Sednaya Maaloula tour

Sednaya:

It has a famous monastery founded in 547 AD, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin.  The name of the village itself, "Seyda Naya" in Syriac means "Our Lady". The monastery contains a portrait of the Virgin believed to have been painted by St. Luke.

Maaloula:

This famous village is some 56 km from Damascus, and is situated at an altitude of more than 1500 m. Its little houses cling to the face of an enormous rock; they look suspended in mid-air. There are two monasteries here: Saint Sergius and Saint Taqla's. The inhabitants still speak Aramaic, the language spoken by Jesus Christ. Two neighbouring villages, Jaba'din and Naj'a also speak the same language. The word Ma'lula means "entrance" in Aramaic.