Ancient tradition brings thousands of Assyrians together at Mor Gabriel Monastery
MARDİN
A large crowd sits on chairs inside the vast courtyard of a historic stone monastery, gathering beneath stringed flags for a communal celebration.
Some 5,000 Assyrians from Türkiye and around the world gathered at the historic Mor Gabriel Monastery in southeastern Türkiye’s Mardin province for the annual Shahro celebration, a religious tradition dating back about 1,300 years.
The festival drew members of the Assyrian community from Germany, the United States, Sweden, France, the Netherlands and other countries to the monastery in the Midyat district, one of the most important religious centers for Assyrians. For many participants, the gathering was both a religious observance and an opportunity to reconnect with relatives and friends they had not seen for years.
