Monastery of Virgin Mary (Meryem Ana Manastırı) in the Anıtlı village near Midyat

This post is also available in: ruРусский (Russian)

Monastery of Virgin Mary (Meryem Ana Manastırı) with beautiful church is located 30 kilometers east of Midyat in the Anıtlı village. Old name of this village is Hah which comes from the Aramaic language. Even at the present time Anıtlı is Christian village populated mostly by Assyrians (Süriani). According to various sources, about 30 families live here now.

Monastery of Virgin Mary
A popular foreshortening of the Virgin Mary сhurch.

There is no suitable public transport going to the Anıtlı village so you need to have a car or hitchhike. The road there will not be very simple, but it’s worth it. First you need to go from Midyat by the Dargeçit road to the crossroad near İzbırak village and next turn right. Anıtlı is located in 10 kilometers from that place.

Road to the monastery of Virgin Mary

According to different sources the monastery of Virgin Mary was founded in the 6th century. At that time big Mor Sobo cathedral was built there. The monastery was an important educational center in the Northern Mesopotamia for centuries. But now the Mor Sobo cathedral is ruined and monks don’t live there.

Ruins of the Mor Sabo cathedral
Ruins of the Mor Sabo cathedral in the Anıtlı village.

The сhurch of Virgin Mary with an unique square dome you can see at the photos upper was constructed about 1000 years ago. The church acquired its modern look in the 19th century. Despite the fact that it is far from popular tourist routes, it is very popular not only among pilgrims.

Small phototour

Meryem Ana (Anıtlı) Manastırı
Entrance to the monastery
Meryem Ana (Anıtlı) Manastırı
Like the other monasteries of Tur-Abdin region, this monastery resembles a small fortress.
Meryem Ana (Anıtlı) Manastırı
Square dome outside
Meryem Ana (Anıtlı) Manastırı
View from the wall
Meryem Ana (Anıtlı) Manastırı
Just another view
Meryem Ana (Anıtlı) Manastırı
Altarpiece of the temple
Meryem Ana (Anıtlı) Manastırı
The church inside
Meryem Ana (Anıtlı) Manastırı
The early church was decorated with frescoes, but so far only carved stone
Meryem Ana (Anıtlı) Manastırı
Dome from the inside

Meryem Ana (Anıtlı) Manastırı

Meryem Ana (Anıtlı) Manastırı

How to get to the Virgin Mary monastery (Meryem Ana Manastırı)

Address: Anıtlı Mahallesi, 47500 Midyat/Mardin

Entrance ticket: free

2 Replies to “Monastery of Virgin Mary (Meryem Ana Manastırı) in the Anıtlı village near Midyat”

  1. Could someone tell me if the monastery belongs to the orthodox or the catholic church ?

  2. It belonges to the Syriac Orthodox Church which is one of the Oriental non-Chalcedonian Orthodox Churches.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *