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 are written.