World’s largest Ezidi temple to be build in Armenia

World's largest Ezidi temple is under construction but Ezidis say they need empowerment through education and employment more than they need another temple.

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) - World's largest Ezidi (Yazidi) temple is under construction in a small village in Armenia where a sizable Ezidi population lives.

About 35,000 Ezidis are in Armenia, making up the largest minority of the country, although many of them continue to migrate to countries with stronger economies.

Funded by a wealthy Ezidi businessman, the 25 m high Quba Mere Diwane temple is designed to have seven domes, a central arched roof, a crown with a gold-plated sun and a 200-square-metre prayer hall. The project is to be completed by next year.

Aknalich is the village that will host the Quba Mere Diwane, approximately 35km from Yerevan, the capital of Armenia.

Lalish temple in Kurdistan Region continues to remain the main temple of Ezidis around the world who try to visit it at least once in their lifetime.

The temple is meant to symbolize the resilience of an ancient religion but activists say Ezidism needs education and reform more than it needs another temple.

Lucy Usoyan, Washington DC-based Ezidi activist told Kurdistan24 that those who care deeply and honestly about Ezidism, "should open businesses in Armenian and Georgia to create jobs for their people. That is the biggest problem right now. And they also have to send the sheyks for education to Kurdistan."

She believes the Sheyks need to educate themselves and their people about the origins of the religion and what it promoted before it was affected by other religions, especially regarding women's rights.

Ezidis are called people of 72 genocides. They originated from Northern Iraq and Eastern Turkey but were pushed out during the Ottoman Empire. They are wrongly labelled "devil-worshippers" and "infidels" and have been attacked for their belief repeatedly throughout history.

In August 2014, the Islamic State attacked their hometown of Sinjar (Shingal) in Kurdistan Region, killing, kidnapping, torturing Ezidis and taking women as sex slaves.