Mount Alfaf (, ṭūrāʾ Alfaf), also known as Mount Maqlub (جبل مقلوب in

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

), is a mountain in the

Nineveh Plains Nineveh Plains (, Modern ; ; ) is a region in Nineveh Governorate in Iraq. Located to the north and east of the city Mosul, it is the only Christian-majority region in Iraq and have been a gathering point for Iraqi Christians since 2003. Control o ...

region in northern

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

. The mountain lies 30 km to the northeast of

Mosul Mosul ( ; , , ; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. It is the second largest city in Iraq overall after the capital Baghdad. Situated on the banks of Tigris, the city encloses the ruins of the ...

and some 15 km from

Bartella Bartella (; ) is a town that is located in the Nineveh Plains in northern Iraq, about east of Mosul. Bartella was liberated from ISIL control on October 20, 2016 by Iraqi Special Operations Forces along with the Nineveh Plain Protection Units a ...

. The largest town on the mountain is Merki, which is inhabited by

Assyrians Assyrians (, ) are an ethnic group indigenous to Mesopotamia, a geographical region in West Asia. Modern Assyrians share descent directly from the ancient Assyrians, one of the key civilizations of Mesopotamia. While they are distinct from ot ...

of the

Syriac Orthodox Church The Syriac Orthodox Church (), also informally known as the Jacobite Church, is an Oriental Orthodox Christian denomination, denomination that originates from the Church of Antioch. The church currently has around 4-5 million followers. The ch ...

. The mountain is famous for the

Mar Mattai Monastery Dayro d-Mor Mattai (; ; ''The Monastery of St. Matthew'' or ''Dayro d-Mor Mattai'') is a Syriac Orthodox Church monastery on Mount Alfaf in northern Iraq. Located 20 kilometers northeast of the city of Mosul, it is recognized as one of the oldest ...

which lies close to its southern summit. There exist a number of hermitages that date back to the 4th and 5th century AD, the most important of which are: *Mar Mattai hermitage, where according to Syriac tradition, Sara, sister of Mar Behnam, was miraculously cured of leprosy by Mar Mattai. * Bar Hebraeus hermitage which was occupied by Bar Hebraeus during his lifetime. *The spy's hermitage which lies at the top of the mountain and was used as a sentry to warn the occupants of the monastery of bandits.

References

Nineveh Plains Alfaf Alfaf {{Iraq-geo-stub

See also

References