Restoration of the Lalish Temple

The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad invites eligible organizations to submit proposals for the renovation, conservation, restoration, and rehabilitation of parts of the Lalish Temple, the holiest temple of the Yezidi faith. The Yezidi community of a half million, which spans northern Iraq and Syria, and southeastern Turkey, considers the temple a pilgrimage site. All Yezidis are expected to make a six-day pilgrimage to the site at least once in their lifetime. The temple is located in a small mountain valley village in Sheikhan, the former heartland of the Yezidi people until the ISIS incursion in 2014. The temple was part of Sumerian and ancient Mesopotamian civilizations, and the tomb of Sheikh Adi ibn Musafir, a central figure of the Yazidi faith, is located inside the temple. The temple is therefore unique as both a site of historical importance and as a modern-day temple used by the worldwide Yezidi community.