Chaldean Church of al-Tahra (al-Tahira al-Kubra) , Housh al-Bai'ah Complex, Al-Shifa District, Old Mosul

The inscriptions contain some Syriacisms. A–a 2: ܡܪܬܝ ܡܪܝܡ ܐܠܛܘܒܐܢܝܗ fromܡܪܬܝ ܡܪܝܡ ܛܘܒܢܝܬܐ . A–a 3: Patriarch Ēlīā XI Denh&ā ruled between 1723 and 1778. A–a 4: The bishop was the nephew of Patriarch Ēlīā III and the latter’s deputy; he died in 1804. The term “Eastern region” is a reference to the official name of the Assyrian “Church of the East”. A–b 2: Kawaja Zakkūr died in 1747 and his elaborate funerary inscription was in the courtyard of the church until recently; see AA.02.17. A–b 3: ܐܠܟܢܫ from ܟܢܫܐ. A–c 3: ܐܠܣܡܐܢܝܗ from ܫܡܝܢܝܬܐ. B: The inscription is a liturgical prayer found in the Ḥudrā III, p. ܬܩܨܚ (598). C1-3: Inscriptions AA.04.03 and AA.11.1 offer the Syriac original of the Arabic content. C2: One would wonder the why original ܕܟܝ̈ܐ “pure, blameless, innocent…” (see AA.04.03) was translated ܒܐܠܥܕܐܠܗ lit. “in justice”? C4: Ps 131:7. To the left side of this gate, there is an Arabic commemorative inscription: تبيضت هذه الكنيسة وترممت داخلا وخارجا بنفقة سليمان افندي منصور خدور اكراما الى مريم البتول الطاهره طالبا شفاعتها فى الدنيا والاخرة سنة ١٩٣٢ مسيحية “This church was plastered and renovated inside and outside at the expense of afandī Sulaimān Mans)ūr Kaddūr, in honour of the pure Virgin Mary, asking for her intercession in this world and in eternity; the year 1932 of Christ”. The title afandī (thus spelled in Mosul) is Turkish efendi “lord, master…”