WIP · World in Pocket

Mar Behnam Monastery

Basatliya, Italy

Mar Behnam Monastery

Monastery of the Martyrs Mar Behnam and Marth Sarah (Syriac: ܕܝܪܐ ܕܡܪܝ ܒܗܢܡ ܘܡܪܬ ܣܪܐ, Arabic: دير مار بهنام, Mar Behnam Monastery) is a Syriac Catholic monastery in northern Iraq in the village Khidr Ilyas close to the town of Beth Khdeda. Until the 19th century, it was a Syriac Orthodox monastery.

The tomb of Mar Benham was heavily damaged on March 19, 2015, by the Islamic State, and the exterior murals were desecrated in all of the monastery's buildings. Repair work restoring the monastery and the tomb of Mar Behnam to its pre-ISIS condition was completed by early December 2018.

Listen to the audio guide for Mar Behnam Monastery Free on WIP — starts by itself when you arrive, even with the screen off

Nearby