St. Jacob Church ( Mor Yakup)
The monastery was built in 397 by Mor Shmuel (Samuel) and his disciple Mor Shemun (Simon) on the ruins of a Zoroastrian temple. At that time, his fame increased gradually: So much so that Arcadius and Honorius, who were Roman Emperors, and then II. Theodosius and Byzantine Emperor Anastasius I made donations to the temple. In the late 14th century, 140 monks were killed by the invading Mongol army under Tamerlane. Also in 1919, the monastery was allegedly attacked once again by Kurdish militia during the Assyrian Massacre, and the monks were killed. It took its current name from the Turabdin Metropolitan of the time, Mor Gabriel. The monastery is open to visitors and tourists today. Mor Gabriel Monastery became one of nine churches and monasteries in Tur Abdin, which was included in the World Heritage Tentative List by UNESCO in 2021.
