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Yazidis appoint new spiritual leader in Iraq - in pictures

EPA Yazidis pay respects to their new spiritual leader Ali Aliyas at a ceremony in LalishEPA
Ali Aliyas was named at a ceremony on Wednesday

The Yazidi community in Iraq has picked a new spiritual leader two months after the death of their top cleric.

At a ceremony in the temple of Lalish - the holiest site for the minority group - they formally named Ali Alyas as the new Baba Sheikh, their chief religious guide.

Yazidis are a religious and ethnic minority, most of whom live in northern Iraq.

They faced harsh persecution at the hands of the Islamic State (IS) group, who took over the region in 2014 and killed, enslaved and raped thousands of Yazidis.

In July human rights group Amnesty International said thousands of women and children are suffering severe mental and physical wounds from their time under IS control.

EPA Men sit against a wall in Lalish ahead of the inauguration ceremony for the new Yazidi spiritual leaderEPA
Hundreds came to pay their respects to the new leader
EPA A woman arrives for the inauguration ceremony of the new Yazidi spiritual leader in northern IraqEPA
It took place in Lalish in northern Iraq, the Yazidis' holiest site
EPA Yazidis don special clothing for the ceremony to appoint their new spiritual leaderEPA
They wore special clothing for the event in Lalish

Hundreds gathered at the shrine on Wednesday to pay their respects to the new leader.

Their former spiritual head, Khurto Hajji Ismail, died last month at the age of 87. His successor is only in his 40s.

Many Muslims and other groups incorrectly view Yazidis as devil worshippers. Their monotheistic religion incorporates elements of many faiths, including Zoroastrianism.

There are estimated to be about 500,000 Yazidis worldwide, most living in Iraq's Nineveh plains.

EPA A woman kisses the hand of the new Baba SheikhEPA
People paid their respects to the new Baba Sheikh
EPA People walk through an arch in Lalish, the Yazidis' holiest siteEPA
There are estimated to be about 500,000 Yazidis worldwide, most of whom live in northern Iraq

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