Something Yezidi has been destroyed. It may have been the Shrine of Sheikh Mikhfiya and its cemetery.

The Êzidî Press (@EzidiPress) has released a video of a ruined religious site (which others have shared). ‘Yezidi pilgrimage site destroyed by IS terrorists. Even the cemetery found behind it was largely destroyed. At the shrine, which is in Cegara village, is located the holy place/sacred site of Sheikh Mikhfiya. [Von den IS-Terroristen zerstörte êzîdîsche Pilgerstätte. Auch der sich dahinter befindliche Friedhof wurde größtenteils zerstört. Bei der Pilgerstätte handelt es sich um die im Dorf Cegara gelegene Heiligenstätte des Sheikh Mikhfiya.]’ (My translation is not perfect, but the basic information is fairly secure.)

Caution

I can’t find the village of Cegara or shrine of Sheikh Mikhfiya on ArchNet, Flickr, Google Maps, Panoramio, Wikimapia or YouTube. (The Êzidî Press itself hasn’t been able to find old photos.) I can’t back-translate Cegara or Sheikh Mikhfiya to get a more useful search term; and I can’t find anything (else) relevant to Sheikh Mikhfiya on Twitter or YouTube.

In case Cegara was a suburb or neighbourhood of Sinjar, I tried to find comparable structures in Sinjar on Google Maps, Panoramio or Wikimapia; I couldn’t, but I don’t know whether to blame the data, my eyes or my brain. I hope that I will be able to get sources for comparison.

[Update (1st September 2014): Christopher Jones has commented that Sheikh Mikhfiya may mean “Hidden Sheikh”, so it may not be the shrine’s better known or more official name.]

Minimal confirmation: something Yezidi has been destroyed

As the conical stack under the collapsed roof (e) and the distinctively Yezidi fluted/ribbed/ridged cone/spire (j) demonstrate, the site is Yezidi and has been destroyed (though some graves have survived), apparently by the Islamic State.

Evidence: the Êzidî Press video and instructive frames

Video: destroyed Ezidi shrine and cementery by ISIS
(c) Êzidî Press @EzidiPress, Twitter, 31. August 2014

Yezidi shrine destroyed by IS terrorists. [Von den IS-Terroristen zerstörte êzîdîsche Pilgerstätte.]
(c) Ezidi Press, Facebook, 31. August 2014 (a)

Yezidi shrine destroyed by IS terrorists. [Von den IS-Terroristen zerstörte êzîdîsche Pilgerstätte.]
(c) Ezidi Press, Facebook, 31. August 2014 (b)

Yezidi shrine destroyed by IS terrorists. [Von den IS-Terroristen zerstörte êzîdîsche Pilgerstätte.]
(c) Ezidi Press, Facebook, 31. August 2014 (c)

Yezidi shrine destroyed by IS terrorists. [Von den IS-Terroristen zerstörte êzîdîsche Pilgerstätte.]
(c) Ezidi Press, Facebook, 31. August 2014 (d)

Yezidi shrine destroyed by IS terrorists. [Von den IS-Terroristen zerstörte êzîdîsche Pilgerstätte.]
(c) Ezidi Press, Facebook, 31. August 2014 (e) – note the conical stack under the collapsed roof

Yezidi shrine destroyed by IS terrorists. [Von den IS-Terroristen zerstörte êzîdîsche Pilgerstätte.]
(c) Ezidi Press, Facebook, 31. August 2014 (f)

Yezidi shrine destroyed by IS terrorists. [Von den IS-Terroristen zerstörte êzîdîsche Pilgerstätte.]
(c) Ezidi Press, Facebook, 31. August 2014 (g)

Yezidi shrine destroyed by IS terrorists. [Von den IS-Terroristen zerstörte êzîdîsche Pilgerstätte.]
(c) Ezidi Press, Facebook, 31. August 2014 (h)

Yezidi shrine destroyed by IS terrorists. [Von den IS-Terroristen zerstörte êzîdîsche Pilgerstätte.]
(c) Ezidi Press, Facebook, 31. August 2014 (i)

Yezidi shrine destroyed by IS terrorists. [Von den IS-Terroristen zerstörte êzîdîsche Pilgerstätte.]
(c) Ezidi Press, Facebook, 31. August 2014 (j) – note the fluted/ribbed/ridged cone/spire

Notes

The Islamic State has also been known as the Caliphate, Da’ash, Da’esh, Da’ish, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

Sinjar is also known as Şengal/Shengal/Sengal and Şingal/Shingal/Singal.

Tags: Caliphate Daash Daesh Daish IS ISIL ISIS Islamic State, Cegara, Iraq, Shrine of Sheikh Makhfiya, Sinjar, Yezidi