Deyrulzafaran Monastery — Attraction in Artuklu

Deyrulzafaran Monastery is one of the most significant centers of the Assyrian Church besides its magnificent architecture. It is situated in about 5 km from the old part of Mardin in Tur Abdin plateau located in the southeast of Turkey. According to chronicles, the monastery was founded in the 5th century AD, when the first church was built there.

The Monastery was constructed on a complex which had been used as a Sun Temple before Christ and was then used as a fortress at the time of Roman Empire. When Romans left the region, Saint Shleymun broucht the bones of some saints here. He converted the castle into a monastery. For this reason, Deyrulzafaran Monastery was first known as Mor Shleymun Monastery.

After the modifications made by Mardin and Kefertuth Metropolitan Saint Hananyo starting from 793, it was known as Mor Hananyo Monastery. After 15th century it has been called as Deyrulzafaran which means “Saffron Monastery” because of saffron plants growing around the monastery. For long years the monastery was one of the religious education centers of the Syrian Church.

The church was built by Syrian architects Theodosius and Theodore brothers between 491-518 AD, during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Anastasius I Dicorus. The width of the church is 12.3 meters, the height of it is 17.7 meters and the area of it is 271 square meters. This church is also called as the Domed Church, since the dome of it is like a cross. Various animal motifs on the outer frieze of the church attract attention.

On the inner walls of the church, there were frescos that depicted the stories in holy book, but only one of one has survived until now. This fresco illustrates Saint Hananyo who had the monastery restored in 793. The religious service platform in the abscissas at the north and south of the church are wooden and were constructed in 1699. The wooden felictious service platform at the middle abscissa burnt in 1941 and only two columns have survived.

It is understood from the Syrian writing on the columns that the abscissa was made by Niardin and Kefertuth Metropolitan Saint Hananyo in 793. The stone religious service platform that still survives was made by Syrian stone masters from Mardin and Midyat using yellow and cut stones in 1942. There are two attractive rostrums at the main abscissa part.

The rostrum at the left of the main abscissa is made of walnut tree and it is predicted to be 350 years old. This rostrum is used by the patriarchs. The rostrum at the right hand side belongs to metropolitans, it is made of tush and is predicted to be 500 years old. On the outer surface of the door, a poem of Saint Balay in Syrian and a small part of Prophet David’s psalms...

Let me preface the review by saying I have never visited a monastery in this region of the world and therefore have a different lens and expectation as to view this place.

First, about arriving. Taxi or private car is probably the most common and convenient way to arrive. However, the walk to here from the old town is beautiful and has a sidewalk the entire way until the road splits and becomes quiet enough that there is no problem walking on the road. Follow the google maps route for easy navigation. A public bus seems to ply a route from the modern high street of Mardin to the monastery although the timetable is not the easiest to figure out (I just happened to finish the tour at the time of a departing bus). Transport card or bank card is the only accepted method. No cash (although the driver may be kind enough to let you slide for not having either card).

Before entering the paid area there is a gift shop, wine shop, cafeteria and WC. Gift shop was a little disappointing for me as there didn’t seem to be many locally produced items and appeared more commercial in nature of items that can be purchased elsewhere. WC was super clean and free.

After meandering through the places mentioned above, the ticket counter is reached. 100 TL for entry. A series of stairs follow up to the courtyard where the main church and other buildings are located. The main church has a beautiful chandelier but seems fairly barren that aside. The complex itself is small and can be walked through in not much time with many doors not accessible to visitors, including to a guesthouse that may be available for visitors to stay, although I didn’t inquire. Great view points of the surrounding countryside exist with tables and chairs to the west side of the complex inside the paid area.

The most difficult part for me were the fellow visitors. There is a sign before entering that has a number of rules including no smoking, refraining from speaking loudly and putting phones on silent. However, inside the complex, many people were engaging in these prohibited behaviors, which ruined the vibe. People speaking loudly to one another, answering calls inside the church, flying a drone close to visitors that was obnoxiously loud. Staff seemed to not care about these infractions. There was even a guy who walked from the ticket counter past the turnstile with a cigarette in his mouth the entire time passing countless staff who said nothing to him.

If you are looking for a more meaningful spiritual experience within a similar traditional lens where visitors are less frequent and more respectful, I suggest visiting the Virgin Mary church...

I visited Deyrulzafaran last year. If you are reading reviews to decide whether to visit, you definitely should — it's a great experience. The staff is very friendly and helpful.

Once we got our tickets and went inside, the guide started explaining the history of the monastery. They first talked about more recent events, particularly the time after the Assyrians became Christian. I have no disagreements with the information provided at this point, as it matched the history I know.

However, I later found out that Deyrulzafaran was built on top of a Zoroastrian (Sun) Temple. The Sun Temple itself has very unique architecture, especially the way the roof was built without using any concrete or binding material.

During the tour, the guide mentioned that "the people of the area used to be pagan," and specifically said they believed in multiple gods. I asked for clarification if she meant the Zoroastrians, and she confirmed. I asked again if Zoroastrians believed in multiple gods, and she again said yes.

This is factually incorrect. Zoroastrianism is one of the earliest known monotheistic religions, worshipping one god: Ahura Mazda. If you don't know something, it's better not to present it as fact.

I feel I have to point this out because misinformation like this is being passed on to every visitor. Please be more mindful when speaking about historical facts, especially when it concerns the beliefs of your ancestors. Misrepresenting such important topics is...