Mar Qayum Church considered among oldest churches in Duhok
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Villagers in Duhok’s Barwari Bala area are worried that upcoming generations would neglect the Mar Qayum Church, one of the oldest in Duhok province.
One of the oldest churches in the Barwari Bala area of Duhok is the Mar Qayum Church, built in front of a rock and a dam in the village of Dore.
The church has been destroyed and rebuilt several times.
The Mar Qayyum Church was last renovated in 1999 and the story of the building of this church is still unknown, but according to Saado Barwari, an elderly villager, the church is named after the priest Mar Qayum.
The church consists of two floors, and the ascent to the second floor requires effort and guidance, for it would appear from the shape of the church that those who built it and lived in it constantly thought of danger.
The last shrine erected in the church was 10 years ago and the elders of the village talk about the beauty of the church.
“After the great feast, the 'Feast of Resurrection', we came every year, even from the Nerva, Rekan, and Chelkan villages, people have always visited the church,” Benjamin Duri, an elderly villager, said.
With no vehicular access to the church, the villagers fear that the church will be neglected after the elderly are gone.
One of the oldest churches in the Barwari Bala area of Duhok is the Mar Qayum Church, built in front of a rock and a dam in the village of Dore.
The church has been destroyed and rebuilt several times.
The Mar Qayyum Church was last renovated in 1999 and the story of the building of this church is still unknown, but according to Saado Barwari, an elderly villager, the church is named after the priest Mar Qayum.
The church consists of two floors, and the ascent to the second floor requires effort and guidance, for it would appear from the shape of the church that those who built it and lived in it constantly thought of danger.
The last shrine erected in the church was 10 years ago and the elders of the village talk about the beauty of the church.
“After the great feast, the 'Feast of Resurrection', we came every year, even from the Nerva, Rekan, and Chelkan villages, people have always visited the church,” Benjamin Duri, an elderly villager, said.
With no vehicular access to the church, the villagers fear that the church will be neglected after the elderly are gone.