Ornament in syriac religious architecture of Midyat

Tur Abdin Region where the oldest beliefs, great religions and cultures meet and integrate; It is home to religious beliefs, architectures and cultures of Assyrians, one of the ancient people. The monasteries and churches that are the subject of our research include important structures of Syriac religious architecture in the center and villages of Midyat in Tur Abdin Region. In addition to being examples of Early Christian architecture, the structures in Midyat are considered to be the products of a special architectural structure fed by various cultural heritages. The examples of monumental architecture in the region have been examined and evaluated on certain topics up to now. However, it is seen that scientific studies examining the Syriac religious architecture of Midyat are not sufficiently given decoration full play, and that the written sources mostly address the structure of architectural works in the region. In this context, the aim of our thesis titled Decoration in the Assyrian Syriac Religious Architecture is to try to explain the art of the Assyrian ornamentation by examining the decorative textures of the samples twenty-two monasteries and the churches one by one in the best way. As a result of the study, the geometry motifs and compositions (simple geometric embellishments, geometric transitions, nodes), plant motifs and compositions (dense palmette motif, vine leaves), figurative embellishments (bird motifs, icons), written embellishments and other motifs (cross, sun) are intensely seen in the structures that constitute our research area. It is concluded that the ornamentation approach of these structures has a unique style and local influences and also influences the neighboring art circles.