Mar Oraha Monastery, Ancient Christian monastery near Batnaya, Iraq

Mar Oraha Monastery is a Chaldean Catholic monastery 2 km east of Batnaya in Nineveh Governorate, northern Iraq. The present building measures 33 metres in height and 26 metres in width. It stands on the Nineveh Plains and is dedicated to Mar Oraha, a companion of Rabban Hormizd.

Mar Oraha Monastery is traditionally attributed to Mar Oraha, who left his hermitage on Mount Alfaf because of a drought and built it on the Nineveh Plains during the patriarchate of Ishoʿyahb I (581–596). Monks of the Church of the East held it until 1719, when it passed to the Chaldean Catholic Church. Nader Shah destroyed it and killed its monks in 1743; it was rebuilt in 1921 with help from the Dominican Order.

The monastery serves as a gathering place for the local Christian community, where prayer and religious observance remain central to daily life. Visitors can observe the spaces where monastic routines continue to shape the rhythm of the community.

Visiting requires coordination with local authorities and careful attention to current security conditions in the region. Travelers should gather information beforehand and follow local guidance to ensure a safe visit.

The monastery's current building measures 33 metres long and 26 metres wide, according to the Arabic Wikipedia entry. Its traditional founder, Mar Oraha, is said to have left his hermitage on Mount Alfaf because of drought and to have heard a voice calling him to build a second monastery on the Nineveh Plains.