Qibar (‘Arsha wa-Qibar), a Yazidi Village near Afrin

Qibar lies 5 km north-east of Afrin. It sits on the Jumeh plain, 360 metres above sea level. It absorbed the neighbouring village of ‘Arsha, so it is also known as ‘Arsha wa-Qibar; its official name is al-Hawa. It is the traditional seat of the Darwish family, the leading Yazidi family of the Afrin area. Around it are the remains of ancient settlements, caves with old inscriptions and three Yazidi shrines.

Who lives in the village

The 2004 census counted 743 people; by 2016 the population was estimated at over 6000. In 2009 the researcher Fermaz Gheribo recorded 70 Yazidi families in the village. Sebastian Maisel writes that half the families are Yazidi. The village has a Yazidi cemetery, a Muslim cemetery and a mosque. People live from olives and from work in the surrounding stone quarries.

Where the shrines are

Three Yazidi shrines lie near the village: the Cilmera Cave, the Melekadi shrine and the shrine of Sheikh Huseyn at Hercerka. German Wikipedia adds a cave shrine called ‘Chail Khana’ in a rocky valley south of the village. Yazidis hold their yearly festival on the flat ground beside it, and people of other faiths visit it as well. Their state today is not known.

The village’s past

The area around Qibar is full of ancient settlement remains, and in 2001 it was the subject of a study published under the title ‘Arsha wa-Qibar. Byzantines and Arabs clashed here. That was before the Battle of Azaz in 1030. The geographer Yaqut al-Hamawi mentions the village in his 13th-century work. Under the French Mandate a Yazidi school ran in the village for ten years. A Christian teacher and a Yazidi teacher taught there, along with a Yazidi religious instructor from Sinjar.

When you visit

Qibar is a living village. Its shrines are places of worship. Before going to the shrines or caves, ask permission in the village and ask the way. If you arrive during a festival, give the community its space. No access information from the past year specific to the village or the shrines could be found; ask in Afrin about the current situation.

What most people miss

The rocky valley to the south. The Chail Khana cave shrine is there, with the flat ground where Yazidis hold their festival right beside it. More than the village itself, this valley explains why Qibar is a place people come to.