Rotronic 12.02.1086 Driver

Deir Mar Musa, gateway to the desert is not bad

The monastery of Deir Mar Musa is about 80 kilometers centers of Damascus, a third of them through the desert. The scenery is spectacular. The desert never disappointed, because it is consistent in one thing: his transformation. It is never the same from one day to another.

When you approach the place where, literally, the monastery is hidden, you only see a mountain of orange. After skirting you realize that on the opposite side of the mountain, high, are a pair of tiny buildings. Are the monastery, you can not visit because he was still living monks, and the chapel.

To get to them first you have to climb some 344 steps carved in the same slope. On a hot day like when I visited, about 45C, the rise is the most difficult, but I chose to think that in winter and snow the route should be further cruel.

whole area was inhabited in prehistoric times by hunters and herders. Christians used the grotesque hermits surrounding for meditation and so, informally, as created the first monastic center.

In fact, it has The legend says that St. Moses, the founder of this place, was the son of an Ethiopian king who declined to be heir to the crown and the privileges, honors and responsibilities that it entailed. Instead chose to devote his life to God. He traveled to Egypt, thence to the Holy Land and finally ended up in Syria, being a hermit in the valley which is now Deir Mar Moussa (literally translated as monsasterio St. Moses the ).

In 1058 the tiny churches all built, 10x10 feet, which houses stunning frescoes of the eleventh and twelfth centuries. Later became the monastery.

Although in the nineteenth century the complex was abandoned, fortunately it was decided to restore the one hand, and for other reuse. Today is not really a tourist place but a place for religious worship.

remain in the church daily Masses. However, the place can be visited by followers of other religions, and indeed the "center" promotes and fosters relationships between Christians and Muslims.

is true that reach the top of the mountain is quite an ordeal, but the views from the terrace next to the church and frescoes that are in it are sufficient reward for anyone who dares make effort to climb to the top.

If you dare, good luck!

* All photos were taken by laelfa