Dier Mar Musa El-Habashi

We left Damascus 7:00 a.m. on Friday morning heading towards the Deir Mar Musa El-Habashi Monastery via the small town of Nebek.


We took a taxi to catch a minibus at the minibus station. When we got to the minibus station, some ‘hoodlum-looking’ men kept insisting that they check our knapsacks and passports. After some ‘debating’ with those ‘hoodlum-looking’ men, we discovered that they were the Police. Then they needed to give us some ‘clearance’. So one of them told the other one to write something on a piece of paper, which they haphazardly found on a desk. Finally, with our ‘clearance’ piece of paper, we were ready to get on the bus with our two knapsacks and too many people for the 12-seater bus. However, everyone is very accommodating, rearranging us and our knapsacks and we were off on a two-hour trip to Nebek. Being the last people on the bus, the driver offered to drive us to the Monastery for 2SYP ($4.00), rather than having to catch a taxi for the final distance.



The website describes the monastery:

The monastery seen from belowThe ancient Syrian monastery of St. Moses the Abyssinian (Deir Mar Musa el-Habashi) overlooks a harsh valley in the mountains east of the small town of Nebek, 80 km north of Damascus, and about 1320 metres above sea level. A monastery on the top of a mountain in the middle of the desert. 6 christian monks and 2 nuns stay here, and welcomes all kind of visitors. Interfaith dialogue is important here. The new foundation of the monastic community started in 1991. On a social level, the community of Deir Mar Musa works to develop services which facilitate inter-cultural and inter-religious dialogue and harmony.

We arrived at the Monastery, around 9:00 a.m. ready to climb up the stairs and path (with our knapsacks) about 1320 metres above sea level. It took us an hour. The ancient Syrain monastery of St. Moses the Abyssinian (Dier Mar Musa el-Habashi) overlooks a harsh valley in the mountains east of the small town of Nebeck, 80 km north of Damascus. It is quite the sight to come to.



The website says:

Walking: Walk into the mountains east of Nebek until you see a cottage surrounded by a garden. On the path beneath it there is a large stone garage and from this point the way to Deir Mar Musa is marked on the rocks with splodges of red paint. Please be careful of walking this way in winter. The path follows the route of an ancient river and can be very slippery. In summer it is necessary to carry a large amount of water with you. At all times it is advisable to carry a stick to discourage the sheep dogs that roam semi-feral in the area.

Upon our arrival, when asked how long we planned to stay, we let the workers know that we would be staying overnight. They then showed me to the Women’s old section of the Monastery and Gerald to the Men’s section. My room was on the second level (top) of the Women’s Building. This section contained approximately five rooms off a large, long room. Each room had a cot and a light switch (thank goodness). The walls were made of stone, as was the floor. However, we were given bed sheets and there were many blankets, as it gets very cold in the night. (We did not need to bring sleeping bags.)



Upon our arrival, we were served a huge breakfast around 10:00 a.m. Then we were fed another huge lunch at 2:00 p.m. All that eating, inspired us to take a hike in the mountains behind the Monastery to see the caves of the hermits that use to live in the mountains. After some two hours of climbing and following paths, we realized that we were ‘off the path’. This was of some concern as it would be getting dark in a couple of hours.



(We had also heard stories about wild dogs.) We decided to create our own path as we could see where we needed to go. We followed a goats’ path down the side of the mountain and luckily it led to the back door of the new Women’s building.




At 7:00 p.m. there was a Catholic Mass at the church of the Monastery. The monastic church was built in 1058AD according to the Arabic inscriptions on the walls. The frescoes in the church date from the 11th and 12th centuries. Initially, there was a short service, followed by an hour of silence as we sat in Arabic style (i.e., on a carpeted floor). The church was lit by candles only. The service was in Arabic. It was magical. Following the hour of silence, there was a Communion Mass in which communion was passed around versus having to go to the front of the altar.


Following the services, we had supper at around 10:00 p.m., outside, under the stars in the desert, high above ‘in the clouds’ it seemed.



The next morning – this morning – we left the Monastery at 7:00 a.m. It took us only a half an hour to get ‘back down’. Luckily for us, two young women, who worked there, were also leaving for the day, today, so we were able to get a ride back to Nebek with them. We caught a bus in Nebek to Palmyra, where we are currently.