Maaloula
Maaloula
ܡܥܠܘܠܐ معلولا | |
|---|---|
Overview of Maaloula, 2006 | |
| Coordinates: 33°50′39″N 36°32′48″E / 33.84417°N 36.54667°E | |
| Country | Syria |
| Governorate | Rif Dimashq |
| District | al-Qutayfah |
| Subdistrict | Maaloula |
| Elevation | 1,500 m (4,900 ft) |
| Population (2004 census) | |
• Total | 2,762 |
Maaloula (Arabic: مَعلُولَا; Western Neo-Aramaic: ܡܥܠܘܠܐ ,מעלולא, romanized: Maʿlūlā) is a town in southwestern Syria. The town is located in the Rif Dimashq Governorate and is 56 km northeast of Damascus, and is built into the rugged mountainside at an altitude of more than 1,500m. It is known as one of three remaining villages where Western Neo-Aramaic is spoken, the other two being the nearby smaller villages of Jubb'adin and Bakhʽa. However, Bakhʽa was vastly destroyed during the Syrian Civil War, and all the inhabitants fled to other parts of Syria or to Lebanon.