Another picture Tim took while on a trip for the embassy to the Southeast, probably around 1997.

He had told me this was the Darül Zafaran Syriac Orthodox monastery, situated a few kilometers from Mardin, transformed into a monastery in 493 A.D. and serving from 1160 until 1932 as the see of the Syriac Orthodox Church, but I’m unable to verify that from newer pictures I see online. It’s safe to say that it’s an ancient Syriac monastery or church in Mardin.

Unfortunately, this really is a picture of a Turkey that is no more. We reported in June that Turkish authorities had transferred the ownership of dozens of churches, monasteries and cemeteries that have belonged to the Syriac community in Mardin for over 1,600 years to the Treasury as part of a process of “liquidation” in the province. Concerns have been raised from Europe that the Syriacs are at risk of being wiped out in Turkey.

Historic city of Mardin, posted earlier: