4 days ago
Yazidi graves emerge from Mosul Dam's receding waters
Shafaq News — Nineveh
Shrinking water levels at Iraq's Mosul Dam have brought an extraordinary sight to the surface — a Yazidi cemetery hidden beneath the reservoir for more than 40 years.
Along the exposed shoreline, villagers from nearby communities found dozens of stone graves emerging from the mud, some with their original markers intact. The inscriptions, carved in Kurdish and Arabic, include names, dates, and symbols sacred to the Yazidi faith — peacocks, sun rays, and the word Malik, a reference to Melek Taus, the principal angel in Yazidi belief.
These graves once stood in villages on the banks of the Tigris River, which were evacuated and submerged in the 1980s to make way for Iraq's largest dam. The project displaced thousands from different backgrounds, including many Yazidis, erasing homes, farmland, and burial grounds beneath the rising waters.
For religious heritage researcher Ammar Elias, their reappearance is more than a visual reminder. 'Each headstone is a piece of living history,' he told Shafaq News, "holding the memory of families and communities that thrived here for centuries.'
Water Resources Ministry officials link the receding shoreline to declining inflows from Turkiye, heavier withdrawals for agriculture and industry, and years of low rainfall. When levels drop sharply, the lake has previously revealed the remains of old buildings, dirt roads, and farmland that once formed part of a vibrant riverside landscape.
Archaeologists and locals warn that the newly exposed tombstones face threats from erosion and theft. They argue for urgent documentation — and possible relocation — to protect them. As Jalil put it: 'The water concealed these graves for decades. Now that the land has returned them, we have a duty to preserve them as part of Iraq's collective heritage.'
The Yazidis, one of Iraq's most ancient religious communities, are now concentrated mainly in Sinjar, Sheikhan, and scattered parts of Nineveh. Religion expert Khalid Jalil says graves found across the province testify to a much wider historical presence before war, politics, and economic pressures confined them to smaller areas.
