July 2020
very old
Sultana Mahdokht (died January 12, 319) was the daughter of Pholar, the Prince of Dorsas. Together with her brothers Adorfrowa and Mehrnarsa, Mahdokht is a canonized saint in all branches of the Church of the East due to her and her brothers' execution on January 12, 319 A.D. for leaving the Zoroastrian faith at a time when apostasy was punished by death under Shapur II. All branches of the Church of the East commemorate their feast day on January 12. They are also commemorated in the Syriac Orthodox Church. She is also the patron saint of the village of Araden, which is located in northern Iraq. The Sultana Mahdokht Church dating from the 4th century in Araden commemorates her by bearing her name (which comes from Persian māh 'moon', and dokht 'daughter'). It is a pilgrimage site for many Syriac Christians.
(Wikipedia)
In the great book of martyrs of the Church of the East, saint Sultana Mahdokht has an important place. This story goes back to the 4th century at the time of the Persian Sasanian king Shapur II, who persecuted many Christians. The tradition relates that the prince Pholar and his three children, Mahdokht, Adorfrowa and Meharnarsa decided to go and visit the king who was then staying in Kirkuk. On their way back, as they were approaching the village of Ahwan, Meharnarsa fell from his horse and broke his leg. Passing by, the bishop of Karbat-Jalal, Mar Abda, came to rescue the poor young man and healed him miraculously. Mahdokht, Adorfrowa and Meharnarsa then chose to convert to Christianity. Mar Abda baptized them and they all three, again miraculously, vanished in a nearby cave.Having been informed by this triple disappearing, Shapur II ordered searches which all remained vain. From this day, the three siblings were considered as saints. One day, Prince Pholar’s horse ran away, and made his way to the mysterious cave and discovered the disappeared children, who were later taken to the king. Shapur II succumbed to Mahdokht’s charm and wanted to marry her. She refused and was beheaded on October 2, 318. Her brothers had also been beheaded, just before their sister. The tradition also relates that the executioner had his arm totally paralysed at the idea of killing Mahdokht but she herself healed him before he actually beheaded her.
The church of Sultana Mahdokht is one of the oldest churches in continuous use in Christendom. I read about it once on a website and was shocked to find that almost no locals (including Christians) in Duhok knew much about it.
I traveled there with my ex-student, Hunter, and his buddy, Djwar, on an outing while I was stuck in Iraq during the COVID pandemic. The church itself was very nondescript, but its age was staggering to me. The most memorable part of the visit was stopping at a shop in the tiny village of Araden where we asked about the church. We were in luck because that shopkeeper happened also to be the key-bearer of the church. The man saw me in the car (a foreigner was not going to commit an act of terrorism in the church) and handed the keys to Hunter. It was all amazingly informal considering how ancient the site was. We asked directions a few more times and bumped down a dirt road to a stone wall and a gate with with a cross. It didn't even look like a church (then again in the 4th century there were not a lot of models to use). None of the keys worked for the front gate to the complex so we figured out another way in by climbing over the wall where we then opened the main gate and drove inside. The key DID work to the front door of the ancient building.
I associated old churches with cathedrals in Europe or perhaps Aya Sophia in Istanbul. This church building was actually older than the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem (the oldest church in the world, although the existing structure dates from the 6th Century and Emperor Justinian). There is old and then there is "wow, old". There are a handful of other ancient churches in the world, but it will be hard for me to top visiting this old, Araden church dedicated to an Eastern Christian Saint.
It was one of my most amazing moments in Iraq shared with my very pious, Muslim student Hunter (who was one of the kindest souls I met in Duhok) and his friend, Djwar. And it all came about due to an unplanned trip into the mountains to escape the boredom of COVID lockdowns.