In Iraq destroyed the monastery of the IV century Mar Behnam Bashny.Net

Islamic state militants destroyed one of the most valuable and little-known monuments of medieval architecture of Iraq, the monastery of the martyrs of Behnam and Sarah (Mar Behnam). In the end irretrievably lost unique examples of early Islamic and Christian art, as well as a rare inscription in Uighur.

The destruction of monuments in Iraq goes more unnoticed than the destruction of ancient cities such as Nimrud and Hatra. Meanwhile, the loss of the Iraqi architectural heritage, perhaps even more tragic event, because these monuments are poorly studied. Earlier in Mosul destroyed the Shrine of Imam Yahya (XIII century) and the tomb of Imam awn al-DIN (XIII century). Then another explosion was razed to the ground the mausoleum of Imam Fool, which was the first sample cell of the arch. In March, militants blew up the monastery of the martyrs of Behnam and Sarah to the North-East of Nimrud.





photo:independent.co.uk

According to legend, the monastery was built here in the middle of the IV century on the burial place of Prince Behnam, his 40 warriors and daughter Sara. They converted to Christianity after the miraculous healing of a leper Sarah revered in Syria, St. Matthew (Mar Mattai). Over time the tomb became associated with miraculous healing, regardless of the patron Saint, and the place was revered not only by Christians but also by Muslims, and Yezidis.

The diversity of religious tradition in Northern Iraq (Catholic, Assyrian Church of the East, Islam, yezidism) is reflected in the mixture of decorative styles. On the walls of the tomb are carved sculptures of St. Behnam in the form of a knight on horseback, arches, niches, arabesques made in the Abbasid style. Graffiti made not only on the Syrian and Arabic languages but also in Armenian and Uighur.

Since 1900, the monastery functioned under the beginning of the Syrian Catholic Church. In July 2014, ISIS militants seized the monastery, expelled all the monks, not allowing them to take sanctuary. March 19, 2015, from the tomb of the martyrs Behnam and Sarah remained only ruins. The Islamic state has been fighting with Christians and Yazidis, destroying their monuments and revered places. The destruction of the monastery corresponds to a total installation of ISIS. published

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Source: theoryandpractice.ru