Ma'loula 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 (Aramaic of Jesus) is still spoken. Etymology Ma‘lūlā, from the Aramaic word ma‘lā, meaning 'entrance') is a town in Syria until recently dominated by speakers of Western Neo-Aramaic. PopulationAs of 2005, the town has a population of 2,000. However, during summer, it increases to about 6000, due to people coming from Damascus for vacations. Half a century ago, 15,000 people lived in Maalula. Religiously, the population consists of both Christians (mainly 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. Language With two other nearby towns Bakh'a and Jubba'din it is the only place where a dialect of the Western branch of the Aramaic language is still spoken. Scholars have determined that the Aramaic of Jesus belonged to this particular branch as well, however, as many media coverage has erroneously stated,[4] it isn't the exact dialect Jesus of Nazareth spoke early in the first century. Ma'loula represents, therefore, an important source for anthropological linguistic studies regarding first century Aramaic, hence, Jesus' own Aramaic dialect. The distance from other major cities and its isolating geological features only aided the longevity of this linguistic oasis for over one and a half thousand years. However, modern roads and transportation, as well as accessibility to Arabic-language television and print media - and for some time until recently, also state policy - have eroded that linguistic heritage. Monasteries There are two important monasteries in Ma`loula: Greek Catholic Mar Sarkis and Greek Orthodox Mar Thecla. Mar Sarkis One of the oldest surviving monasteries in Syria. It was built on the site of a pagan temple, and has elements which go back to the fifth to sixth century Byzantine period. Mar Sarkis is the Arabic name for Saint Sergius, a Roman soldier who was executed for his Christian beliefs. This monastery still maintains its solemn historical character. Mar Taqla St. Thecla Monastery This monastery holds the remains of St. Taqla (Thecla); daughter of one of Seleucid princes, and pupil of St. Paul. Also to have been thought as a disciple and married to Paul. According to legend, in the 1st century C.E, St. Taqla was being pursued by soldiers of her father to capture her because of her Christian faith. She came upon a mountain, and after praying, the mountain split open and let her escape through. The town gets its name from this gap or entrance in the mountain. However, there are many variations to this story among the residents of Ma`loula.