Monastery of Deir al-Ubaid

Monastery of Deir al-Ubaid

The Monastery of Deir al-Ubaid, located in Takrit, derived its name from the local Ubaid tribe, whose members resided nearby, giving rise to the name Janisat al-Ubaid or al-Janisah (The Church). Situated on the eastern bank of the Tigris River, south of the Takrit–Kirkuk road, the site forms part of a broader network of medieval Christian settlements. Historical Arabic and Syriac accounts document several surrounding towns and villages affiliated with Takrit during the Middle Ages, including Karme, a recognized episcopal seat, and Hassasa, whose bishop, Matta, served the local community before the area fell into ruin.

In 1993, excavations by the Iraqi General Authority for Antiquities and Heritage uncovered an extensive religious complex encased within a fortified outer wall reinforced by semi-cylindrical towers. The complex encompassed a large basilica-style church, secondary ceremonial structures, and a workshop consisting of interconnected rooms separated from the main building by a portico on the southern side. The church followed a traditional northwestern Iraqi and Levantine architectural plan, featuring a three-aisled nave, a raised three-step sanctuary, an eastern apse altar, two flanking chambers (Diaconicon and Martyrium/Sahdi), a northern narthex, and a square northern courtyard measuring 32.5 by 37.5 meters lined with piers, benches, and buttress-formed aisles.

Archaeological evidence indicates two main structural phases. The initial construction dates to the 9th and 10th centuries AD, evidenced by architectural styles, artifact deposits, and sub-floor interments containing decorated wooden coffins and glass vessels. The second phase spans the 12th and 13th centuries AD, reflecting architectural modifications prior to its abandonment around the mid-13th century. Inscribed marble-paved platform stones found within the church explicitly reference the town of Hassasa and a bishop named Athanasius. Further excavations at the nearby Green Church revealed Athanasius’s tomb alongside his silver official seal, while coins from the Abbasid Caliph Al-Nasir li-Din Allah confirm that the region remained active and inhabited until the mid-13th century.