Mor Loozor Monastery
Mor Loozor Monastery is a Syriac monastery located on a hill approximately 1 kilometer from Mercimekli Village (formerly known as Habsnas or Habsus) in the Midyat district of Mardin province. It features a hermitage tower belonging to the Amudians, who worship atop a tall column, a feature found in no other monastery in the Tur Abdin region.
It is believed that the monastery was built or renovated in the 5th or 6th century by Şemun dı-Zayte, a Syriac clergyman, on the ruins of a Zoroastrian temple. The structures of the long-abandoned monastery are still standing. However, they have been damaged, especially since 2008, by treasure hunters.
The monastery is surrounded by a three-meter-high wall built of cut stone.
Mor Loozor Monastery became one of nine churches and monasteries in Tur Abdin included in the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List in 2021.
