Bozan, Iraq
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Bozan (, , ) is a village in
Nineveh Governorate Nineveh Governorate (; , ) is a governorate in northern Iraq. It has an area of and an estimated population of 2,453,000 people as of 2003. Its largest city and provincial capital is Mosul, which lies across the Tigris river from the ruins of a ...
,
Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
. It is located in the
Tel Kaif District Tel Keppe District (also Tel Keif, Tall Kayf, Tel Kayf or Tel Kef (), ()), Aramaic for "Hill of Stones", is a district in Nineveh Governorate, Iraq. It is majority Arab Muslim with a minority of Assyrians. Towns and villages include: * Tel Keppe ...
in the
Nineveh Plains Nineveh Plains (, Modern ; ; ) is a region in Nineveh Governorate in Iraq. Located to the north and east of the city Mosul, it is the only Christian-majority region in Iraq and have been a gathering point for Iraqi Christians since 2003. Control o ...
and mostly inhabited by
Yazidis Yazidis, also spelled Yezidis (; ), are a Kurdish languages, Kurdish-speaking Endogamy, endogamous religious group indigenous to Kurdistan, a geographical region in Western Asia that includes parts of Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and Iran. The major ...
. In the village, it is claimed that there are 360
Yazidi Yazidis, also spelled Yezidis (; ), are a Kurdish-speaking endogamous religious group indigenous to Kurdistan, a geographical region in Western Asia that includes parts of Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and Iran. The majority of Yazidis remaining in ...
religious monuments, for which it is known as "Little
Lalish Lalish (, also known as Lalişa Nûranî) is a mountain valley and temple located in the Nineveh Plains, Iraq. It is the holiest temple of the Yazidis. It is the location of the tomb of the Sheikh Adi ibn Musafir, a central figure of the Yazidi ...
" ().


History

Bozan is first attested as an Assyrian
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
village with the name Beṯ Bōzi and its population adhered either to the
Church of the East The Church of the East ( ) or the East Syriac Church, also called the Church of Seleucia-Ctesiphon, the Persian Church, the Assyrian Church, the Babylonian Church, the Chaldean Church or the Nestorian Church, is one of three major branches o ...
or the
Syriac Orthodox Church The Syriac Orthodox Church (), also informally known as the Jacobite Church, is an Oriental Orthodox Christian denomination, denomination that originates from the Church of Antioch. The church currently has around 4-5 million followers. The ch ...
. A monastery is known to have existed at the village, which is believed to have remained mostly Christian until the thirteenth or fourteenth centuries. Several Yazidi mausoleums were constructed at Bozan in the 12th century, including that of
Sheikh Sheikh ( , , , , ''shuyūkh'' ) is an honorific title in the Arabic language, literally meaning "elder (administrative title), elder". It commonly designates a tribal chief or a Muslim ulama, scholar. Though this title generally refers to me ...
Alû Bekir, Sheikh Chams, Pîr Alî & Pîr Buwal, Xetî Besî, whilst the mausoleum of Sheikh Adî was built in the 13th century, and the mausoleums of Ruale Kevînîye and Sheikh Mand Pacha date to the 14th century. Most of Bozan's population of 6000 people fled to
Zakho Zakho, also spelled Zaxo (, , , , ) is a city in the Kurdistan Region, at the centre of the Zakho District of the Dohuk Governorate, located a few kilometers from the Ibrahim Khalil border crossing. Zakho is known for its celebrations of Newr ...
at the approach of the
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS occupied signi ...
(ISIL) offensive in August 2014, whilst a number of locals remained to defend the village. However, the ISIL fighters did not reach the village and its population began to return a month later. By June 2018, the village's population had recovered to 5000 people with 1000 families, and was also inhabited by roughly 300 displaced Yazidi families from
Sinjar Sinjar (; , ) is a town in the Sinjar District of the Nineveh Governorate in northern Iraq. It is located about five kilometers south of the Sinjar Mountains. Its population in 2013 was estimated at 88,023, and is predominantly Yazidi. History ...
.


References


Bibliography

* * * * {{Nineveh plains Populated places in Nineveh Governorate Nineveh Plains Yazidi populated places in Iraq Historic Assyrian communities in Iraq