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Dayro d'Mor Abhai
Dayro d'Mor Abhai: Also know the Monastery of the Ladders, is on the right bank of the Euphrates, a half-hour journey from the village of 'Urbish, near Karkar. It was established sometime after the fifth century and was first mentioned by historians in the beginning of the ninth century. Some of its ruins are still standing. While Karkar was once a thriving fortress town in the province of Malatya, it now lies in ruins.
It was founded by Mor Abhai, who was born in the Mardin region and entered monastic life at the ancient Monastery of al-Khammar (dating back to the 4th century) alongside Mar Zauqa. Though Abhai served as the Bishop of Nicaea, he eventually embraced an ascetic life on Mount Karkar, establishing this monastery as his primary seat.
Mar Abhai was a scholar proficient in both Syriac and Greek. He lived to the age of 120, spanning the fifth century reigns of Emperors Arcadius, Honorius, and Theodosius II. In Syriac tradition, particularly noted by Rabban Saliba, invoking Abhai’s name while drinking water is believed to protect the faithful from serpents. His hagiography, originally written by John of Ephesus, was later refined by Patriarch Michael Rabo in 1185. His feast is celebrated on July 15th or May 3rd.
The monastery served as a prestigious "nursery" for the Church hierarchy, producing one Patriarch and at least fourteen bishops. The Bishop of Karkar traditionally resided here. Historical records by Michael the Great and others detail the numerous leaders who emerged from its community:
Patriarch Cyriacus (799–817): Ordained the Bishop of Kashira from this monastery.
Patriarch John (954–957): Ordained Musa, Metropolitan of Homs.
Patriarch John ibn Abdun (1004–1020): Ordained Athanasius (Metropolitan of Gūr), Abraham (Metropolitan of Samosata), and Dionysius (Bishop of Tell Arsinos).
Patriarch Dionysius Yahya (1022–1042): Ordained Athanasius Joshua (Metropolitan of Edessa and former Abbot of Mar Abhai) and John (Bishop of Baalbek).
Patriarch John bar Shushan (1063–1072): Ordained Timothy of Amid (Metropolitan of Jerusalem) and Ignatius (Metropolitan of Raqqa).
Patriarch Basil (1074–1075): Ordained Athanasius (Metropolitan of Edessa) and Basil (Metropolitan of Anazarbus).
Patriarch Athanasius Abu al-Faraj (1091–1129): Ordained Dionysius (Bishop of al-Hisn), Basil (Bishop of Birecik), and Timothy (Bishop of Arsamosata).
Following the death of Patriarch Athanasius, the bishops famously convened at Mar Abhai to elect and enthrone Joshua the Scribe (John bar Shushan), who promulgated twenty-four canons during the ceremony.
The monastery was a center for manuscript preservation. Alphonse Mingana identified Codex No. 325/2 ,The Rules of Bar 'Ebroyo, as having been transcribed at the monastery,then also called Tel Salam, on August 26, 1584. It was penned by the monk Behnam for the monk Shimun of Karkar and later endowed to the monastery by Behnam and his brother, Jacob.
By the 17th century, the monastery became a refuge for those seeking peace during ecclesiastical schisms. Timothy Abdul-Jalil al-Mawsili, the Metropolitan of Amid, withdrew to Mor Abhai in 1636 to live among hermits before a famine drove him to Edessa.
One of the last major recorded events occurred in 1655, when AbdulMassih of Edessa, a monk of Mar Abhai, was consecrated as Maphrian through the laying on of hands by Patriarch Ignatius Shim'un (d. 1686). In Status: Abandoned in Ruins
a notable act of humility, Shim'un handed his pastoral staff to AbdulMassih, designating him as his successor.
The monastery remained inhabited by monks until the 18th century. Today, while the site is in ruins, Mor Abhai's legacy persists through a the monastery dedicated to him in the village of Beth Man'em in Tur-'Abdin.
Status: Abandoned in Ruins
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