Monastery of the Mother of God

Monastery of the Mother of God Review

In the villages around Midyat are dozens of churches, many still in use and dating back to the 5th through 8th centuries. The area suffered considerably during the Kurdish uprising, and many Christians moved to Germany, Sweden, and Australia, though a small number are beginning to return and many visit in summer. The most extraordinary religious site is the Monastery of the Mother of God at Hah (Anitli), probably from the 6th century, which has an elaborately carved classical interior and exterior, and is the only Byznatine church, other the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, to use a dome and two half-domes to create a rectangular space. The monastery is on the Dargeçit road. Closest to the Hasankeyf road, which is not in great condition, in the village of Baristepe, is the castlelike church of Mor Dimet has been restored.