audio, stills, text and or video: Go to zReportage.com to see more - Yazidis, a Kurdish-speaking minority who follow an ancient faith rooted in Zoroastrianism, are dubbed ''devil worshippers'' by IS militants because of their unorthodox blend of beliefs and practices. A historically misunderstood group, the Yazidis are predominantly ethnically Kurdish, and have kept alive their ancient religion for centuries. The rise of Islamic fundamentalism more broadly has pushed thousands of Yazidis to seek asylum in Europe. Since ISIS militants overran towns of northern Iraq, tens of thousands of families have sought shelter in Iraqi Kurdistan. Forced to convert to Islam or flee, families find shelter anywhere they can, squatting under bridges, camping in derelict buildings or construction sites. According to some estimates, 70,000 people, or about 15% of the Yazidi population in Iraq, fled the country. Estimates put the global number of Yazidis at around 700,000 people, with the vast majority of them concentrated in northern Iraq, in and around Sinjar. Iraq's Yazidi Kurds are no strangers to persecution. Their faith teaches them that throughout history, they have been subjected to 72 genocides. Many world leaders fear they are on the brink of a 73rd massacre, this time at the hands of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
© David Honl/zReportage.com/ZUMA Press
Aug. 23, 2014 - Dohuk, Iraq - Yazidi refugees from Sinjar live beneath a motorway underpass located at the entrance of the city of Dohuk. Yazidis were forced to exile after ISIS pushed to Sinjar, a town located West of Mosul.
© Vianney Le Caer/Pacific Press/zReportage.com via ZUMA Press
Aug. 29, 2014 - Lalish, Iraq - Having recently fled Mount Sinjar, Yazidis take shelter at the Yazidi holy temple. The normal population of Lalesh consists of a small number of maintenance workers for the holy shrine, and has expanded to over 400 Yazidi families escaping Islamic State violence in the region.
© David Honl/zReportage.com/ZUMA Press
Aug. 23, 2014 - Dohuk, Iraq - Yazidi refugees from Sinjar live beneath a motorway underpass located at the entrance of the city of Dohuk.
© Vianney Le Caer/Pacific Press/zReportage.com via ZUMA Press
Aug. 23, 2014 - Dohuk, Iraq - Yazidi refugees from Sinjar live beneath a motorway underpass located at the entrance of the city of Dohuk.
© Vianney Le Caer/Pacific Press/zReportage.com via ZUMA Press
Aug. 23, 2014 - Dohuk, Iraq - Yazidi refugees from Sinjar live beneath a motorway underpass located at the entrance of the city of Dohuk.
© Vianney Le Caer/Pacific Press/zReportage.com via ZUMA Press
Aug. 29, 2014 - Lalish, Iraq - A Yazidi man prays at the door of the holy temple. Having recently fled Mount Sinjar, Yazidis take shelter at the Yazidi holy temple.
© David Honl/zReportage.com/ZUMA Press
Aug. 29, 2014 - Lalish, Iraq - A Yazidi man and boy kiss the tomb of of the holy Yazidi shrine. The normal population of Lalesh consists of a small number of maintenance workers for the holy shrine, and has expanded to over 400 Yazidi families escaping Islamic State violence in the region.
© David Honl/zReportage.com/ZUMA Press
Aug. 23, 2014 - Dohuk, Iraq - Yazidi refugees from Sinjar live in a building under construction located at the entrance of the city of Dohuk. Yazidis were forced to exile after ISIS pushed to Sinjar, a town located West of Mosul.
© Vianney Le Caer/Pacific Press/zReportage.com via ZUMA Press
Aug. 23, 2014 - Dohuk, Iraq - Yazidi refugees from Sinjar live in a building under construction located at the entrance of the city of Dohuk.
© Vianney Le Caer/Pacific Press/zReportage.com via ZUMA Press
Aug. 23, 2014 - Dohuk, Iraq - A Yazidi refugee from Sinjar lives in a building under construction located at the entrance of the city of Dohuk.
© Vianney Le Caer/Pacific Press/zReportage.com via ZUMA Press
Aug. 23, 2014 - Dohuk, Iraq - Yazidi refugees from Sinjar live in a building under construction located at the entrance of the city of Dohuk.
© Vianney Le Caer/Pacific Press/zReportage.com via ZUMA Press
Aug. 23, 2014 - Dohuk, Iraq - Yazidi refugees from Sinjar live beneath a motorway underpass located at the entrance of the city of Dohuk.
© Vianney Le Caer/Pacific Press/zReportage.com via ZUMA Press
Aug. 29, 2014 - Lalish, Iraq - Having recently fled Mount Sinjar, Yazidis take shelter at the Yazidi holy temple.
© David Honl/zReportage.com/ZUMA Press
Aug. 23, 2014 - Dohuk, Iraq - Yazidi refugees from Sinjar live beneath a motorway underpass located at the entrance of the city of Dohuk.
© Vianney Le Caer/Pacific Press/zReportage.com via ZUMA Press
Aug. 23, 2014 - Dohuk, Iraq - A Yazidi refugee from Sinjar lives beneath a motorway underpass located at the entrance of the city of Dohuk.
© Vianney Le Caer/Pacific Press/zReportage.com via ZUMA Press
Aug. 24, 2014 - Zakho, Iraq - Yazidi refugees at Delal Refugee Camp. Delal refugee camp sits within walking distance from the city center, with the Delal Bridge overlooking the Euphrates River. It accommodates more than 1000 Yazidi refugee families that have fled Sinjar starting August. It is roughly estimated that there are 100,000 Yazidi refugees seeking shelter in schools, under construction buildings and camps located around the city.
© Vianney Le Caer/Pacific Press/zReportage.com via ZUMA Press
Aug. 23, 2014 - Dohuk, Iraq - A young Yazidi refugee from Sinjar lives beneath a motorway underpass located at the entrance of the city of Dohuk.
© Vianney Le Caer/Pacific Press/zReportage.com via ZUMA Press
Aug. 30, 2014 - Ba' Adre, Iraq - A Yazidi refugee family takes shelter in an unfinished house. The family lost 50 extended family members to ISIS violence and lack of water since fleeing to Mt. Sinjar, and now Ba' Adre. They had just been notified they must vacate the home, and once again will seek shelter. In recent weeks, thousands of families have flooded the region since the escalation of violence and death against the Yazidi people in Syria and Iraq.
© David Honl/zReportage.com/ZUMA Press
