Syriac Monasteries in Iraq

 Syriac Monasteries in Iraq

The monasteries in this list were mentioned in various sources but all of them, except for two, are in ruin. They were abandoned for various reasons throughout the history of the Syriac Orthodox church but unfortunately there isn't much information about them. There was more monasteries in al-Mada’in (Ctesiphon), capital of the Persians but they were destroyed after the death of Gabriel of Sinjar, chief physician of the Persian king in 610. 

• Dayro d'Mor Daniel - Mosul

• Dayro d'Mor Mattai (St. Matthew Monastery) - Mosul

• Dayro 'dMor Youhanon Daylamaya - Mosul

• Dayro d'Mor Sergius - Balad

• Dayro d'Nardos - Dohuk

• Dayro d'Mor Behnam: also called the Pit Monastery, is situated about six hours' journey southeast of Mosul. It was built in the beginning of the fifth century. From it graduated one Maphryono and seven bishops. In 1839, it was usurped by a group which seceded and joined the Catholic church. It was deserted for some sixty years, but is now populated. 

• Khanushya Monastery: in the mountain of Sinjar, is first mentioned in history in the sixth century. From it graduated Maphryono Paul in 722 and the monk David Bar Paul in the beginning of the ninth century

• The Lower Mar Daniel Monastery, exclusively for nuns. It is near the other monastery of Mar Daniel.

• The Monastery of Mar Zaina: It was also known as the Monastery of Qayyara and was built at the end of the sixth century and housed 170 monks. It was still populated in the thirteenth century. It was mentioned by Yaqut al-Hamawi in 1210, and by Bar Hebraeus. It is located on the bank of the Tigris River, in what is known today as Hammam al-’Alil.

• The Monastery of ‘Ayn Qani, in the middle of Ba’arbaya. It was built by Mar Ahudemeh and was still populated in 829.

• The Monastery of Beth Asa near Qoronta. It was mentioned in the life story of Mor Ahudemeh. Its abbot was Yeshu’ ZKha

• The Monastery of Afmariyya (Abu Marya): Was located near Talla’far (Tell ‘Afro, north of Mosul).

• The Monastery of Takrit: Was mentioned in the life story of Mor Ahudummeh of Takrit.

• The Monastery of J’atni in the desert near the village of Qoronta. It was by Mor Ahudummeh .

• The Monastery of Mar Shamu‘il (Samuel) the Mountaineer, on the northern bank of the Tignis River, opposite the Monastery of Mar Sergius near Balad. It housed forty monks. Mar Marutha studied in it in the sixth century.

• The Monastery of Bir Qawm, near Balad on the bank of the Tigris River. Some Maphryonos were its inmates.

• The Monastery of Shirin in al-Mada’in (Ctesiphon, south of Baghdad), built by the Christian Queen Shirin near the royal palace in 598. Shirin became a Syriac Orthodox adherent with the help of her doctor, Sergius of Sinjar

• The Monastery of Shapur in ‘Aqula (modern al-Kufa in southern Iraq). It was still populated in 605.

• The Monastery of Mar Sergius: Was located near a spring known as 'Ayn Gagga, in the desert between Takrit and Hit on the Euphrates river. It was built by Mar Marutha on the highway leading from the Tigris to the Euphrates. 

• The Monastery of the Virgin in Takrit It is also known as Beth Ibro.

• The Monastery of the Virgin, built by the Syriac governor of Takrit, Ibrahim, son of Yeshu’, near the city in the seventh century.

• The Monastery of ‘Aluk in Takrit, from which came the Maphryono Sergius (872-883).

• The Monastery of Kukhta, known also as Kukhi. It was built in the name of Mar Ibrahim near the Monastery of Mor Mattai. Its abbot, the philologist Athanasius, achieved fame in the eighth century. Its ruins still stand today.

• A monastery in Sinjar, built by Saint Shim’un (Simon) d’Zaite, metropolitan of Harran (734). It was mentioned in his life story.

• The Monastery of Beznitho ( in Nineveh, probably on the site where the village of Bahzani now stands). It was the ancient monastery in which the tyrant Barsoum of Nisibin killed ninety priest-monks in 480.

• The Monastery of Mar Gurgeis the martyr, in Bartulli. It was still populated in 1701.

• The Monastery of Mar Yuhanna Nagoro (son of carpenters) and his sister Shushan, the martyrs in Bartulli. It was built by the learned Maphryono Mar Gregorius Abu al-Faraj Bar Hebraeus in 1284, It was still inhabited by monks in 1593.

• The Monastery of the Forty Martyrs, north of Bartulli. These martyrs were mentioned in the Synazarium of saints.

• The Convent in Khudayyda (Qaraqosh), mentioned by Bar Hebraeus in his Syriac Chromography in 126 AD.

• A monastery near Jazirat Ibn ‘Umar, mentioned in the History of Maphryones in 1172.

• The Convent of Nuns in Baghdad, still populated in 1002.

• The Monastery of Beth ‘Urbo (the Raven), to the side of Takrit. Yuhanna, metropolitan of the Monastery of Mar Mattai, stayed in it in 685. 

• Monastery of Besqin: Was located near the village of Alqosh

• The Monastery of Aston (pillar): This name is derived from the Syriac word for "pillar" (Istoun) and is located in the village of Turbat-e Spi (the White Tomb). The site, also known locally as Deir Baspi, is situated southwest of Alqosh and approximately one kilometer from the modern Mosul-Duhok highway. Founded in the late 6th century, likely between 595 and 598 AD, the monastery stands as a testament to the expansion of Syriac monasticism following the missionary efforts of Mor Michael of Nineveh.

The monastery's origins are deeply linked to the relationship between Michael and his mentor, Mor Aho the Hermit. Mor Aho was a student at the Resh 'Ayno school in Syria who was captured by Persian forces during the 6th-century conflicts with the Byzantine Empire. Among his captors was a Christian soldier from Nineveh named Michael. Recognizing the holiness of his prisoner, Michael eventually freed him, and the two fled westward. After performing a miracle that led to the healing and subsequent monastic vocation of a young man named Hawra, the pair founded a community that grew to include twenty monks. After spending five years with Mor Aho, Michael returned to his native region of Nineveh to establish his own sanctuary at the site of Tarbiya Spi. He erected a pillar at the monastery, a practice associated with the ascetic "stylite" tradition, which gave the institution its name. The monastery flourished as a significant ecclesiastical center and a historical alternative to the see of Nohadra until its destruction in the 13th century.

Archaeological interest in the site was renewed when the French Orientalist. J.M. Fiey explored the area, guided by local villagers. He identified the remains of the monastery near a spring, noting that the walls still stood approximately one meter high at the time of his visit. His detailed descriptions reveal a church designed with three wings and a sanctuary dedicated to the saints. The landscape is marked by five ancient mulberry trees and an old water basin, while the surrounding hills are known as Kand. Today, the site is officially recorded with the Iraqi Directorate General of Antiquities as Deir Istoun.

The spiritual legacy of the founders remains integrated into the Syriac Orthodox tradition. Mor Aho is particularly remembered for securing a portion of the True Cross from Constantinople in 595 AD and established few monasteries in the Tur-'Abdin are His life and deeds are documented in Vatican Manuscript No. 36, and the Church continues to observe his commemoration annually on January 25th.