The Mystery of Essence and the Essence of Mystery: Yezidi and Yaresan Cosmogonies in the Light of the Kitab al-Tawasin

I compare the beginning of the Yezidi and Yaresan cosmogonies reconstructed mainly on the basis of the content of religious hymns (Qewls, Kalams). One of their main common elements is the motif of the primordial Pearl, from which both the first elements of the world and its demiurge emerged. By comparing these descriptions with the cosmogonical concepts of Mansur al-Hallaj, I indicate that, firstly, the Yezidis and the Yaresan could have been inspired by his thought, and secondly, that the Hallaj’s Tawasin is a very useful text in the exegesis of important theological elements of both these religious traditions.