A journey to one of the oldest monasteries in the world - Mar Saba Monastery, Judean Desert
The greatest of the ancient monasteries dotting the wilderness of the Judaean Desert, Mar Saba hangs dramatically down the cliff edge of a deep ravine. The grey-domed Greek Orthodox complex was established in the 5th century by St Sabas (Mar Saba in Arabic), a monk from central Turkey, and was largely rebuilt following a major earthquake in 1834. Its remote location is 15 kilometers east of Bethlehem, off route 398, and reached down a steep road. During its heyday, the monastery was home to more than 300 monks. Though it remains a functioning desert monastery, its numbers have dropped to fewer than 20 in the 21st century. Mar Saba Occupied almost continuously since its founding, Mar Saba ranks with St Catherine’s Monastery in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula as one of the oldest inhabited monasteries in the world. It also provides an enduring reminder of the age-old tradition of holy people leaving behind …More