Mor Behnam (Kırklar) Church: Mardin’s Church of the Forty

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1. What is Mor Behnam (Kırklar) Church?
2. How do you get to Mor Behnam (Kırklar) Church?
3. When is the best time to visit Mor Behnam (Kırklar) Church?
4. What is the history of Mor Behnam (Kırklar) Church?
5. What is Mor Behnam (Kırklar) Church famous for?
6. What can you see at Mor Behnam (Kırklar) Church?
7. Frequently asked questions about Mor Behnam (Kırklar) Church
8. What do the official records say about Mor Behnam (Kırklar) Church?

What is Mor Behnam (Kırklar) Church?

Mor Behnam, better known as Kırklar Kilisesi, is the main Syriac Orthodox church in Mardin’s old town. It stands behind a walled courtyard off one of the old town’s lanes, with a bell tower above the gate, and it is still the parish church of Mardin’s Syriac community.

The church is named after Mor Behnam and his sister Saro, two martyrs of early Christian tradition. The local name, Kırklar (the Forty), refers to the Forty Martyrs, whose relics, according to the 2002 inventory, were brought here in 1170.

Unlike the monasteries outside the city, Kırklar is part of daily life in the old town: services, weddings and funerals still take place here, and visitors are welcome outside service times.

How do you get to Mor Behnam (Kırklar) Church?

The church is in the old town, a few minutes’ walk downhill from Cumhuriyet Caddesi, Mardin’s main street. The lanes are narrow and stepped, so walking is the only practical way in; ask for “Kırklar Kilisesi” and almost anyone will point you down the right stairway.

From Mardin airport, about 20 km south, a taxi takes around half an hour to the old town. City buses and minibuses run from the bus station and the new town to Cumhuriyet Caddesi.

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When is the best time to visit Mor Behnam (Kırklar) Church?

Opening hours change through the year, so check them before you visit. Mornings are quieter, and in summer the shaded courtyard is a cool break between other old-town sights. Spring and autumn are the most pleasant seasons for the old town as a whole.

On Sunday mornings and major feasts, the church is in use for the liturgy. Visitors can sometimes attend quietly, but sightseeing is not appropriate during services.

What is the history of Mor Behnam (Kırklar) Church?

The Mardin Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism dates the church to the middle of the 6th century and records that it was built in the names of Mor Behnam and his sister Saro. The 2002 inventory gives an earlier estimate, the 5th century.

When Mardin became the seat of the Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate in 1293, the church became a religious and administrative centre, and patriarchs and metropolitans lived in stone-roofed rooms around the courtyard. Those rooms were replaced by a new patriarchal building in 1850, and a reception hall (divanhane) was added in 1925. A school operated at the church from the 19th century, and teaching continued here until 1928.

Today, as the inventory notes, it serves as the church of the Syriac Orthodox Metropolitan of Mardin.

What is Mor Behnam (Kırklar) Church famous for?

• Continuous use. One of the oldest churches in Mardin still serving its community.
• The relics of the Forty Martyrs, which give the church its popular name.
• Stonework. Carved altars and a courtyard divan with stone carving the inventory compares to lace.
• Old textiles and doors. The inventory mentions centuries-old wooden altar doors and curtains printed with madder dye.

What can you see at Mor Behnam (Kırklar) Church?

The courtyard and bell tower. A wide stone courtyard, entered through a gate under the bell tower, with the 19th-century patriarchal building and the 1925 hall around it.

The church interior. The church runs east to west. According to the directorate, its ceiling rests on arches carried by 12 massive columns, and it is built of smooth-cut stone. The sanctuary is screened by carved altar fronts and curtains.

Altars and doors. The inventory singles out altars worked with fine stone carving and wooden altar doors around 400 years old.

Inscriptions in Syriac on stones and tombs in the courtyard, a reminder of the language that is still used in the liturgy here.

Visiting tips. Dress as you would for any working church, with shoulders and knees covered, and keep voices low inside. Photography is usually accepted in the courtyard; ask before taking pictures inside, and never during a service. An entrance fee is charged. Allow 30–45 minutes, and combine the visit with the Mardin Museum and the Church of the Virgin Mary a few streets away, which together give the best picture of Christian Mardin.

Nearby in the old town are the Church of the Virgin Mary (Meryemana) next to the Mardin Museum, the Chaldean church and the Mor Mihail and Mor Şimuni churches. All are listed by the provincial directorate and can be combined into a walk.

Frequently asked questions about Mor Behnam (Kırklar) Church

What do the official records say about Mor Behnam (Kırklar) Church?

The monastery, thought to have been built in the 5th century, has altars worked with fine stone carving, four-hundred-year-old wooden altar doors, fifteen-hundred-year-old curtains printed with madder dye, a bell tower in its wide courtyard and a divan with examples of stone carving worked almost like lace. The bones of the forty martyrs were brought to the monastery in 1170, and today it is used as the Mardin Metropolitan Church. (Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Mardin Provincial Tourism Inventory, 2002)