In Alqosh, the old village is designed to be used as a tourist attraction. The intention is to bring more business to Alqosh city and create a stronger economy. It is a perfect location to create movies reflecting that era, and an educational tool for teaching people about the old ways.

Bishop Paulis Thabit Habib inside Mar Qiryaqos Church, analyzing the depth of destruction by ISIS and reflecting on the lack of government support for this village.

Mar Qiryaqos Church in Batnay. Built in the 19th century, it was devastated by ISIS. Batnay was the battleground between Iraq forces and ISIS militias. There were 1,250 people living there before ISIS; only 190 have returned.

Alsayida Monastery, or Natarta D Zara, meaning “the monastery of the lady, protector of the seeds.” It was built by the patriarch Mar Yousif Oudo in 1858. It houses the tombs of many patriarchs and bishops, including the founder. Travelers may stay at the visitor’s quarters and experience its spiritual and calming nature. The monastery oversees the main road entering Alqosh village.

The Jesus statue at Shaqlawa’s Martyr’s Church. Shaqlawa is a historic city and a hill station in the Erbil Governorate in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, located at the bottom of Safeen Mountain. It was the home of Raban Booya, a Christian monk that carved himself a silo up in the mountain, bringing Christianity there in the 4th century AD.

Mar Gorgis, or St. George Monastery in Mosul. It was wrecked by ISIS and has been under reconstruction since. This is the priest’s quarters where they gathered daily for prayers. All of the religious statues and icons on the walls became target practice for ISIS militia.

Mar Matti (St. Matthew) Syriac Christian Monastery. It is recognized as one of the oldest monasteries, dating back to 363 AD. Mar Matti contained an extensive collection of early Christian manuscripts and in the seventh century AD, it was one of the prestige libraries in Beth Nahrain (Mesopotamia).

Mar Qiryqos Church, newly discovered by Michael Benyamin. It dates to the 11th century AD. It consists of a small church that can hold up to 15 people, next to two small rooms, presumably the priest’s house. Down the hill from the church is a cemetery. It is located on a road leading to Aqra city.

A gateway at Rabban Hermizd leads to the upper level. The upper monastery is a combination of seven churches built throughout the last 1,400 years. Now, they are all connected together by similar gateways.

The road leading to Rabban Hermizd Monastery. Long and winding, it was recently remodeled to allow more visitors access to the upper monastery in Alqosh.

The Rabban Hermizd Monastery in Alqosh. This shows the upper monastery and the caves that are the original housing of the monks that lived and served in the monastery. Each cave is named after an Alqosh family.

This cemetery in Tillkepe was destroyed by ISIS. It sits on a man-made hill built by King Sennacherib in approximately 2700 BC. The village of Tillkepe (“hill of stones”) was named after this hill. This hill also houses a well that is connected to three other wells a mile away by horizontal wells running deep underground.

The interior of Liba D Isho Church, meaning “the heart of Christ Church” in Tillkepe. It was destroyed by ISIS and in an attempt to further demoralize Christians, it was used for target practice. Built in the early 19th century, at the time it was known to be the largest church in Iraq.