Syria - Maaloula

Perched like an eagle's nest at the entrance of a building (fajj) (hence its name Maaloula which means in Aramaic "entry") at 165 meters above sea level, its houses close against each other descend in from the summit of the mountain covering the southern slope to reach the valley. 5000 souls live there permanently. It is a village where the Aramaic "language of Jesus", which was widespread throughout the Middle East, continues to be spoken by the inhabitants in a local dialectal form that attracts many language linguists ancient Semitic. It is precisely the Aramaic who remained alive in Maaloula, who made the small Syrian village famous. Outside Maaloula, it is used in two other nearby villages: Bakhaa and Joubadine. In all about 1,800 souls speak this dialect but do not write it. In Maaloula, Mass is still given in the language of Christ, especially at the convent church of St. Sergius.