Saturday, July 10, 2021

Maaloula is coming back!

MODERN ARAMAIC WATCH: Syrian village with language of Jesus prepares for returning pilgrims (AFP via i24News).

The Town of Maaloula is one of the last places where Aramaic is (or at least was recently) still a spoken language. It was ravaged by ISIS in the war, then presumably shut down for pilgrims during the pandemic. But now it is preparing to reopen for pilgrimages.

The Saint Taqla mentioned in the current article is better known as Saint Thecla, whose traditional tomb was in Maaloula. It was reportedly descecrated during the war. I don't know its current status.

For PaleoJudaica posts on Maaloula (Ma'aloula, Malula, Maalula - there seem to be endless spellings), start here and follow the links.

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