Just outside Mardin, on the limestone plateau of Tur Abdin, stand the monasteries of the Syriac Orthodox Christians, one of the oldest Christian communities in the world, who still pray in Aramaic. Deyrulzafaran, the Saffron Monastery, was the seat of the patriarchate for centuries and lies ten minutes from the city; Mor Gabriel, near Midyat, was founded in 397 and is the oldest monastery of the Syriac Orthodox Church still in use, and one of the oldest working monasteries anywhere.
These are quiet visits, led by guides from the community itself, and one of the reasons Mardin feels unlike anywhere else in Türkiye.
A little history
Syriac Christianity took shape in Edessa (today's Şanlıurfa) and Antioch in the first centuries after Christ, and it parted ways with the other churches after the Council of Chalcedon in 451. Tur Abdin, "the mountain of the servants of God", filled with monasteries in the 4th and 5th centuries. Deyrulzafaran was built in the 5th century on the site of an earlier sun temple, and from 1160 to 1932 it was the residence of the Syriac Orthodox Patriarchs of Antioch, who later moved to Homs and then to Damascus. Mor Gabriel was founded by the monks Samuel and Simeon and once housed hundreds of monks; today it is home to the Bishop of Tur Abdin, a handful of monks and nuns, and students learning Aramaic.
The community, which once numbered tens of thousands in the region, shrank sharply in the 20th century through war and emigration to Europe; in recent years some families have returned to their villages.
What to see at the monasteries
Deyrulzafaran: the sun temple
Beneath the church lies a chamber roofed with huge stone blocks laid without mortar, which tradition dates to pre-Christian times. The sun was worshipped here as its light came through an opening at dawn. You go down with the monastery's own guide.
Deyrulzafaran: the church and the patriarchs' tombs
The main church has carved stone reliefs and a wooden patriarchal throne, and in the burial chamber the patriarchs rest seated in niches. There is a small museum of manuscripts, and from the courtyard the view stretches across the plain of Mesopotamia towards Syria.
Mor Gabriel: the Anastasius church
The main church dates from the early 6th century and was built under the Byzantine emperor Anastasius I. Its sanctuary vault keeps 6th-century mosaics, among the few Byzantine mosaics left in the region, and nearby stands a dome that tradition links to Empress Theodora. You visit with a monk or a student as your guide, in silence.
Mor Gabriel: the courtyards, the school and the walls
A complex of golden stone with courtyards, terraces and the school where the community's children learn Aramaic. From the walls you look out over Tur Abdin, with its villages and vineyards.
Tips for your visit
Allow an hour at each monastery. The visits are short, with steps at Deyrulzafaran down to the sun temple.
- Dress modestly, with shoulders and knees covered; inside the churches, stay quiet and don't use flash.
- The monasteries' own guides speak Turkish and sometimes English; your guide translates and adds the wider context.
- Mor Gabriel has set visiting hours and closes during services; on Sunday mornings there is a liturgy in Aramaic that you can attend quietly.
- On the way to Mor Gabriel, Midyat, with its carved stone houses and silver filigree workshops, is well worth a stop.
Tickets and prices
Each monastery charges an entrance fee of about €5 at the time of writing (2026), which I confirm when preparing each trip; at Mor Gabriel you may also be asked for a donation to the community. On our tours, the guide takes care of the tickets.
Getting there
Deyrulzafaran is five kilometres east of Mardin, ten minutes by car or taxi. Mor Gabriel is about 20 kilometres from Midyat and 80 from Mardin, around an hour and a quarter by road. Mardin has an airport with flights from Istanbul and Ankara.
How we visit them on our tours
On Secret Türkiye, one day brings them together: Deyrulzafaran in the morning, then an afternoon in Tur Abdin with Midyat and Mor Gabriel. The shorter Göbekli Tepe and Mardin tour spends its time in Mardin's old town, but Deyrulzafaran is only ten minutes away and easy to add to a tailor-made version. For the city itself, read Mardin: The Golden Stone City Overlooking Mesopotamia.
If the Christian communities of the Middle East interest you, tell me on the tailor-made trip page and I'll put together a route through south-eastern Türkiye.