Dayro d'Mor Youhanon (Zuqnin)

Dayro d'Mor Youhanon (Zuqnin)

Dayro Mor Youhanon, also known as the Zuqnin Monastery, holds a significant place in Syriac Christian history. It was located near Amid, the present-day Diyarbakir in Turkey and it was established in the fourth century and became a center of learning in the middle of the same century and existed until the tenth century. It had skillful teachers on its staff and contained many MSS., as has been mentioned in the life story of Matthew the ascetic.  The monastery is particularly known for being the place where the Chronicle of Zuqnin was written, a valuable historical text that provides insights into the history of the region and the Syriac Orthodox Church.

The Chronicle of Zuqnin is a universal history that begins with the biblical creation account and extends up to the 8th century AD. It's an important source because it incorporates and preserves earlier texts, some of which have survived only within this chronicle. The monastery, therefore, was not only a religious center but also a repository of knowledge and played a role in the transmission of historical and literary works in the Syriac tradition.