Today the Yezidi Studies Center with Prof. Dr. Sebastian Maisel, Dr. Qader Shammo and Sami Shamo went to visit the remarkable scholar of Kurdology, Prof. Celîlê Celîl at the Institut für Kurdologie-Wien, where he established an amazing research library and archive on Kurdish folklore. The library is named after Casimê Celîl, one of the pioneers of Kurdish studies from Armenia and father of Prof. Celile Celil. When talking about the accomplishments of the Celîl family, we shall not omit Ordîxanê Celîl, himself a noted scholar and co-author of many books on Kurdish language, folklore and culture, as well as Cemîla Celîl, the voice of the Kurdish program of Radio Yerevan and ethno-musicologist. This intellectual powerhouse was instrumental in the collection, documentation and publication of Kurdish songs, hymns, poems, dances from many regions, but especially from the Caucasus area.
Prof. Celîlê Celîl is working on the edition of his complete work Zargotina Kurda, an encyclopedia of oral Kurdish folk music and songs. One of the remaining volumes is devoted to the qewl û beyt, the Yezidi religious oral literature. The textualization of Yezidi oral literature was one of the topics we discussed with Prof. Celîl in addition to the complex question of Kurdish-Yezidi identity. With his devoted team, Prof. Celîl works on a tight agenda of completing his works, and the Yezidi Studies Center discussed with them how to best accomplish this goal and how the YSC can assist and collaborate in this effort, especially in the field of digitization and publication.
At the end of this very warm and friendly work visit, Prof. Celîl accepted an invitation by the YSC to deliver the keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the center in the summer of 2026.
