The Countryside of Damascus, the province that is home to the last towns in the world where Aramaic, the language of Jesus, is still spoken

Aramaic, the language of Jesus Christ, is a language that originated among the inhabitants of some villages in the Calamún Mountains region, in the Damascus countryside, Syria.

During its long history of three thousand years, the Aramaic language went through various stages of development. It has served as the language of public life and administration for ancient kingdoms and empires, as well as the language of divine worship and religious study.

One of the most prominent variants of the Aramaic alphabet, still in use in modern times, is the Syriac alphabet.

In the Calamún mountain range, some 50 kilometers northeast of the capital, Damascus, the inhabitants of the villages of Maalula, Bajah and Jubbadín still speak the Aramaic language.

The majority of the population of Maalula, estimated at 5,000, is Christian. Two-thirds of Christians are Catholic and the other third are Greek Orthodox.. But Christians in the city constantly say: “Muslims here also speak Aramaic.” The Maalulans are aware that it is not their religions but their mother tongue that makes them unique.

In Bajah and Jubbadin the majority of the inhabitants are Muslim.

In the summer of 2007, the language underwent something of a revival in Maalula when the city, with the support of the Syrian government, opened the Aramaic Language Institute. ANDhe program teaches written Aramaic to students of all ages, particularly children, and is affiliated with Damascus University.

consequences of the war

Before the Syrian war, Maalula attracted thousands of visitors a year, including former US President Jimmy Carter and the late Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez, to visit its churches and monasteries and listen to its inhabitants speak Aramaic.

But starting in 2011, the devastating conflict largely drove pilgrims away from the town, whose Aramaic name means “entrance,” down the narrow passage between its limestone cliffs.

Al-Qaeda-linked rebels and jihadis seized Maalula in the fall of 2013, forcing most of its Christian inhabitants to flee.

The then affiliate of Al-Qaeda in Syria kidnapped 13 nuns from the Saint Taqla convent. They were freed in a prisoner exchange with Damascus authorities in March 2014. Maalula was recaptured by regime forces the following month.

But years later, many of the city’s inhabitants have still not returned, as have visitors from out of town. (I)