Mor Gabriel Monastery

Founded in 397 and in continuous use ever since, Mor Gabriel is the oldest surviving Syriac Orthodox monastery in the world. It is the spiritual centre of the Tur Abdin region and still the seat of a metropolitan.

The complex contains the main church, the Church of the Virgin Mary, domed chambers and mosaic sections. The stonework of the domes and the Byzantine-era mosaics show where the region's stone tradition comes from.

Visiting notes: this is an active religious institution; visits take place at set hours with a guide. Confirm the times before you set out. Shoulders and knees should be covered. It is about a twenty-minute drive from the centre of Midyat.