Lalish

Lalish is the spiritual centre of the Yazidis, a religion of the region with roots reaching back before Islam, and it is where Sheikh Adi ibn Musafir, the twelfth-century figure central to the faith, is buried. The valley holds his shrine under a fluted conical spire, along with other spires, courtyards, and two sacred springs, Zamzam and Kaniya Sipi, in chambers below ground. Visitors and pilgrims remove their shoes at the boundary and walk barefoot throughout, and stepping on thresholds is avoided. Olive oil lamps are lit in wall niches at dusk. Every Yazidi is expected to make a pilgrimage here, and the autumn Jema festival brings the community together for seven days.

What you actually see

• Fluted conical spires - the ribbed cones over the shrines.
• Sheikh Adi's tomb - the central sanctuary of the faith.
• Sacred springs - Zamzam and Kaniya Sipi in underground chambers.
• Oil lamp niches - the wicks lit along the walls at dusk.

When to go

April to June and September to November for the weather. The Jema festival in early autumn is the great gathering, when the site is full. Visitors are welcome year round but should come with a guide who can explain the customs.

Honest expectations

Shoes must be removed at the boundary and stay off for the whole visit, including over stone that is hot in summer. Thresholds must be stepped over, not on. Photography is restricted in places. This is a sanctuary, not a monument, and going with a Yazidi guide is the right way to see it.

Nearby

Duhok lies southwest; Alqosh is south.