Mar Behnam Monastery — Local services in Ash-Shura Subdistrict

Monastery of Mar Benham and his sister Sarah

The city of Mosul has long been known for its identity, which lies in the coexistence of its mosques with its monasteries

Where Muslims and Christians lived side by side in the most difficult and darkest conditions in this city.

Mar Behnam Monastery and its sister Mart Sarah, which is 30 km southeast of Mosul and 14 km south of the town of Baghdida, is one of the most important monasteries in the city of Mosul, where the establishment of this monastery dates back to the fourth century AD at the time of King Sennacherib.

According to one of the accounts, the story of St. Behnam’s monastery began when Prince Mar Bennham and his sister, Princess Sarah, converted to Christianity at the hands of the Syrian Orthodox Mar Matti, the king refused. We would deny their conversion to Christianity, then he killed his two sons, buried them, and killed forty of those with them.

One of the stories indicates that the king's wife had ordered the construction of a tunnel between her palace and the place where her son and daughter were buried to visit their graves.

As for building the monastery, it came as a result of the conversion of the King Sanhrib to the Christian religion after that, and he felt a great guilt for killing his son and daughter, so he built it and named the monastery by their names.

Initially a dome was built over the place where they were killed and then the monastery includes important urban details, as it includes marble doors that contain distinctive inscriptions and writings, in addition to very distinct ancient Igorean (Turkish) writings in addition to a board containing Armenian writings said to be back To the secure visitors,

This monastery, like its ruins, was destroyed by ISIS in 2015, but the city residents repaired it and returned...

Mar Behnam Monastery, located near the town of Beth Khdeda in northern Iraq, is a significant religious and cultural landmark in the region. Named after Saint Behnam and his sister Saint Sarah, the monastery dates back to the 4th century and is revered by both Christians and Muslims. Its architecture reflects a blend of Assyrian and Islamic influences, with intricate carvings adorning its walls and ceilings. The monastery served as a center for Christian worship and learning for centuries until it was heavily damaged during recent conflicts. Despite the challenges, efforts are underway to restore this historic site, preserving its legacy as a place of spiritual devotion and cultural heritage in the heart of the...

دير الشهيدين مار بهنام وأخته مارت سارة (بالسريانية: ܕܝܪܐ ܪܡܪܝ ܒܗܢܡ ܘܡܪܬ ܣܪܐ)‏ هو دير للسريان الكاثوليك يقع بمحافظة نينوى بشمال العراق. يبعد الدير مسافة 14 كم جنوب بلدة بخديدا وحوالي 30 كم جنوب شرق الموصل. يرجع تاريخ الدير إلى القرن الرابع الميلادي حيث يرتبط بقصة الأمير الآشوري مار بهنام الذي أصبح مسيحيا مع أخته سارة وأربعون من اتباعه على يد مار متي السرياني الأرثوذكسي، فلما علم والده الملك سنحاريب بالأمر أمر بقتلهم جميعا. غير أنه ندم ندما شديدا على ذلك فاعتنق المسيحية هو كذلك وأمر بناء الدير تكفيرا عن ذنبه، فأنشا بدايةً قبة على مكان الذي تم القتل فيه وتسمى تلك القبة ب(الجب) و هي تحت مستوى سطح الارض بأمتار، حيث تحتضن رفاة الشهداء. و قد فجر الارهابيون الدواعش هذا الجب بعد سقوطه بيدهم بتاريخ 19 اذار 2015،و لكن بهمة اهل بخديدا تم اعادته كما كان في السابق ليستقبل الزوار في عيد الدير الذي يصادف يوم 10 كانون الأول من كل سنة. و يذكر التأريخ ان اهل الدير استقبل المسيحيين الذين هجروا من تكريت ابان القرن الحادي عشر يوم تضعضعت اوضاع السريان هناك فعمروه واهتموا به وسكنوا جواره، ويدل ذلك على الكتابات التي نقشت عليه في امكنة مختلفة منه والتي هي تحفة فنية اثارية رائعة، فضلا عن احتوائه على مكتبة كبيرة تحتوي على نفائس الكتب في جميع المجالات وخاصة الدينية والتأريخية و المخطوطات النادرة.

تبع الدير منذُ نشأته الكنيسة السريانية الأرثوذكسية ومن ثم اصبح بيد السريان الكاثوليك بعد تحول أهالي بلدة بخديدا إلى الكثلكة في القرن الثامن عشر.

أعيد ترميم الدير وتوسيعه سنة 1986 ويعتبر اليوم من المراكز الدينية الهامة في العراق حيث يزوره المسيحيون والمسلمون على حد سواء من أجل التبرك.

Monastery of the Martyrs Mar Behnam and Marth Sarah (Syriac: ܕܝܪܐ ܕܡܪܝ ܒܗܢܡ ܘܡܪܬ ܣܪܐ‎, Arabic: دير مار بهنام‎, Mar Behnam Monastery), is a Syriac Catholic monastery in northern Iraq in the village Khidr Ilyas close to the town of Beth Khdeda. The tomb of Mar Benham was heavily damaged on March 19, 2015 by the Islamic State, and the exterior murals were desecrated in all of the monastery's buildings.[citation needed] Repair work restoring the monastery and the tomb of Mar Behnam to its pre-ISIS condition was completed by early...