A youth delegation from Iraq visited the Sultan Ezid Temple in Tbilisi, Georgia, on 13 July as part of the international Ezdikhan Fellowship programme.
The delegation included young representatives of the Ezidi people as well as participants from other ethnic and religious groups in Iraq. Their visit to Georgia was organised through the Ezdikhan Fellowship, an international programme led by the Society for the Support of Iraqi Minorities, known as POSIM.
The visit to the Sultan Ezid Temple served as the symbolic conclusion of the programme. At the temple, the delegation was received by Pir Dima, the Akhtiyar of Georgia and Sarhad Ezdikhan.
The participants later attended a meeting at the Ezidi Cultural Centre with students of the International Ezidi Theological Academy. The gathering created an opportunity for the visiting delegation and academy students to discuss religious life, cultural preservation and peaceful coexistence among different peoples and faiths.
During the meeting, speakers highlighted Georgia’s long history as a place where different cultures, religions and ethnic groups have lived alongside one another. The country was presented as an important example of peaceful and harmonious coexistence despite its cultural and religious diversity.
The discussion also drew attention to the development of Ezidi religious and cultural institutions in Georgia. The Ezidi people in the country have established institutions dedicated to preserving Sharfadin, supporting theological education and maintaining Ezidi cultural life in a modern social environment.
The Sultan Ezid Temple and the International Ezidi Theological Academy represent central parts of this institutional development. Together with the Ezidi Cultural Centre, they provide spaces for worship, education, cultural activity and the transmission of religious knowledge to younger generations.
The visit allowed participants from Iraq to observe how Ezidi institutions in Georgia operate while also engaging with students studying Ezidi theology. It further placed Ezidi religious life within a wider programme centred on dialogue between the different peoples and religions of Iraq.
By concluding the Ezdikhan Fellowship programme at the Sultan Ezid Temple, the organisers emphasised both the importance of preserving distinct identities and the value of cooperation across ethnic and religious boundaries.
Source: Yezidi Sarhad of Georgia.
