ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on Saturday congratulated the Kakayi (Yarsan) community on the occasion of the Qawltas feast, reaffirming the Region’s commitment to protecting their rights and identity.
“I extend my heartfelt congratulations to all Kakayi (Yarsani) brothers and sisters in the Kurdistan Region, Iraq, and around the globe on the occasion of Eid al-Qultas (Three Nights’ Day),” Barzani said in a statement, wishing them peace and joy on the holiday.
The Kakayis, generally considered ethnically Kurdish, follow the Yarsan religion, a belief system rooted in the 14th-century teachings of Sultan Sahak and spanning areas of present-day Iraqi and Iranian Kurdistan. In Iraq, their population is estimated at between 110,000 and 200,000, mainly concentrated in Daquq district in southeastern Kirkuk province and in parts of the Nineveh Plains east of Mosul.
Daquq’s Topzawa village is regarded as a spiritual center for the Kakayis, though their presence in the area has sharply declined since 2017.
“Our Kakayi citizens, as an ancient and indigenous community of this nation, have consistently exemplified tolerance, peacefulness, and patriotism,” Barzani said.