Rya Taza () or ''Ria Taza'' () is a village in the

Alagyaz Municipality Aragatsotn (, ) is a province ('' marz'') of Armenia. It is located in the western part of the country. The capital and largest city of the province is the town of Ashtarak. The Statistical Committee of Armenia reported its population was 128,94 ...

of the

Aragatsotn Province Aragatsotn (, ) is a administrative divisions of Armenia, province (''Marz (country subdivision), marz'') of Armenia. It is located in the western part of the country. The capital and largest city of the province is the town of Ashtarak. The Sta ...

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

. It was formerly known as ''Kondakhsaz'' or known by locals as ''Qundesaz''. Most residents of Rya Taza are Sîpkî

Yezidis Yazidis, also spelled Yezidis (; ), are a Kurdish-speaking endogamous religious group indigenous to Kurdistan, a geographical region in Western Asia that includes parts of Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and Iran. The majority of Yazidis remaining in ...

who migrated to the Aparan region from

Kars Kars ( or ; ; ) is a city in northeast Turkey. It is the seat of Kars Province and Kars District.� ...

in the 19th century. The village is home to a ruined Armenian church built between the 10th and 13th centuries. It also contains an old cemetery with animal-shaped tombstones. In December 2020, a Yezidi cleric from the

Lalish Lalish (, also known as Lalişa Nûranî) is a mountain valley and temple located in the Nineveh Plains, Iraq. It is the holiest temple of the Yazidis. It is the location of the tomb of the Sheikh Adi ibn Musafir, a central figure of the Yazidi ...

holy site located in Iraq blessed a newly built temple named after Shekhubekir (Şêxûbekir) which is open to the public. File:Rya Thaza, S. Sargis church - panoramio.jpg, Ruined St. Sarkis church File:Aragat - Armenia (2928510557).jpg, Cemetery featuring animal-shaped monuments File:Entrance of the Yazidi Temple in Rya Taza.jpg, The entrance to the Yezidi temple File:The Yazidi Temple in Rya Taza.jpg, The Yezidi temple

References

* * *Kiesling, ''Rediscovering Armenia'', p. 22, available online at th
US embassy to Armenia's website
Populated places in Aragatsotn Province Yazidi villages Yazidi populated places in Armenia {{Aragatsotn-geo-stub