Dair Mar Elia

Dair Mar Elia — the Monastery of Saint Elijah — stood south of Mosul for over fourteen hundred years, one of the oldest continuously occupied monasteries in the world and a defining monument of Iraq's Assyrian Christian heritage. The monastery was founded around 595 AD by the monk Elijah (Mar Elia in Aramaic) and remained a functioning religious community through Arab, Mongol, and Ottoman rule, surviving into the 21st century before being destroyed by ISIS.

The ruins are accessible south of the city, and the site carries a powerful atmosphere even in its demolished state. The scale of what stood here — a substantial fortified monastery with church, cells, and courtyard — is visible in the remaining footprint. Visiting requires transport from the city and awareness of the current security situation in the area. For those with an interest in the ancient history of Christianity in Mesopotamia, the site is deeply significant.

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A story
Mar Elia was the oldest Christian monastery in Iraq, founded in the sixth century by the Assyrian monk Elijah of Mosul. It was occupied continuously for fourteen centuries until ISIS seized it in 2014. They destroyed it methodically — first looting, then demolishing, then driving bulldozers through the ruins in 2016 to ensure nothing remained standing. The site is now ruins, but the Iraqi government has declared it a protected heritage area and plans for some form of commemoration or reconstruction are under discussion.