PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Archaeologists studying ancient civilizations in northern Iraq during the 1930s also befriended the nearby Yazidi community, documenting their daily lives in photographs that were rediscovered after the Islamic State militant group devastated the tiny religious minority. The black-and-white images ended up scattered among 2,000 photographs from the excavation kept at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, which led the ambitious dig.
One photo — a Yazidi shrine — caught the eye of Penn doctoral student Marc Marin Webb in 2022, nearly a decade after it was destroyed by IS extremists plundering the region. Webb and others began scouring museum files and gathered almost 300 photos to create a visual archive of the Yazidi people, one of Iraq’s oldest religious minorities.
The systematic attacks, which the United Nations called a genocide, killed thousands of Yazidis and sent thousands more into exile or sexual slavery. It also destroyed much of their built heritage and cultural history, and the small community has since become splintered around the world.
Ansam Basher, now a teacher in England, was overwhelmed with emotion when she saw the photos, particularly a batch from her grandparents’ wedding day in the early 1930s. She expressed happiness at rediscovering her family's history after losing many personal memories in the wake of ISIS attacks.
The archive documents Yazidi people, places, and traditions that IS sought to erase. Marin Webb is collaborating with Nathaniel Brunt, a Toronto-based documentarian, to share the collection both through exhibits in the region and digitally with the Yazidi diaspora. The first exhibits took place in April, coinciding with the Yazidi New Year, serving as a celebration of culture and resilience against the backdrop of an attempted erasure.
Photographs from the wedding show an elaborately dressed bride as she embarks on a journey that is both personal and cultural. Basher's family recognizes familiar faces and moments, illustrating the enduring connection to their lineage.
Despite the significant hardships the Yazidi community endured, these photographs serve not only as a testament to their rich cultural heritage but also as a powerful reminder of the vitality and strength of their identity. This rediscovery emphasizes the importance of cultural preservation and the narratives that shape our understanding of Iraq beyond conflict and suffering.
One photo — a Yazidi shrine — caught the eye of Penn doctoral student Marc Marin Webb in 2022, nearly a decade after it was destroyed by IS extremists plundering the region. Webb and others began scouring museum files and gathered almost 300 photos to create a visual archive of the Yazidi people, one of Iraq’s oldest religious minorities.
The systematic attacks, which the United Nations called a genocide, killed thousands of Yazidis and sent thousands more into exile or sexual slavery. It also destroyed much of their built heritage and cultural history, and the small community has since become splintered around the world.
Ansam Basher, now a teacher in England, was overwhelmed with emotion when she saw the photos, particularly a batch from her grandparents’ wedding day in the early 1930s. She expressed happiness at rediscovering her family's history after losing many personal memories in the wake of ISIS attacks.
The archive documents Yazidi people, places, and traditions that IS sought to erase. Marin Webb is collaborating with Nathaniel Brunt, a Toronto-based documentarian, to share the collection both through exhibits in the region and digitally with the Yazidi diaspora. The first exhibits took place in April, coinciding with the Yazidi New Year, serving as a celebration of culture and resilience against the backdrop of an attempted erasure.
Photographs from the wedding show an elaborately dressed bride as she embarks on a journey that is both personal and cultural. Basher's family recognizes familiar faces and moments, illustrating the enduring connection to their lineage.
Despite the significant hardships the Yazidi community endured, these photographs serve not only as a testament to their rich cultural heritage but also as a powerful reminder of the vitality and strength of their identity. This rediscovery emphasizes the importance of cultural preservation and the narratives that shape our understanding of Iraq beyond conflict and suffering.
