Zeynel Abidin Mosque The Zeynel Abidin Mosque Complex and Mor Yakup Church serve as remarkable examples of interfaith harmony that has endured for centuries in the town of Nusaybin, historically known as Nisibis, near Mardin. The Mor Yakup Church is situated approximately 100 meters to the east of the Zeynel Abidin Mosque, with both landmarks positioned around 250 meters from the Syrian border. Built from rough stone, the Mosque Complex follows an L-shaped design and includes an open courtyard featuring a garden and an exposed yard. The minaret on the east side was constructed in 1956. The mosque has a square floor plan with its main entrance on the north side, and the "harim" is topped with cross-vaulted ceilings supported by large, sturdy columns. While the mosque’s "mihrab" and "minbar" are recent additions, the building itself has undergone several renovations and expansions. An inscription within the madrasa reveals that the original "masjid" was expanded and transformed into a mosque, with restoration work dated to 1891. Located at the southwestern corner of the complex are the shrines dedicated to Zeynel Abidin and Sitti Zeynep. These tombs are dome-shaped and draped with green cloths bearing Quranic inscriptions. Inscriptions on the doors confirm their construction in 1159, and another inscription from 1821 documents restoration activities on Sitti Zeynep’s shrine. Flanking the mosque complex on both the east and west sides are two expansive cemeteries, which contain decorative stone graves belonging to the sheikhs of Tayyi Tibe. These graves date from the late Ottoman era and are distinguished by their characteristic turban-shaped carvings. Mor Yakup Church The Mor Yakup Church, situated in Nusaybin, Turkey, takes its name from the revered Assyrian saint born and raised in this town. In 309, Mor Yakup was appointed Bishop of Nisibis, and by 313, he had commenced building the cathedral in Nisibis, which was an important commercial and political hub of the Byzantine Empire. After attending the First Council of Nicaea in 325, Mor Yakup returned to Nusaybin accompanied by his disciple, Mor Afrem (St. Ephrem), a distinguished ascetic, educator, and hymn composer. Together, they rebuilt the Nisibis School, where a broad curriculum including theology, philosophy, literature, law, medicine, astronomy, and geometry was taught. Through this educational institution, Mor Yakup and Mor Afrem played a vital role in the dissemination of Christianity across Mesopotamia. The existing Mor Yakup Church, recognized as one of the oldest sacred buildings in Upper Mesopotamia, consists of two main sections. The southern portion features two opposing buttresses and is subdivided into two distinct areas. On the eastern side lies a 7-meter-square courtyard bordered by northern and southern walls each containing two doors, along with an apse on the east. An archway on the western side provides access to the church's second section. The church’s eastern facade is especially notable for its intricate wall decorations, including multiple continuous friezes adorning the door arches, apses, and western arch, with an additional frieze designed for the niche inside the apse. The buttresses of the southern section are topped with Corinthian capitals on the southern side, while those on the western side differ in style. Both the north and south walls of the western area feature doorways, with their upper parts decorated by finely crafted arches. The central buttresses near one of the western doors add a sense of modernity to the structure. The decorative motifs are distinctive, representing some of the earliest and most sophisticated examples of ornamentation from the 5th and 6th centuries in northern Mesopotamia. The dome above the eastern square chamber exemplifies the architectural style of the southern building. Constructed in 1872, it bears an inscription marking its date. Around the same period, a chamber was also added on the western side of the monument. Beneath the eastern square chamber lie capsules that form a sarcophagus, where the tomb of Mor Yakup is located. In 2014, the Zeynel Abidin Mosque Complex and Mor Yakup Church were officially listed on UNESCO's Tentative World Heritage List. If you have any questions or need further information about the Zeynel Abidin Mosque & Mor Yakup Church, please feel free to reach out to us at [email protected] or simply send us a message on WhatsApp. We will get back to you promptly.