgh. It can be assumed that such interchangeability was a conscious phenomenon. In the Bundahishn, the crane is mentioned among the birds that fly, like S\u0113nmurw.[41]<\/a><\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n As is well known, the peacock Melek\u00ea Taw\u00fbs is widely venerated in Kurdish religions. It is the most sacred bird in Yezidism. Irina I. Moskalenko remarked that:<\/p>\n \u201cThe world of birds represents the world of celestial spirits in the symbolic universe of the Kurds. The image of the Peacock, sometimes tabooed with the name of death, reflects the transition between life and death, guarded by the guardian of paradise and likely replacing the archangel of light, Gabriel. At the conceptual level of this transition, ancient Iranians had ideas about the judges of human souls, Mithra, and his assistants Rashnu and Sraosha.\u201d[42]<\/a><\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Aristova noted, \u201cThe Kurds, especially the Yazidis, associated the image of the bird with their religious object of worship, the peacock Melek\u00ea Taw\u00fbs. Depictions of Melek\u00ea Taw\u00fbs on carpets are often not entirely clear. Sometimes, he resembles a crow or a rooster, while other times, he is represented as a stylized bird.\u201d[43]<\/a><\/sup><\/span> In some Kurdish tales, it is identified as a female figurine and referred to as the Mal\u012bka T\u0101w\u016bs \u2018Queen Peacock.\u2019[44]<\/a><\/sup><\/span> According to a widespread legend about the peacock Melek\u00ea Taw\u00fbs among Kurds: \u201cthis sacred bird was supposed to bring happiness to people. But centuries passed, and the magical bird Malek-Taus did not appear. \u2018Some archer shot down the peacock’s wings,\u2019 they said. \u2018And the peacock remained somewhere beyond the mountains, beyond the seas.\u2019 Gradually, the Kurds came to the realization that they had to fight for their own happiness.\u201d[45]<\/a><\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n In 1879, Friedrich von Hellwald recorded a mourning song among the Sunni Kurds lamenting brutal Turkish oppression, which ends with the following lines:<\/p>\n \u201cCursed be the one who separates two loving hearts!<\/p>\n Cursed be the murderer who knows no mercy,<\/p>\n The grave will never give up its dead,<\/p>\n Only the curse is heard by Melek Taus (i.e., King Peacock).\u201d[46]<\/a><\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n It was customary for Kurds with achievements on the battlefield to wear feathers, particularly those of a peacock. In the 13th<\/sup> century, an Italian traveler noted that Kurds \u201cspot red feathers in their hats signifying power and pride.\u201d[47]<\/a><\/sup><\/span> A French traveller in 1838 observed that \u201crewards await those who have distinguished themselves through their bravery after the action. The most glorious of these distinctions is a peacock feather; each enemy killed earns one for the victor. They attach this brilliant trophy to their headwear. Therefore, do not tell a Kurdish rider that his turban is burned by the sun due to a lack of feathers to shade it, as it would be the most injurious insult.\u201d[48]<\/a><\/sup><\/span> Mokri noted that \u201cin popular tales, the feathers of the S\u012bmurgh are usually used as warrior ornaments. The hero, adorned in his armor, would add a S\u012bmurgh feather to his helmet to enhance its brilliance.\u201d[49]<\/a><\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n In the early 20th<\/sup> century the American missionary F.M. Stead, mentions the T\u0101w\u016bs worshipers among the Yarsani\/Ali Ilahi Kurds, \u201cOne of the branches of the `Ali Ilahi cult, known as the Tausi, or Peacock sect, goes still further afield, and venerates the devil. While these people do not actually worship Satan, they fear and placate him, and nobody in their presence ventures to say anything disrespectful of his Satanic majesty (\u2026) There are three principal divisions of the `Ali Ilahi sect, viz., the Davudi, the Tausi and the Nosairi.\u201d Stead explains the name of T\u00e2w\u00fbs\u00ee by relating the well-known tradition that the Peacock was the guardian of Paradise, who let Satan in so that he could seduce Adam and Eve.[50]<\/a><\/sup><\/span> In a Yarsani text which narrates various cosmological myths, when the Day of Resurrection arrived, the jinns turned to their king, Malak T\u00e2\u2019us and said, \u2018O King, it is clear that the Day of Resurrection has arrived.\u2019 Malak T\u00e2\u2019us looked into the box of trust, saw that the Day of Resurrection had arrived and said to Mostaf\u00e2, \u2018take me to the King of Love.\u2019[51]<\/a><\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n John Verzeau (1656-1735), the head of the Syrian Missions in the city of Saida in Aleppo, in 1699, documented a distinct group of Syrian Kurds, which was separate from the Yezidis, \u201cThey also have dealings with the devil. In the past months, some of them came to Saida with a cage containing the devil in the form of a bird, from which they learned about future events.\u201d[52]<\/a><\/sup><\/span> Although he does not mention the name of the sect nor of the bird idol, it is evident it was T\u0101w\u016bs (either rooster or peacock) due to its association with the devil. Samuel Clarke in 1689 reported that in the northern parts of Syria, \u201cthere dwell the Cardi, or Coerdes, a People who pay Veneration to the Devil, and the slender excuse they allege for it is, to prevent his doing them Mischief, they being on the contrary assured, that God being in his Nature good, he will not injure them.\u201d[53]<\/a><\/sup><\/span> The sect was probably the Kurdish sun-worshippers, known in Arabic as Shamsiyya <\/em>who were found in Upper Syria and Kurdistan until the 19th<\/sup> century. Italian traveler Abb\u00e9 Giovanni Mariti who toured through Syria in the 1760s, in a section titled \u2018Of the Kurds\u2019 writes that the Syrian Kurds follow three religions (Di tre religioni sono i Curdi di Soria<\/em>), and that there are Muslim Kurds (Curdi Maomettani<\/em>), Yezidi Kurds (Curdi Iasidi<\/em>), and Shamsiya Kurds (Curdi Sciamsi<\/em>). Of the last sect he wrote they hold \u201cthe same belief and worship as the Iasidis.\u201d[54]<\/a><\/sup><\/span> He further describes the sect as follows:<\/p>\n \u201cTheir first worship consisted principally in adoring the sun; which, in their idea, was the sole creator of the universe. They inclined themselves before his earliest rays, and retired when he set; carefully avoiding the approach of night, which they said was the empire of the demon. Such of the Kurdes as have preserved this religion of their ancestors are called Chamsis, or Solarins.\u201d[55]<\/a><\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n In many cultures, the peacock represents the solar symbol. In Iran, there is a metaphorical name of the Sun \u2013 T\u0101vus-e Falak (\u2018The Peacock of Heaven\u2019). In Ancient Egypt, the peacock was considered a symbol of Heliopolis, the city where a temple of the Sun was located. Similarly, in Ancient Greece, the peacock was also regarded as a symbol of the Sun. Melek\u00ea Taw\u00fbs is associated with solar beginnings. Depicting Melek\u00ea Taw\u00fbs as a peacock aligns with the solar symbolism attributed to this bird in other mythologies, including that of early Christians.[56]<\/a><\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n Certain Kurdish groups worshipped\u00a0 represented in the form of a rooster, as the Christian missionary H. J. Van-Lennep reported in 1875, \u201cthere are still more distinct remains of the ancient idolatry, which is now practiced in secret, because involving all participants in the penalty of death. Such are the peculiar rites of the Yezidies and of the heathen Koords.\u201d He observed that among the Yezidis \u201cwhen they speak of the devil they do so with reverence, as Melek Taoos (King Peacock,) or Melek el Koot (the mighty angel).\u201d As for \u201cthe heathen Koords\u201d, he wrote \u201cThere are also other tribes who hold to this same Melek Taoos, but they are not \u2018worshipers of the devil,\u2019 nor do they believe in Parsee dualism\u2026They appear to believe in a sort of Pantheism, and the transmigration of souls\u2026 We have known a woman from among these people who was converted to Christianity and baptized\u2026 We understood from her that the Melek Taoos was there set up and worshiped; that a cock was killed as a sacrifice to it; that wine was drunk in abundance by all present… The accompanying illustration [shown below on the left] is a faithful copy of one of the curious images worshiped both by the Koords and the Yezidies, which play so important a part in this ancient and almost effete superstition. It is made of brass, rudely carved, and has never before, we believe, been given to the public.\u201d[57]<\/a><\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n This Kurdish group was almost certainly the Tirahiya Kurds, mentioned by Ethel Drower,![\"\"](\"https:\/\/nlka.net\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Bird-Rug-5.jpg\")
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/nlka.net\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Rooster-combo-2.jpg\")