Located 6km northwest of Mosul near the Tigris River in northern Iraq, 6km from Deir Mar Gewargis, the monastery was established in the mid 4th century.
It is under the care of the Chaldean Church (previously The Church of the East).
The monastery is divided into two sections; internal and external quarters. The internal quarters consist of 20 rooms and 8 halls, with more rooms on the second level overlooking the beautiful monastery gardens adjacent to the Tigris River. The main monastery church is located in the external quarters. Mar Mikhael holiday occurs on the 5th Sunday of the Easter fast when thousands of believers from Mosul, Telkaif, Telisquf, Batnaya, and other Assyrian villages and towns come to celebrate.
In the beginning of the 11th century, a well was dug in the monastery and a stone carved tomb was found with a complete, clothed body with inscriptions that have not been deciphered.
Several remaining manuscripts show that the monastery was an active school of thought and spiritual source till its destruction by Nader-Shah in 1743.
Inscriptions on the east walls of the monastery show that it was rebuilt or renovated in 1867, and again in 1956.
