- Stay up to date with the Iraq crisis
- What we know about the Islamic State and the Iraq crisis
- Why are the Yezidi being targeted by Iraqi jihadists?
Recently, Islamic State militants managed to oust Pershmerga and Yezidi minorities, sparking an exodus into the surrounding mountains, or neighbouring cities in Iraq's Kurdistan region.
The Yezidis flocked back to Kurdistan after surviving with little food and water on Mount Sinjar, which legend holds as the final resting place of Noah's Ark. Several thousand were still thought to be hiding in the mountain however as the area remained far from safe.
Numbering about 700,000 worldwide the Yezidi are a sect that combines elements of Islam and Zoroastrianism, an ancient Persian religion dating back to at least 600 B.C.
The Yezidis are a closed community that avoids prolonged contact with those outside the sect. They also refuse to accept converts. Yezidis contend their faith is the world's oldest saying they were the first people to be created in the Garden of Eden.
Where is Mount Sinjar?
Mount Sinjar is next to the town Sinjaror (or Singal), in the very north-west of the Iraq, approximately 15km from the Syrian border.
How big is Mount Sinjar?
Mount Sinjar is between the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers. A single ridge of the mountain is approximately 50km long, and approximately 8km at its widest. The mountain is 1,356 metres above sea level.
What does Mount Sinjar look like?
A view of the Sinjar mountain range looking east towards Mosul.
A view of the Sinjar mountain range looking west towards Al-Hasakah in Syria.
An overview of the surrounding area
An overview of the area. After seizing the main northern city of Mosul in early June, IS jihadists took the country's largest dam and advanced to within striking distance of the autonomous Kurdish region.
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