Kacis, Shafak and the Yazidis - a note on the novel "There Are Rivers In The Sky"

The latest picture shared by Sinasi Serce reminded me of Kacis, Kacis reminded me of the Yazidis, and the Yazidis of the latest book by Elif Shafak - There Are Rivers in the Sky.”

I finally got it, read it, and digested it. As for digesting, it’s a bit of an overstatement because I will be returning to this book many times to read and reread it and focus on different aspects. And there are so many of them - so many topics to reflect on.

Yazidis - Misunderstood and Passed Over in Silence

Above all, the book features the Yazidis, whom I became interested in after watching Engin’s series Kaçış.  Yazidis also appeared in Shafak’s earlier book "10 Minutes and 38 Seconds in This Strange World", but only as a brief episode. Here, in “Rivers” the topic of the Yazidis is explored in much greater depth: we learn about their customs, myths, way of thinking—and unfortunately, about two pogroms as well. Shafak studied a lot of literature on the subject, and it shows. She did change the date of one pogrom, to fit one of the plots, but the story itself is based on real events.

In my previous post about Shafak and Engin, I assumed that it was an armed attack on the Yazidis—similar to the one depicted in Kaçış— that interrupted the baptism of one of the heroines - but I was wrong. In reality, this scene portrays other forms of persecution and prejudice against the Yazidis, stemming from ignorance and stereotypes:

“… there are those who say wrong things about us. They utter harmful lies and hurtful slanders. [...] They vilify us not because they know us well. Quite the opposite: they do not know us at all.”

Shafak also touches on the theme of silence—specifically, the silence surrounding events from two centuries ago: a massacre that the Western world never heard about then.The perpetrators of this crime felt justified because, in their eyes, Yazidis were "non-humans," "infidels," "worshippers of Satan." They could be deceived with false promises, enslaved, or murdered without consequence. This same logic was used by ISIS fighters but also by the Nazis against the Jews and by other persecutors throughout history. A young Yazidi girl, Narin, one of the book’s characters, struggles to comprehend how people who murder the innocent and defenseless, who enslave women and children, can consider themselves holy and believe that this brings them closer to their dream paradise: 

"How can anyone assume they will please the Creator by harming His Creation?"

It is extremely difficult to fight prejudice and convince people of the truth. When another hero, Arthur, living in the 19th century, returns from an archaeological expedition, where he lived in a Yazidi village, he tries to dispel the myth of "devil worshippers" and present the Yazidis in a positive light. His listener dismisses him, saying that the scholar has "lost his mind" over the subject of his research. The other listeners remain silent—no one is interested in the Yazidis. This way of thinking has not changed even today: in the 21st century, a Yazidi girl still encounters the same attitude. And in the 21st century, slavery, including sexual slavery, still exists in some places.

Rivers  - Both Real And Lost

The second key theme of the book, as suggested by its title, is water. The author does not talk only about “rivers in the sky”, referring to water that evaporates, rises into the sky, and falls back down as rain or snow, but also about rivers flowing on land. We read about great and well-known rivers such as the Thames and the Tigris [by the way, the chapter titles are “By the River Tigris , By the River Thames ], but also about the so-called lost rivers. The author mentions the lost rivers of Paris or Athens, but if you are interested in this topic, you might find out there are lost rivers in your neighbourhoods as well - just like I discovered there are lost rivers in Kraków or Warsaw.

This topic raises an interesting question: was it a good idea to bury, canalize, or dry up these rivers? On the one hand, they were a breeding ground for dirt and bacteria, flowing sewage. On the other hand, even today's rivers are often treated as dumping grounds. And recent floods show that rivers cannot be completely tamed—attempts to control them can lead to even greater disasters.

People usually do not realize how dangerous the power of water can be until a disaster occurs. One of the book’s characters, a hydrologist who lives on a houseboat, lost her parents in such a disaster.

Should We Control Water?

Should we interfere with nature? The author discusses the controversial decision to build the Ilisu reservoir in Turkey, which has caused water disputes between Turkey and neighboring countries. It also led to the forced displacement of many people and the submersion of the ancient city of Hasankeyf, one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world.

The lack of water is just as dangerous. Dehydration contributed to even more deaths during the Yazidi massacre. The same issue led to the death of one of the book’s characters. An empty cistern, once used for irrigation, is another sad symbol. The scene when some of the victims of the Yazidi massacre were thrown into it reminded me of the well scene with Mehmet and the real Rahman from the series "Kacis". It also brought to mind the empty water reservoirs in California during the recent fires that raged there.

We take water for granted, we don't always respect it, yet it is precious and its supply is not unlimited. Climate change causes and/or equals a water crisis. This is another concern that preoccupies the author, as she has often mentioned in recent interviews.

Does Water Remember?

Another intriguing topic is “water memory”.

“Water remembers. It is people who forget,” says the author. Does water really have memory? Even if scientists do not fully agree on this issue, we can - in a literary and figurative way we can accept it as true. Water remembers: the cruelty or indifference of people but also the magnificent civilization of Mesopotamia, whose relics we can admire in museums in the West. This raises another question: should these unearthed treasures be there? Shouldn’t they remain in their original place? Do/Did archaeologists, whether amateurs or professionals, have the right to take these discoveries to their own countries?

Strong Female Characters

The author wouldn't be herself if there weren't some feminist threads.  The book features fascinating female characters like the Yazidi girl Narin, her wise grandmother Basma, a dowser, her great-great-grandmother Leila, who could foresee the future, the hydrologist Zaleekhah and her friend, a tattoo artist, Nan. There is also the forgotten goddess Nisabe, once the patron of writers and who was later replaced by the male god Nabu and thus condemned to oblivion when the male rulers decided that “Writing is a male task.”

Cuineiform Cookies

Finally, something lighter—have you ever tried cuneiform cookies?  One of the heroines makes them and they are supposedly very tasty. The author doesn't provide any recipes, unfortunately, but you can find them on the internet. You just need to know cuneiform to decorate them properly…

So my suggestion for the afternoon is: cookies, strong English tea, and the book—or the world’s oldest poem about the Sumerian hero Gilgamesh, which is also mentioned in "Rivers".

A Book That Sparks Reflection

Shafak’s book is more than just flavours and stories from the past. It is also a reflection on the world we live in—on our attitude toward people, nature, and history.

So perhaps it’s worth asking: wouldn’t the world be a better place if we followed the wise words of Narin’s grandmother?

"Remember, child, never look down on anyone. You must treat everyone and everything with respect. We believe the earth is sacred. [...] Do not pollute the soil, the air, or the river."