The village of Kahaty is a well-known name in the plains of Nineveh. Some call it the Grand Khatary yet the majority name it home of moustache.
Khatary, home for Ezidis, is part of al-Qush sub-district, of Til Kef district, with Christian majority.
“All the residents come from one tribe, Khatary. They are about 13,000 people, minimum 6,000 of them live abroad now,” said Diyar Tahmo Khatary.
The ceremony of Qol Keshan in the village of Khatary. Photo by Diyar Kahiri.
The villagers held all the Ezidi rituals in the village, home to seven domes of Ezidi temples.
Men in Khatary are famous for keeping long moustaches, one of the old Ezidi traditions especially for those devoted for religious affairs.
Alyas Khatary, resident of Khatary and history expert, said all the villagers come from one tribe called Khatary, coming of seven different clans: Bin Rashki, Bin Qalki, Bin Sharafi, Bin Zaghali, Bin Tovi, Karakyani & Ali Khani.”
Others clans joined the tribe but these seven are the original inhabitants, he adds.
Nineveh- The ceremony of extraction of olive oil in the village of Khatary. Photo by Alyas Khatary.
The history of the village is not determined yet Alyas is sure that it is very old. It has been attacked several times across history. One of the clashes erupted in 1832, thousands of Ezidis were killed.
Khatary has a council of seven members to perform religious and social affairs.
