Mar Ishu
Encyclopedia
Rustaqa or Mar Isho was a historical Assyrian
Assyrian people
The Assyrian people are a distinct ethnic group whose origins lie in ancient Mesopotamia...

 village in the Shamezdin region of Hakkari
Hakkari
Hakkâri , is a city and the capital of the Hakkâri Province of Turkey. The name Hakkâri is derived from the Syriac word, Akkare, meaning farmers...

, and the traditional residence of the Matran family of Shamizdin
Matran Family of Shamizdin
Since... 1663Matran is an Assyrian word for Metropolitan or Archbishop. The Metropolitans of Shamizdin based at the Mar Ishu Monastery in the area of Nochiya in south east Turkey, have always been known by their hereditary title of Mar Khnanishu...

.

There are two theories about the origin of the Mar Ishu monastery. The first is that it was named after Mar Isso, a travelling Chinese monk who stayed there on his return from Kookheh where the seat of the Patriarch was around the 5th century. The second theory is that Mar Ishu was Mar Bishu’s brother who came to the area from Kamul, in the Jazira area in the 9th century. In any case, the monastery is very old, impressive and still intact, it is now known as Qara Eglise in Turkish which is the translation of what the Kurds used to call it Daira Rash or Black Monastery.

The Monastery was an important religious school for deacons and priests that came from the surrounding areas to study the Nestorian religion. Often visited by European travellers of old to learn more about the customs of the Nestorian Church, often sent by the Patriarch to the learned Mar Khnanishu.
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