Sheikh Mand Explained

Sheikh Mand or Sheikh Mend, Sheikh Mand Pasha (^[1]) was a 13th-century Yazidi saint, ruler of Kilis principality, and an Ayyubid Army commanfiefdom is the son of Şêx Fexredîn and thus belongs to the Şemsanî lineage of sheikhs. His sister was Khatuna Fekhra, revered today as one of the most important Yazidi female saints.^{[2] [3] [4]}

Emir of Kurds

Sheikh Mand was a chief of Kurdish Hakkari tribe and commander of Hakkariya regiment of the Ayyubid Army. For his service, Saladin granted the title of "Emir of the Kurds" along with the rule of Qoseir castle located in western Aleppo, and a fiefdom over Kurds in Levant.^{[5] [6]}

Association with snakes

Sheikh Mand is traditionally considered to be a patron of snakes. His shrine at Lalish is said to contain a cave that is full of snakes.^{[3] [7]}

Notes and References

1. Book: Omarkhali, Khanna . Khanna Omarkhali . The Yezidi religious textual tradition, from oral to written: categories, transmission, scripturalisation, and canonisation of the Yezidi oral religious texts . Harrassowitz Verlag . Wiesbaden . 2017 . 978-3-447-10856-0 . 994778968.
2. Book: Açikyildiz, Birgül . The Yezidis: The History of a Community, Culture and Religion . 2014 . Bloomsbury Publishing . 978-0-85772-061-0 . 41 . en.
3. Book: Kreyenbroek, Philip . Philip G. Kreyenbroek . Yezidism: its background, observances, and textual tradition . E. Mellen Press . Lewiston NY . 1995 . 0-7734-9004-3 . 31377794.
4. Book: Kreyenbroek, Philip . Philip G. Kreyenbroek . God and Sheikh Adi are perfect: sacred poems and religious narratives from the Yezidi tradition . Harrassowitz Verlag . Wiesbaden . 2005 . 978-3-447-05300-6 . 63127403.
5. Book: Guest, John S. . Survival Among The Kurds . 2012-11-12 . Routledge . 978-1-136-15736-3 . 45 . en.
6. Book: باروت, محمد جمال . الصراع العثماني - الصفوي وآثاره في الشيعية في شمال بلاد الشام . السياسات . المركز العربي للأبحاث ودراسة . 2018-01-01 . المركز العربي للأبحاث ودراسة السياسات . 978-614-445-219-6 . ar.
7. Diar Khalaf and Hayri Demir. 2013. Mythos und Legende der Shex Mend und das Symbol der Schlange (Myth and legend of the Şêx Mend and the symbol of the snake) (in German).