In Van’s Muradiye district, there is a waterfall known by local people as Ezidi Waterfall. Its name is a living trace of the historical Ezidi presence in eastern Turkey and a reminder that Ezidis left a lasting mark on lands from which many were forced to leave.
Ezidi Waterfall is located in Muradiye Canyon, around 10 kilometres from the district centre. Although the site is also referred to today by another name, Yaşar Kemal Waterfall, the name Ezidi Waterfall has been used by local people throughout history and remains the more used name when referring ti the waterfall.
Even after displacement, persecution and forced migration, the land itself still carries signs of Ezidi existence. Place names are historical evidence. They show who lived in a region, who shaped its memory, and whose presence remains embedded in the landscape. The name Ezidi Waterfall stands as one such reminder. The continued use of the name by local people confirms that Ezidis were not strangers to these lands. They belonged to them, lived on them, and left behind names, memories and sacred connections that could not be erased.
Ezidi Waterfall is a symbol of memory, identity and survival — proof that even when Ezidis were forced away from their ancestral lands, their name remained.
