Mar Mattai Monastery ܕܝܪܐ ܕܡܪܝ ܡܬܝ

This weekend Tammy and I decided to check out Mar Mattai Monastery in the disputed areas to check out an annual celebration that was occurring.  We were there a day early for the real party, but it was still a fascinating place.  Mar Mattai was founded in 363 AD and is considered one of the oldest Christian monasteries in the world.  Saint Matthew (Mar Mattai) came from Diyarbakir, cured the King's daughter of leprosy and converted the town to Christianity.  Over the years Mar Mattai Monastery has been attacked by Kurds, Arabs, Mongols, Ottomans, bandits, and everyone else who came near it.  

To get to the monastery we had to head west outside of the KRG and we passed through a few interesting places.  Pictured below is a cattle drive outside of Bartella.  Bartella is a part of the Nineveh (yep, from the Bible) Plains, an area that has accepted tens of thousands of fleeing Christians (and Shia Muslims and Shabaks) from Southern Iraq since Saddam.  There is even a movement in the Nineveh Plains to make an Assyrian (Christian) Autonomous Zone, which would report to Baghdad, not Erbil.  

This is the first glimpse of the monastery that we had.  It looks similar to nearby Al-Qosh from far away.  It is tucked into the mountain and pretty difficult to see from far away.

Tammy's posing in front a cistern near Nahmoud (water drop) Cave.  

One side of the cave wall is entirely turquoise and salt formations drip all around the cave.

One thing you'll notice when you leave the KRG is all of the old cars.  In Kurdistan, all cars imported now must be 2012 or newer, so must of the cars you see on the road are virtually brand new.  In Iraq and the border towns with Iran, you will see lots of vintage VW's, Opels, etc.

This is the view coming up to the monastery.  A pretty surprising place for most of us visiting Iraq.  

This is the interior of the monastery.  It was really bustling and jovial.  There are over a hundred rooms that people can stay in (gratis) and most of them were full of families enjoying huge lunches while we were walking around.  

Here's a picture of Saint Matthew (not the same one from the Bible) on the right. 

This monastery reminded me a bit of the Coptic Christian churches in Cairo.  Open floor plans and great arches.

The monastery was restored in 2006, but the walls behind are from the 4th-6th CE.  

An alternate way to get to the monastery.  We saw some kids racing up it, but that seemed suicidal in the 100 degree heat.

Our driver is friends with Father Youssif (Joseph in English) pictured on the right.  We relaxed in his AC'd office and chatted while he smoked squares.  He told us that now there are only 5 monks studying at the monastery, but at one time there were 7000 monks in the community.  Great massacres occurred over the years and obvious fundamental shifts in religion have caused the numbers to dwindle.  But based on the current conditions of the monastery, one could conclude that there is still a strong (and wealthy) congregation of Iraqi Christians (although many are living abroad).  

This is one of the tombs found inside the church.  I love Aramaic writing, I just wish I could get rid of the glare.  When we got there the tomb was full of young couples praying (presumably for fertility - which is one of the main reasons people come there).  There are 7 famous Christians buried inside the tomb.  

Posing in front of this ancient place.

After visiting the monastery, we stopped by a river to look at some donkeys, sheep, and watch some Kurds fish and play in the water.  The river was about 10 feet deep and moving pretty fast, so nobody was getting in, but it was a really peaceful place.  

This is our taxi driver Nabeel.  He was really into this dragonfly.  Nabeel is an Assyrian from Ainkawa who fought in the Iran-Iraq War for Saddam's Army.  He had a luxurious 2013 Dodge Caravan and is a really decent driver.  If we go on any more Christian outings, he is our man.