1,500-year-old Akiyser Church in Karbala awaits restoration

KARBALA, Iraq — A 1,500-year-old church in the western desert of Karbala's Ayn al-Tamr district is awaiting restoration, Iraqi officials said, describing the site as one of the country's oldest Eastern churches. The Akiyser Church, built in the late fifth century, stands within a monastery complex enclosed by walls covering about 15,000 square meters, according to Karbala's Director of Tourism and Heritage, Ahmed Hassan Jabir. He said the site is among Iraq's most important archaeological and religious locations and bears witness to a civilization that predates Islam by roughly five centuries. Jabir said the church, constructed in a basilica style with oval arches and defensive towers, was damaged by grave robbers after 2003. Security forces intervened to protect the site, and a perimeter was established around the area in 2023, he added. Muntathir Sabah al-Hasnawi, Director General of Palaces at the Ministry of Culture, said Syriac inscriptions and cross reliefs at the site support a fifth- or sixth-century origin. He said the main structure measures about 42 meters in length and 9 meters in width, and has suffered cracks and erosion from extreme desert temperatures, dust storms and reduced rainfall. Al-Hasnawi called for urgent restoration, rainwater drainage systems and the creation of a green belt around the site.