Today we left the nice people of Diyarbakır and left for Deyrulzafaran (http://www.deyrulzafaran.org), our first monastery close to Mardin. On the way to Mardin, Osman Kavala arranged a roundtrip so we past by the ancient cities of Hasankeyf and Midyat. As we were left without a interpreter we relied very much on our ‘own’ Arabic speaker: Bouchaib. To be unable to speak a language was sometimes a problem.
Entrance Dyerulzafaran
By this roundtrip we arrived a little later than expected at the monastery; but we were in time to see the foot washing ceremony in the church, after which brother Johannes (a Suryoye from Austria) showed us our rooms, the showers and told us about the regulations. We had to be in at 21.00 at night, no conversation during the meals etc.
Two female visitors of the monastery invited us to join the special Easter service in the chapel. In the ceremony the priest was washing the feet of the Suryoye students that stayed and studied the Suryoye language and culture in the monastery. Some of the students come from the neighbouring cities, others from abroad like Austria and Sweden.
It was a very special ritual and as also the Suryoye were taking pictures, our group did not hesitate to make pictures.
Afterwards the sound of the bell invited us for dinner. We joined the people from the monastery and had a tasteful, quick and silent dinner.
We arrived in the fasting period of the Suryoye. That meant no breakfast till Sunday, their Easter.