Background
According to the hagiographical Syriac Life of John of Dailam, John was born in Ḥdattā, a town on the confluence of the Upper Zab and the Tigris, in 660 Anno Domini He joined the monastery of Bēṯ ʿĀbē at a young age.
- Photos
- Works
- Photos
- Works
John Dailam
Edit ProfileCareer
He was later captured by the Dailamites who were at war with the invading Arabs and was carried away to the southern shores of the Caspian Sea. The Syriac Life describes a miraculous intervention by John that saved the life of the daughter of the Umayyad Caliph. As a reward the monk asked for a Kharaj-free land in Fars in south-western Persia to build a monastery on.
This is however a later addition to the hagiography by a West Syrian author who wished to conceal the "Nestorian" past of the town.
On his way to Fars, John miraculously healed the Arab governor of Iraq al-Hajjaj. He also founded another monastery near Kashkar which was assigned to the Syriac speaking community in order to resolve a conflict between the Syriacand Persian-speaking monks of the region.
lieutenant was at that monastery that John of Dailam died on 26 January 738.
