AI generatedMaaloula
Syria · Rif Dimashq · 1500 m
Short description of Maaloula
Maaloula (معلولا) is a village of blue and ochre houses stacked against a cliff in the Qalamoun mountains, and one of the last places where Western Aramaic is still spoken. Two monasteries anchor it. Mar Takla shelters the tomb of Saint Thecla under the rock, reached through a narrow gorge that legend says opened for her, and Mar Sarkis above the village keeps one of the oldest altars in Christian use. Both were damaged in the war and have been repaired. Paths climb from the gorge to viewpoints over the valley, and a convent guesthouse takes visitors.
AI edited
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Recommended length of stay
Travel seasons at a glance
Best time to visit: April – May or September
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All highlights and sights
- Mar Takla monastery
- Gorge walk between the cliffs
- Mar Sarkis monastery and its old altar
- Aramaic still spoken in the village
- Blue and ochre houses on the cliff
- Viewpoint above the monasteries
- Shrine of Saint Thecla
- Icon workshops of the convent
- Qalamoun mountain road
Ways to get there and away
- Airports nearby:
- DAM Damascus International Airport (Damascus) · 48 km south(recommended)
- BEY Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport (Beirut) · 98 km west
- HFA Uri Michaeli Haifa International Airport (Haifa) · 181 km southwest
- Nearest seaports:
- Banyas Port · 159 km north
- Haifa-Akko Ferry · 171 km southwest
- Nearest railway station:
- Hama (Hama) · 144 km north
Ports: © OpenStreetMap contributors
Map view
Distances
Nearest destinations
Main cities in Syria
Straight line. With the car symbol: road distance and pure driving time, where already worked out. Population: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0).