Eastern Turkiye, September 7, 2026
At breakfast this morning, at our hotel in Midyat, we met a Christian couple who live in New Jersey but grew up in this village, are Syriac Christians, attended the church we went to last night, and speak Aramaic in their home life! There is a community of Aramaic speaking Christians in New Jersey! The woman’s father was a priest at Mor Barsavmo Church. What an amazing world!
Our first stop was the Mor Gabriel monastery south of Midyat. Founded in 397 AD it is the longest surviving Syriac Christian monastery, older than St Catherine’s at Mount Sinai. A beautiful and peaceful place.
We back tracked a bit and stopped along the Tigris for some drone footage and then turned back south to Nusaybin ( ancient Nisisbis) to visit Mor Yakob monastery.
Mor Yakob was dedicated to Jacob of Nisibus, Bishop of Nisibis in 309. He attend the counsel of Nicea in 325 AD and is venerated as a saint in the western church and the east. We’ve seen statues of Jacob of Nisibus in some of the large basilicas in Rome and now we know the story! This town sits right on the Syrian border.
Final stop today was Haran - where God called Abram to come to the promised land, and the home of Rebecca, Laban, Leah and Rachel. Incredible to see a plateau filled with remnants of mud brick from thousands of years ago!
Joel, who we left behind in DogubayaIt to join a group of climbers who will summit Mnt Ararat, has made it to the first base camp!Beautiful weather and all is well, praying for safe climbing the next few days!
For more Biblical Travel photos and videos visit us at: www.scriptureinstone.org/blog
The entrance to Mor Gabriel Monastery, one of the oldest surviving Syriac Christian monasteries, founded in 397.
