Mar Mattai, Iraq
The Syriac Orthodox Monastery of St. Matthew, founded in 363, is located on Mount Alfaf in northern Iraq, 20 kilometers from Mosul. The hermit Mar Mattai had fled persecution under the Roman Emperor Julian the Apostate. According to Syriac tradition, he was involved in healing the sister of Mor Behnam and converting the brother and sister to Christianity. Their father, King Sinharib of Assyria, awarded Mattai a place atop Mount Alfaf to establish this monastery.
+© Kyselak/Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0