"Maaloula and Seydnaya" a Ma`lula Travel Page by maykal

About an hour north of Damascus, there are several small Christian mountain villages famous as being the last outposts of Aramaic, the language of Jesus. Many of these villages are just that...villages with no real attractions to speak of, so if you want to get really off the beaten track and meet lots of Syrians, this is the place to head. But two villages are well on the tourist circuit, usually visited briefly by coach tours on their way into Damascus. Both are places of pilgrimage for not only the Christain community of Damascus but a fair amount of Muslim visitors too, so Fridays and Sundays are particularly busy.

From Damascus (bus station north of Bab Touma), there are frequent minibuses to Seydnaya and Ma'aloula, the journey taking about an hour and costing under 20L (about 25p)...they can get a bit crushed sometimes though! On the way back, you'll have to wait around in the main square of each town...there are usually buses until about 6pm, but after that, you'll be stuck. Transport between the two villages is by private car only...if you want to combine the two on one trip, try striking a deal with one of the taxi drivers in Damascus.

Ma'aloula is definitely the most picturesque village in this area, and consequently the most visited. That's not to say that it is brimming over with tourists, but souvenir stalls and a couple of touts have arrived, as have the tour buses. Go during the week or any day in the winter, Ma'aloula will be deserted.

The Convent of St Tecla...well, the nuns here certainly know a good thing when they see one! They sell an array of vile looking religious icons, and ask for large donations...but before you decide it is a tourist trap not deserving any donations, the convent runs an orphanage on the premises so it is a worthy cause.
Follow the steps upwards once inside, and you'll eventually come to St Tecla's shrine inside a cave. Drink from the holy water, and you'll be cured of flatulence for life, or at least a couple of hours!

Ma'aloula actually has two neighbourhoods...one is the picturesque jumble of houses clustering under the cliffs, many houses brightly painted in blue and yellow; the other section lies behind the cliff, and is reached by Syria's answer to the Siq at Petra (albeit a very dirty Siq nowadays!) (for those not in the know, a siq is a narrow passage between the rock).

On top of the cliff perches a monastery (i've temporarily forgotten the name...will have to consult my old friend LP). You can enter for a tour round the chapels and cloisters, and there is usually someone on hand to recite the Lord's Prayer in Aramaic for you. Before you leave, be sure to try the home-made wine...it is the best wine you'll find in Syria, although a bit too sickly for my tastes.

The ugly sprawl on the top of the cliff (ruining the photo) is the fairly new Hotel Safir...I've visited Ma'aloula many times, but never saw any cars in the car park, so it is impossible to say how it stays open.

Most visitors just head straight for the two main attractions...the Convent of St Tecla, and the monastery on top of the cliff...but it is worth exploring the narrow alleyways of the lower town.

It can be quite hard to find a road to get in, and even harder to get out, but the alleyways and stairways are very picturesque, the roof of the house below forming the street.

There are numerous churches dotted around town, and the guardians will be only too happy to show you around...they don't see many visitors.

Not far from Ma'aloula is the overgrown Christian village of Seydnaya, which spreads over a couple of low hills.

An impressive monastery in an otherwise dull town, Seydnaya attracts many religiou. s visitors on Fridays and Sundays. The monastery is better from the outside though, as inside it is filled with gaudy icons and monks hawking souvenirs.

The photo from this angle always has me thinking of a Tibetan monastery, don't know why!

The monastery attracts both Muslims and Christians. If you are keen to see more churches, Seydnaya has a number to choose from, although the rest of the town did seem to be thoroughly modern. I suppose it is a sort of summer resort, as the climate isn't as hot and stuffy as in the big city.