Turkey: Deyr-az-Zaferan Monastery
The stunning Deyr-az-Zaferan Monastery (aka the Saffron Monastery) lies just a few kilometers south of Mardin, it’s a large monastic complex of Syrian Orthodox Christianity. It was established in 493 and the Saffron in the name refers to the full yellow color of the stone it’s made from (pretty much like everything else in the surrounding desert). 1160 until 1932 it was the official seat of the patriarch of the Syriac Orthodox Church, before was moved to Damascus. The massive stone monastery has several large chapels and churches and courtyards inside and 365 rooms (one for each day of the year).
