Mar Behnam Monastery

Mar Behnam is a Syriac Catholic monastery on the plain southeast of Mosul, built around the tomb of Behnam and his sister Sarah, figures of a fourth-century legend, in a mausoleum reached down steps from the church. Its distinction is the carving: doorways and walls worked in the thirteenth century with interlaced ornament, Syriac and Arabic inscriptions and figures, among the finest medieval Christian stone carving in the region. The mausoleum was wrecked in 2015 and the buildings damaged; since 2017 a restoration programme has rebuilt the shrine and consolidated the carved work, with fragments recovered and reset. The monastery has reopened and the community has returned. Seeing it now means seeing both the medieval carving and the repair.

History

Legend says the monastery was built in the 4th century by a king, Senchareb, in penance for martyring his son Behnam and daughter Sarah after they became Christians. It belonged to the Church of the East until the 14th century, as inscriptions left by Mongol Christian pilgrims in the 1200s show; the Catholic Church took it over in 1790, the Syriac Orthodox retook it eight years later, and after its monks left in 1819 the Syriac Catholic Church resumed possession (Wikipedia, Mar Behnam Monastery).

What to look for

• Thirteenth-century carving - interlace, inscriptions and figures on the stonework.
• The underground mausoleum - the tomb chamber reached by steps.
• Restoration work - rebuilt fabric and reset fragments.
• The plain setting - the monastery standing in open farmland.

When to go

March to May and September to November for the weather. Feast days bring the local community. Summer on the plain is severe. Access should be confirmed locally in advance.

Practical notes

A significant part of what stands is post-2017 reconstruction, and the destruction is part of the story rather than hidden. Some areas may still be under work. Interpretation is minimal.

Nearby

Mar Mattai lies north; Nimrud is south.

Key facts