A few kilometers outside Mardin, set against ochre hills, Deyrulzafaran is one of the oldest working monasteries of the Syriac Orthodox Church, founded around the 5th century AD. Its name means Saffron Monastery, linked to the warm color of its stone, and for centuries, from the 12th into the early 20th, it served as the seat of the Syriac Orthodox patriarchate. Guided visits lead through a chapel with an ancient stone altar, a sombre underground chamber believed to predate Christianity and possibly used for sun worship, carved patriarchal tombs, and rooms displaying old liturgical items and printing presses. Services here are still sung in Aramaic, the language of Jesus, giving the place a rare living continuity with the ancient Near East. The setting, framed by dry hills with the plain beyond, is serene and photogenic. It is a short taxi ride from the old town and pairs naturally with a day in Mardin.
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