Dayro d'Mor Shamu'il

Dayro d'Mor Shamu'il

The Monastery of Mor Samuel the Mountaineer was situated on the left (eastern) bank of the Tigris River on an elevated hill overlooking the river. It was positioned opposite the Monastery of Saint Sergius (also known as Mor Sarkis or the Hanging Monastery), which stood on the right bank near Balad. The site lies north of the village of Ara'ir, southeast of Saint Sergius, and southwest of a village on the right bank known as Dawlat al-Qamar, near a small, cone-shaped archaeological mound and ancient river anchorage remains.

Accounts from the Life of Mor Marutha indicate that the monastery was located near his native village of Shurzaq. At the beginning of the seventh century, the young Marutha was dedicated to the monastery by his parents to receive his early education and spiritual upbringing. During this period, the monastery was home to forty holy monks known for their strict asceticism; they prohibited women from entering the sanctuary, refrained from agricultural work, and subsisted entirely on alms provided by the faithful.

Beyond these early 7th-century accounts, little is known regarding the overall history of the monastery or the identity of its founder. Historical records of regional monastic persecutions lasting seven years mention a monk named Salman from a Monastery of Mor Samuel, which may correspond to this mountain site. A separate historical reference notes a monk named Samuel living around 485 AD who maintained a hermitage near the village of Bamur Dani on the slopes between Mount Maqloub, Ba'adhri, and the edges of Mount Ain Sifni or Mount Alqosh. This monk had been targeted for assassination by Barsauma of Nisibis, who sought to excommunicate him from the Orthodox Church, though the assailant's mount refused to proceed at a critical moment. However, even if the location of Bamurdani is placed near the Nineveh region rather than Dubardan at the foot of Mount Maqloub, this 5th-century figure remains distinct from the monastery's origins.

Topographically, the physical remains of the monastery consist of stone foundation lines and plaster-walled outlines rising slightly above ground level. The primary complex occupied a square area with sides measuring 25 to 35 meters. An off-center entrance in the western wall led into an inner courtyard, which opened into a hall flanked by two side rooms occupying half the length of the square.

The monastery church was situated at the far end of the courtyard with western-facing doors, measuring 6 meters in width, with a choir section 6 meters wide and over 3 meters in depth. Living quarters for the monks were positioned to the right of the entrance on the southern side, comprising two parallel rows of cells separated by a 3.5-meter north-south passage. The northern cells measured 4 meters in width, while those along the outer southern wall measured 5 meters.

Traces of earlier structures lie on the sloping ground between the northern side of the monastery and the river mooring. On the eastern side in front of the church stand additional standing structures of later construction, including a building 17 meters long by 6 meters wide with a 3-meter portico along its northern facade, alongside two parallel rows of rooms surrounding a central courtyard. The site ultimately fell into ruin, leaving only ground-level stone rows and archaeological mounds.