Story

Majority of Yazidis Return to Iraq

September 05, 2014 | The Washington Post
By
Sebastian Meyer

A Yazidi girl enters the temple in Lalish, Iraq, the Yazidi holy sanctuary. Tens of thousands of the Iraqi minority sect have been displaced after being attacked by the Islamic State militant group. They are spilling across northern Iraq — sleeping in fields, cars and abandoned buildings -- but at least they are safe. Image by Sebastian Meyer. Iraq, 2014.

A displaced Yazidi woman carries mattresses through a courtyard in Lalish. Image by Sebastian Meyer. Iraq, 2014.

Yazidi children rest in Lalish after fleeing from the Islamic State and being trapped on Mount Sinjar. Image by Sebastian Meyer. Iraq, 2014.

Yazidis rest in Lalish. Image by Sebastian Meyer. Iraq, 2014.

A blind Yazidi woman rests in Lalish after escaping from Mount Sinjar. Image by Sebastian Meyer. Iraq, 2014.

Yazidi boys piece together shelter for their family in Lalish. Image by Sebastian Meyer. Iraq, 2014.

Elderly Yazidi men rest in Lalish. Image by Sebastian Meyer. Iraq, 2014.

A displaced Yazidi family in Lalish. Image by Sebastian Meyer. Iraq, 2014.

A Yazidi family sits in the shade in Lalish. Image by Sebastian Meyer. Iraq, 2014.

A Yazidi man and his family rest in Lalish. Image by Sebastian Meyer. Iraq, 2014.

The Yazidis, minority sect in Iraq, were routed from their villages last month by ISIS extremists. After being stranded on the parched Mount Sinjar for almost a week and then walking 12 miles to seek refuge in Syria, some of the persecuted civilians were able to safely return to the Kurdish region of Iraq with the help of Syrian Kurdish forces. Many are now in Lalish, a holy sanctuary.

Photojournalist and Pulitzer Center grantee Sebastian Meyer was on hand to document their plight in this photo gallery for the Washington Post.