The story of Morbosos - Mort Shushan temple in Nwala Qorya in Shirnakh has been narrated from one generation to another until this very day.
Morbosos - Mort Shushan temple in Hedl village in Hizakh region, Shirnakh Province in the North part of Kurdistan was built 100- or 200 years B.C. in Nwala Qorya which is also known as Hell Valley on the Bagok Mountain skirt. The temple was being used for centuries and gradually it was used as a Christian Church. In 2021, the temple was chosen as a cultural heritage that cannot be transferred by the Regional System for preserving Amad cultural heritage as a part of the Cultural and Tourist Ministry.
According to the Orthodox Christian version of the story: Morbosos and her sister Mort Shushan believed in Jesus Christ and they had accepted all the Christian symbols. This was the reason for the death execution of these two sisters by the Parsi Fer governor, Asfas and Bad Zabdaye named Abuzard who executed them with his own sword while he was only 12 years old. Morbosos and Mort Shushan with Mor Lavangin who were washing themselves with the holy water, got killed in that mountain's cave on the Nwala Qorya skirts. Another 11 people along with their teacher called Mors Stefanos bar Shabioy Arzouni got killed with them in 379 A.D at the same place. After killing those Christian people, the Hedl village Christians built a temple at the place where Morbosos and Mort Shushan got killed to keep their memoirs.
The spot where these two sisters got killed is called "Deviya Fadil" by the local people and there is a holy Oak tree there with 40 branches. People believe that this tree grew for these sisters' sake. The Christians visit this tree every year. However, there are no Christians living in Hedl village. The temple priest who is chosen in Swiss is "Fadi Georgis" and he lives in another village of Hazakh named Madhe. He only visits and stays at this temple a few days a week. The temple was amended recently.
The story of the two sisters
This temple's priest, Fadi Georgis, talked about the history of this church and temple as: "Hedl Village used to be a part of Niseibin border and a part of Merdin province. Niseibin was dominated by the Romans and this part was captured by the Persians. After the Christ i.e., between 300 to 603 A.D, those Christians who lived in this area surrendered to the Romans and they said that they did not believe in stones but they only believed in God and they refused to accept any other religion. Hedl has a very important meaning, in the ancient Syriac it means One God."
About these two sisters' stories, Fadi Georgis said: "Both of these sisters got killed after they were washed with the holy water. Hundreds of other people were killed along with them. This story has been narrated for years from one generation to another until now. This story is very popular among those Christians who left that place and those Muslims who still live in that region. The Oak tree is holy for us and for the Muslims. Apart from anything else, the stability of this temple for us is very important."
The Forty Braid Tree
A citizen of Hedl village, 80-year-old Shirin Aslan talked about the history and significance of this temple: "These two sisters were this temple's martyrs. As they were trying to escape, one of them named Mort Shushan got killed and her sister Morbosos could escape and hide herself among the livestock, however, they found her later and killed her too. After her blood spilled in that place, this Oak tree grew at that exact spot. The same tree grew in the Hell Valley, too where the other sister had been killed. The other tree looks like forty braid and that's why they call it Forty Braid Tree. We have heard this story from our ancestors. This is why this tree and this temple are so important to us. Since this tree is considered to be holy for our people, nobody can cut it or harm it in any way. The Muslims and the Christians visit it. When you sit under this tree, it feels like you are in a forest which makes you feel calm and relaxed."
