 Ruins of Dair Mar Elia, 2005 | |
  Location within Iraq | |
| Monastery information | |
|---|---|
| Denomination | Church of the East Chaldean Catholic Church |
| Established | 595 |
| Disestablished | 1743 |
| Dedicated to | Saint Elijah ofIsrael |
| Architecture | |
| Status | Destroyed by theIslamic State in 2014 |
| Site | |
| Location | NearMosul,Nineveh Governorate |
| Country |  Republic of Iraq |
| Coordinates | 36°17′33″N43°7′52″E / 36.29250°N 43.13111°E /36.29250; 43.13111 |
TheMonastery of Saint Elijah, orDair Mar Elia (Syriac:ܕܝܪܐ ܕܡܪܝ ܐܝܠܝܐ;Arabic:دير مار إيليا), was located inMosul,Nineveh Governorate,Iraq. Established in the late 6th century, it was one of Iraq's oldest monasteries. It belonged to theChurch of the East and then to theChaldean Catholic Church. The monastery was shut down in 1743, when theAfsharids massacred its monks after they refused to convert toIslam, and went on to become aChristian pilgrimage site. Its ruins were damaged during the2003 invasion of Iraq, and were destroyed entirely by theIslamic State in 2014.
The monastery was founded around 595 AD by Mar Elia, a monk who had previously studied atal-Hirah and later in the great monastery atMount Izla in modern-dayTurkey.[1] It belonged to theChurch of the East.[2] The monastery was the center of the regional Christian community and for centuries thousands of Christians would visit the monastery to observe the Mar Elia Holiday, which falls on the last Wednesday of November.[3]
The main sanctuary of the monastery was built in the 11th century,[4] and it was renovated byHurmizd Alqushnaya in the 17th century. In 1743, the Persian leaderTahmaz Nadir Shah damaged the monastery and killed the 150 monks who lived there, after they refused to convert toIslam.[5]
The monastery lay in ruins until the beginning of the 20th century, when some restoration was completed on a few halls and rooms. During theFirst World War, Dair Mar Elia was a place of refuge which led to the rebuilding of part of the site.[citation needed] The structure, along with its neighboring reservoir and natural mineral water springs, were cared for by theChaldean Catholic Church, andChristian pilgrims continued to visit the ruins.[6] In the 1970s, the monastery became a base for the IraqiRepublican Guard.[7]
During the2003 invasion of Iraq, the monastery was damaged by Iraqi tank units, which trashed rooms and filled a cistern with garbage. One of its walls was destroyed after being hit by aT-72 tank turret. After the101st Airborne Division took control of the area, the site lay withinForward Operating Base Marez. American soldiers vandalized the monastery by inscribing graffiti on the walls and by whitewashing the chapel, destroying its 600-year-old murals in the process. The structure was further damaged by looters.[8] However, aU.S. military chaplain saw the importance of the site, and a commander ordered troops to vacate the monastery.[7] Eventually, military chaplains began taking care of the structure, and gave tours of the ruins to soldiers.[5]
In May 2008, Iraqi archaeologists were able to visit the areas for the first time since the invasion. Later that year, the U.S. military's efforts to restore Dair Mar Elia were reported in the international media. The journalistJames Foley, who was later beheaded by ISIL, wrote that the site was being saved "for future generations of Iraqis who will hopefully soon have the security to appreciate it."[5] Prior to thewithdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, army engineers from the94th Corps of Engineers ofFort Leonard Wood drew up plans of the monastery.[2][4]
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In June 2014, Mosul was taken over by theIslamic State of Iraq and the Levant. The militant group destroyed the monastery sometime between 27 August and 28 September 2014, along witha number of other cultural sites. The destruction of the monastery was not publicized by ISIL, and it was only confirmed by satellite imagery released in January 2016.[5][7] The fact that its destruction went unreported for about 16 months led to fears that many other Christian sites in Iraq might have also been destroyed secretly.[9]
The monastery consisted of a fortress-like complex of buildings, having an area of around 27,000 square feet (2,500 m2). Before its destruction, it had 26 rooms built around acourtyard, including a chapel and a sanctuary.[5]
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