the-Unexpected-Soul Posted December 18, 2012 #1 Share Posted December 18, 2012 from Wiki Ma'loula or Maaloula (Aramaic: ܡܥܠܘܠܐ,) is a village in the Rif Dimashq Governorate in Syria. The town is located 56 km to the northeast of Damascus, and built into the rugged mountainside, at an altitude of more than 1500 meters. It is known as the last surviving place where Western Aramaic is still spoken. As of 2005, the town has a population of 2,000.[1] However, during summer, it increases to about 6,000, due to people coming from Damascus for vacations.[2] Half a century ago, 15,000 people lived in Maalula.[3] Religiously, the population consists of both Christians (mainly Antiochian Orthodox and Melkite Greek Catholic) and Muslims. For the Muslim inhabitants, the legacy is all the more remarkable given that they were not Arabized, unlike most other Syrians who like them were Islamized over the centuries but also adopted Arabic and shifted to an "Arab" ethnic identity. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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