Tag Archives: Alqosh

The Tomb

As I have mentioned, I’m traveing this month, a combination of business and pleasure. The pleasure part will produce a post or two (as I write this I have 15 partially finished, some travel-related, others not) but those will wait for my return to Canada. In the meantime, some of my favorites from the past, […]

Nahum’s Tomb

Anyplace else they would make this into a major tourist attraction. In Alqosh I didn’t see any signs to indicate what was there. In a ruined synagogue, open to the elements, is the tomb of the Old Testament prophet Nahum. The stone tomb is covered by a tarpaulin of sorts. This is not on the […]

Rabban Hormizd III

There must be some sort of special devotion that causes a person to choose a monastic life. Part of me wishes I had that kind of faith. Though I would probably miss my creature comforts. When I look at the cliff that is Rabban Hormizd Monastery I image what it must have been like for […]

Rabban Hormizd II

In most countries a seventh century Christian monastery would be a place of pilgrimage, or at least a tourist attraction. But this is Iraq, and ISIS is only 20 kilometres from here. There are no tour buses. There is no-one else here. Well, there may be a few nuns, be we don’t see them. But […]

Rabban Hormizd I

You can look out from the terrace of the monastery and see where ISIS’ advance was stopped in 2014. Destroying this place would have been the first task on their “to-do” list. High above the Iraqi town of Alqosh, Rabban Hormizd monastery has been a site of Christian worship for almost 1400 years. Founded in […]