Mor Hananyo Monastery

The Mor Hananyo Monastery (Syriac: ܕܝܪܐ ܕܡܪܝ ܚܢܢܝܐ‎, romanised: Dayro d-Mor Hananyo), also called Monastery of Saint Ananias, Deyrulzafaran (Arabic: ديرالزعفران, romanised: Dayr al-Za'farān) or Dayro d-Kurkmo (Syriac: ܕܝܪܐ ܕܟܘܪܟܡܐ), and in Turkish, Deyrulzafaran Manastırı, commonly known in English as the Saffron Monastery, is one of the most renowned monasteries of the Syriac Orthodox Church. Located about 3 km (1.9 mi) east of Mardin, Turkey, in the Syriac cultural region Tur Abdin, it has served as a spiritual, cultural, and intellectual centre of Syriac Orthodox Christianity for centuries. From 1166 to 1932, it functioned as the Patriarchal See of Antioch, housing 53 patriarchs and metropolitans in its burial chambers. Beginning as a temple to the Assyrian sun‑god Šamaš, the site was converted into a monastery in the Christian era. Over the centuries it endured repeated attacks by Mongols, Turks, and Kurds, during which the monastery, its artworks, and many manuscripts were abused and destroyed. Despite this, the monastery survives and today is headed by its abbot Mor Filüksinos (Philoxenos) Saliba Özmen. Externally, the monastery's walls are famously yellow‑tinted. Inside are many ornate and beautiful structures, including the Domed Church, the Sayyida (Church of the Virgin Mary), the Church of the Patriarchal Throne, a mausoleum, and a garden structure known as the 'Paradise'. The monastery, regarded as the "Mecca of Assyrians" and a jewel of Tur Abdin, continues to function as a monastic community, tourist site, and centre of learning, attracting thousands of visitors annually, in addition to its critical ecclesiastical functions since its inception. Syriac Orthodox culture was centred in two monasteries in western Tur Abdin, Mor Hananyo and Mor Gabriel.