Visitors to Lalish are required to remove their shoes and walk barefoot as a sign of respect for the holy site (even outside). As usual, we were not lucky with the weather, and our feet froze during the visit to the holiest temple of the Yazidis, dating back about 4000 years. It’s located in the mountain valley above Shekhan town among three mountains, Hizrat in the west, Misat in the south, and Arafat in the north. Shekhan had the second-largest population of Yazidis before the persecution of Yazidis by the ISIL.
At least once in their lifetimes, Yazidis are expected to make a six-day pilgrimage to Lalish to visit the tomb of Sheikh Adi ibn Musafir, a central figure of the Yazidi faith and other sacred places. Inside the temple are two sacred springs called Zamzam and the Kaniya Spî (White Spring).
Parking location – Lalish: 36.771573N 43.304244E (🚻)