Sayfo; Monastery of Mor Sharbel

Monastery of Mor Sharbiel

The Monastery of Mor Sharbel is located in the city of Midyat, north of the town near the quarters of the Rhawi clan.

During the period of the Bedir Khan massacres between 1842 and 1846, the region of Midyat was subjected to severe attacks by Badr Khan, the lord of the Jazira, in 1842. The Kurdish forces destroyed the city walls of Midyat and took the notables captive, an event that impacted all Christian institutions in the city, including the local monasteries. In 1855, when Izz al-Din Scher and Musawwar Beg, Kurdish lords of the Bakhtis, attacked Tur Abdin, they targeted Christian lands, killing priests and monks and destroying churches, which caused many inhabitants to flee to the mountains for safety.

In the period of the Hamidian massacres from 1895 to 1897, the Christian population of Midyat and its surrounding monasteries suffered from large-scale plundering and killings carried out by Kurdish tribes and supported by the local Ottoman authorities. At least 100 Syriac families were documented in nearby villages during this general era, and tensions between the Muslim and Christian communities intensified as religious hatred was manipulated by officials.

During the Sayfo years between 1915 and 1924, the Monastery of Mor Sharbel in Midyat was the site of extreme atrocities. In July 1915, Kurdish and government forces surrounded Midyat and initiated the systematic destruction of its Syriac community. The attackers targeted the monasteries surrounding the town, including Mor Sharbel, and ordered the monks and nuns to exit the building. Once they were outside, the perpetrators spat upon the religious leaders, subjected them to mockery, and crucified and killed some of the monks and nuns. The Rhawi family attempted to use the monastery as a defensive refuge during the peak of the confrontations on July 8, 1915, witnessing from the monastery roofs as their livestock and homes were plundered by the military and Kurdish tribes.

The final status of the Mor Sharbel Monastery after the massacres of 1915 was total confiscation. The Ottoman and later Turkish republican government seized the building and converted it into a military base. Prior to this destruction and occupation, the monastery had maintained an active community of priests, monks, nuns, and students, and its library preserved historical life stories and ancient manuscripts, including accounts of Mor Sharbil. The population of Midyat, which included those seeking refuge in the monastery, suffered approximately 10,000 casualties during the genocide, with many survivors eventually relocating to the village of ‘Ayn-Wardo or fleeing to Iraq.