Dayro d'Mor Malke

Dayro d'Mor Malke

Dayro Mor Malke, also known as the Monastery of Mor Malke, is located on the northern slope of Mount Izla, a few kilometers south of the village of Arkaḥ (Üçköy). The monastery, founded in the 4th century, is named after its founder, the holy monk Malke, who was the nephew of Mor Awgin. The monastery's location on the Roman-Persian frontier meant it brought with it the traditions of the Persian Church. 

Over its long history, Mor Malke was repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt. It was originally inhabited by adherents of the Church of the East before being abandoned and then resettled by Syriac Orthodox Christians. The monastery became a bishopric see in the 14th century and is known to have produced ten bishops. A significant event occurred during the Sayfo genocide, when the population of the nearby village took refuges within the monastery's walls until the calamaties ended. In 1926, it was destroyed, with the last destruction occurring in the period of 1924-1928, when Kurds took refuge inside its walls. A bishop died during the flight from the monastery at this time.

The monastery was rebuilt in the 1930s and reconsecrated in the same decade. The present structure was built on the foundations of the old one in 1955, making it architecturally one of the "newer" monasteries in the region.

The tomb of Saint Malke is in the monastery's Beţ Qadīšē (House of Saints) and is a destination for pilgrims seeking cures. A local legend claims that Mor Malke exorcised the daughter of the Byzantine Emperor. In gratitude, the emperor offered him a wish. Malke asked only for a stone with a hole in the middle, which he placed around the neck of the demon and forced it to carry the stone to the monastery. This stone can still be seen today on the mouth of a cistern in the monastery's courtyard. The monastery complex currently includes a church, a school, and farmlands.

Status: Functional