Life in Syria's 'Sacred' Christian Community (Maaloula, Syria) 

Thanks so much for watching! 🙏🏼 Have you heard about Maaloula and the unique Aramaic language before? ❤️

This is my home village!!! I am so happy to see it again, where I grew up and spent my childhood. I am absolutely shocked, I haven’t seen it since 10 years ago. It is so hard to see what happened to it after the war and how empty it is. Yall brought so much tears to my eyes, took me back in time were I was small and laughing on the street while walking up the mountain with my friends. Feel so emotional, this absolutely amazing. Please don’t throw those stamps that the man gave you. They are so old and precious. Thank you for showing my country ❤

I lived in Syria from 2005 till 2009. I visited Ma'aloula in 2006 and hiked between the cliffs with my kids when they were baby and toddler.

One of my daughter's schoolmate here in Belgium came from that place. They fled in 2013 and arrived here. The dad used to be an ingeneer and the mom a teacher. The catholic elementary school where my daughter was here took them as janitors and offered them free lodging on the school premisces, thank Gods. The Mom then subsequently opened a business of Syrian food catering that is now thriving here and they learened our language and customs in no time. They are now thankfully happy here (the Dad also now has another job as tech advisor for a heating/cooling company) But still , this is so heartbreaking, because I know them and I know the hardships and the longing for their land they went through.

Thank you for showing this American a beautiful sacred place in Syria 😢 War everywhere is heartbreaking 💔

As an Arab Muslim man i got tears for my fellows christians and muslims , we love you jesus we are proud of what you did for this world ....

Great video guys, but an important correction about Aramaic at 1:58 and 6:22 must be addressed. Aramaic is not only spoken in Maaloula, Jubba'din, and Bakh'ah, but also elsewhere in Syria, and the region. However, the Maaloula form of Aramaic is the last surviving "West Aramaic" dialect, which is indeed close to the one spoken by Jesus (who spoke Phoenician Aramaic). However, "East Aramaic (a.k.a: Syriac-Aramaic)" is still spoken in the north-east of Syria, northern Iraq, southern Turkey, and parts of Lebanon (as well as some Syriac communities in Palestine, Jordan) as well as diaspora communities in Sweden, USA and many more countries. Syriac-Aramaic, which is also referred to as "Mesopotamian Aramaic" has 3 surviving forms that are still used today; Classical Syriac, Turoyo (West Syriac), and Sureth (East Syriac). The language is spoken by the Syriac communities in the Fertile Crescent region, who are divided into the following groups; Arameans (sometimes simply labeled as Syriacs), Assyrians, Chaldeans, and Maronites. The separate sub-communities form the following different (but connected) Churches; The Syriac Orthodox Church, The Assyrian Church of the East, The Maronite Church, The Chaldean Catholic Church, and The Syriac Catholic Church... (accurate details below) ** Here are the linguistic distributions of each Aramaic-speaking group for both "East Aramaic (Syriac)" and "West Aramaic", and more: Arameans (Syriacs): They use "Turoyo (West Syriac)" as a spoken dialect, and "Classical Syriac" for liturgy, official and academic writing. They use the "Serto" and "Estrangela" Syriac-Aramaic scripts for writing. Their homeland is southern Turkey, northern Syria (hence the name of the country), north-west Iraq, and parts of Lebanon. Assyrians & Chaldeans: They use "Sureth (East Syriac)" as a spoken dialect, and "Classical Syriac" for liturgy and official and academic writing. They use the "Madhinkhaya" and "Estrangela" Syriac-Aramaic scripts for writing. Their homeland is northern Iraq, south-east Turkey, north-east Syria, western Iran. Maronites: They use "Classical Syriac" for liturgy. They use the "Serto" and "Estrangela" Syriac-Aramaic scripts for writing. Their homeland is the mount Lebanon. Maaloula, Jubba'din, and Bakh'ah: They use West Aramaic (last surviving form of West Aramaic) both as a spoken dialect and in writing (although they do not use the Aramaic scripts anymore, they use the Arabic script instead for writing). Their homeland is obvious. Mandeans: They use Neo-Mandaic Aramaic as a spoken dialect, and "Classical Mandaic" for liturgy. They use "Mandaic" scripts for writing. Their homeland is southern Iraq. Iraqi Jews: They use Judeo-Aramaic as a spoken dialect. They use the "Jewish Neo-Aramaic" script for writing. Their homeland is northern Iraq, west Iran and south-east Turkey.

شكرآ لكم على هذا الفيديو الجميل عن سورية وعلى محاولة اكتشاف تقافتها وحضارتها

Aramaic is such a beautiful sounding languages .. it sounds so gentle and yet powerful

Hi Matt and Julia 👋. This video moved me to tears. I am always baffled by man's incredible cruelty to each other. Will humans ever learn to live in peace together 🤔? Thanks for showing the "real situation" in present day Syria. I will always trust your reports over the mainstream media. I wish that Western governments would realize that sanctions hurt the common folks much more than the governments sanctioned. As a Christian, I wonder why Christians worldwide haven't stepped up to fund the restoration of this very important historical Aramaic village? Must be "sanctions". As always, thanks for showing the kindness of people who have suffered so much but remain hopeful and welcoming to "outsiders". May God Bless them and watch over them as they try to return to a peaceful and happy life. 🫂❤️🙏🌎🕊

It was beyond lovely to meet Manar and is a testament to love and devotion holding its own against the tide of destruction that Isis wrought. I am staggered to see what was done and am hopeful anew for Manar's dedication to bringing reverence and respect back to Maaloula. As I say with every new video, I would not ever have known if the two of you had not filmed this and brought us with you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart at showing the fortitude and the beauty of Syria I am learning with fresh eyes.

Marmaritta is my home town, you guys should visit during the month of August, the Virgin Mary holiday August 14. We celebrate with concerts and amazing nightlife every night the whole month. All Syrians who live in the USA AND EUROPE go there from July to the end of September. I have a house there, you are welcome to have a free stay when you go there, even if I am not there. Thanks for showing Syria 👍👍👍🙏🙏🙏

What an interesting and disturbing episode. The cruelty and destruction of the peoples and the historical architecture is difficult to see. It is even more difficult to understand the reasoning and purpose. Thank you for showing this land and a few of the resilient people with the courage the fortitude to remain and attempt to restore it.

How sad what the inhabitants of that land have had to go through... How interesting to know about that town of which I knew nothing until now. I hope that the definitive peace reaches those places and they can have a normal life. Thank you for taking me on your route and I look forward to the next places you visit... Love from Buenos Aires

You talk and represent Syria in such a beautiful manner. Thank you for visiting my homeland and showing my people's story. I've watched three of your vlogs about Syria, you bring so much humanity to our losses and tragedy, which isn't always the case in western media so thank you. I haven't been able to return to Maaloula in 13 years. It breaks my heart to see the destruction of places I've once known, but it warms my heart to know that people are seeing the beauty of the country (architecture and richness of culture) and it's people (Syrians' generosity, warmth and friendliness) through your lense. Thank you. God bless you.

Actually,I can't even adequately express how much I appreciate this video. I wasn't expecting to be so moved by your trip to Maaloula,but I was floored by the whole of what you have shown us: the beautiful spirit of the people there,the history,the destruction and the hope for rebirth and reconstruction. Words fail me,really. And to think that it is "my" country that did this,hurt this peaceful community.For what??? I ask again:For what???? Do any of us ordinary people benefit from these disgusting power plays? And should we,ever? What is it worth? It seems to me that all of humanity is diminished by war.Even the so called elites who profit from it. Thank you for a video that is profoundly moving. Now,if only we could all rise up in unison and just say: No more destruction!!!! Imagine what we could build,working together,that would be infinitely more beautiful and life affirming than what we destroy while we are divided and conquered,manipulated and exploited....

Y'all work so hard to produce great content. thanks for bringing the world to me.

My heart bleeds to see the way people have to live there..One of the first churches was established there and I can only pray for those Christians suffering there..God bless them for their faith and the struggle they are enduring for it!!😢Thank you Matt and Julia for showing this video..God bless you too!!🙏

Just came across your videos, I like that you are not playing it like most of the westerns when they visit us and start being so orientalist, instead you chose to act respectfully and show the daily routine life and like you have said that it is not how the world or more specific "the white world" is picturing us. I am Palestinian and proud of our rich cultures. Gotta say your videos in Syria made me so emotional since I can not make my dream come true by visiting it, I am so thirsty to experience the Syrian culture. Keep going!

It’s heartbreaking to see what cruelty and evil humans can inflict on each other. There is a special place in heaven for those who have endured such persecution and hostility. May God bless and protect these dear people and wreak vengeance on their perpetrators.

Emotional and sad video. I watch the video and remember everything that happened to me. The war. Losing my family. Our house became a wreck. It's really sad. Anyway, welcome to Syria If you are now in Syria, you should visit the Roman theater in Bosra Al-Sham, Daraa. Have a peaceful day ♥️

I love how that gentleman, after finding out you were from England, said very proudly “Good morning!” 🥰 I’m a Christian and I enjoyed seeing this very special place, indeed.

I remember when the two of you were sitting on a grassy hill in, I think, Kazakastan perhaps, and you were talking about how you wanted to change your content...to meet people and share their lives. Well, you've done it and this video is one of your best. I knew of the Aramaic language but I had no idea that it was still spoken. The long walk through the canyon and up to the top of Maaloula and all of the damage...heartbreaking...and yet Manar could make a joke about the 4 star hotel now 0 star...such resilience....Thank you Matt and Julia.....Love to you both, Suzi❤

So sad. I do hope the city thrives once again, As a Christian it was amazing to hear Aramaic spoken. It was also interesting to find out that I have, apparently, been mispronouncing the word Aramaic 🙃. Lastly, I want to thank you for this incredible video. Truly, thank you!

Amazing city with the houses built into the mountains. I found what was done to the buildings very sad. This is the first video of yours that brought tears to my eyes because I thought about the people that were there when Isis took over and what I imagine they went through. As I sit in the safety of my home and city I realize how safe and blessed that I am. If you by any chance go to Jordan I would love to see you walk through Petra. They should increase the Wonders of the World to 8 and include Petra.

Another fantastic journey. You are educating the world. Looking forward to seeing more. Safe travels, thanks for taking me along.

The architectural devastation is appalling. Thanks for recording this, Matt & Julia.

How blessed you were to have had Manar to give you the viewpoint of not only a native but a survivor of the war. My heart literally hurt seeing the remnants of what human beings are capable of. Knowing the pride and value placed on one’s history only to have it and those who love that history destroyed by another simply because it is different. Both of you appear to be welcomed so readily by all you pass by. There must be a vibe or aura you exude that says we are not a threat but a friend. Thank you for being an ambassador for all those who follow your adventures, especially those that many are afraid to embark upon themselves. P.S. LOVED the fact that the Aramaic language is still preserved!!

My niece's husband is from there and has family there. Great vlog - thanks for taking us along. Very humbling there.

Beautiful city. God bless and protect our dear Christian brothers and sisters in Syria, Iraq and across middle east and the world.

Thank you for showing us this. You hear about things on the news but to see the devastation left after what happened is so sad. It made me really emotional. The poor people loosing their lives, homes and possessions (any where) is heartbreaking and to what end? Living in the U.K. we really have a good life in comparison. You are both so invested, genuinely interested and very respectful. Appreciate your using your channel in this way, not just all the safe and happy places. Take care both of you!! 👍🏻🥰🙅‍♀️🙅‍♀️

Wow. I had no idea that Aramaic was still spoken anywhere. I just found your guys channel today and have been binge watching. Keep it up!!!!!

Thank you for sharing this Incredible Syria ❤ wish I could visit one day - greetings from Tokyo 🎌

Harriet and I have never been. A fascinating place to visit. Having guide Manar must have been very helpful in explaining Maaloula. It's so sad to hear of the history of Maaloula. The architecture is stunning. It's amazing how well preserved it is. You guys did a wonderful job with this video. Love it. Sending you much love😍😍 and affection from Richmond, Va. Harriet, Jim and Yuki 🙏❤🙏

Awesome carving in the cliff, and Syrias history goes way back. I learned a lot.

So sad. Very eye-opening. Thanks so much for educating me!! Love from London, Ontario 🇨🇦

Thanks , recently found your channel .... great going through them all. @70 years now, I can affirm your life decisions at this point in your life are correct. Plenty of time to sit. in the future.

Thanks for all your hard work & risks you take to share people & places we would otherwise not see in such a true light. Looking forward to seeing where your travels take you guys next.

I love everything about this video! thanks Matt & Julia!

That was amazing. Thank you for bringing such different content. You 2 are so inspiring.

Hi. Thanks for sharing with us

❤❤Fascinating to see! Thank You Matt & Julia!

I love watching your adventures. It’s so interesting. Thank you for taking us along with you x

We love that you guys go off the beaten track, thank you for the videos..

Ahhh- looks great! Pointer- next video use sub-titles as your audio of your guide was too hard to understand and Much was 'missed'! Yess- these people are some of the oldest Christian communities and they have suffered tremendously but they had "overcome" and still are 'occupying'- and this is something Western Christians still will need to remember!

Wow....I shared this one on my page. This was a beautiful (and heart wrenching) video. Thank you for sharing.

Such an amazing place and absolutely great people. Thank you both for all the work you do to bring us this content.

Orthodox from USA Syrian orthodox are the Lords favorite he is blessing you always...

Wow another great video, your chanel is a real breath of fresh air, Thankyou!

Thanks for sharing your journeys with us you two are awesome keep the videos coming the places you go are fantastic

Absolutely fantastic video. It is truly educational to watch people’s real life experiences of a country not what the media want to portray. What a beautiful country Syria is. As you say nothing like how you imagine

Thanks for sharing this video. It was especially enjoyable because my wife and I visited Syria in 2006. We were based in Damascus and did day trips to Maaloula, Krak de Chavelier and Palmyra. The latter is highly recommended if it's possible. By the way even in those days you could count on one hand the number of tourists you crossed paths with. Our family and friends thought we were crazy going anywhere near the Middle East. From Syria we went to Jordan then Egypt. Of all the places we've been it was definitely the most exciting.

Incredibly touching video. Thank you

The people of this village are so kind and welcoming and giving and lovely, especially considering what they had been through. Their beautiful hearts shine through! When Manar recited the poem in Aramaic while you all walked between the rocks, tears came to my eyes. I pray that this community can rebuild and live in peace again. The church was beautiful. I wish so much I could visit, but you have made it possible to see it. Thank you for this wonderful video.

Thank you for sharing such an incredibly interesting look into Syria and its amazing history! I always love your videos Matt and Julia, wishing you safe and happy travels 🥰🥰❤❤

once again thanks for sharing your travels and sharing with us cheers to you both !

Thank you for showing me parts of the world I have never seen before! You are opening my eyes!

God bless the people of Syria ! Very touching video. You guys do the best job! It’s like I’m with you!❤️💜

Thanks for sharing your travels. Beautiful but also upsetting of the events of 2013. You have taken us on journeys that most would never get the chance to see! Safe travels

Amazing & so sad at the same time, thank you for sharing 😊

Just breath taking country watched through watery eyes - wanton, senseless destruction of the ancient world is just beyond belief. The resilience of the human spirit shines through though. Another amazing video, Thanks Julia. Thanks Matt.

So interesting once again😊❤ great video

Absolutely one of the best videos you have EVER done! I will watch it more than one time that is for sure! There is so many things that I have never seen before but only heard about from my Syrian friends so many years ago. Your video brings their stories to life for me! For this I am so greatful, thank you very much!

What beautiful places! The time and resources needed to clean up and rebuild whole towns like Maaloula must be staggering. It was so lovely to hear that Aramaic prayer/poem

An amazing video Matt and Julia...what a story you have to tell. Thanks for bringing us with you, we are wiser ! Keep safe Xx

Thanks! Another awesome video guys, I pray you stay safe in the parts of the world you travel and in your response to your last video about personal choice going to do not travel zones I get to see places I myself would not go.Be safe and God bless.

Matt and Julia thank you so much for this tour of this beautiful and important historic village and for sharing with the world that aramic is still s spoken in 3 villages Yes in Syria

These videos do show another view of Syria,something never shown on tv news, nice people,beautiful nature , after the devastation you still see people and their lives,I hope you left with happy memories ✌️❤️🇬🇧much love

You both are wonderful. Thank you for being so excited to explore and appreciating everyone and everything so much. ❤

Thank you for visit Maaloula! I'm from Maaloula. Thank you for video🙏🙏🙏

I discovered your channel few days ago and have been on a 3 day binge watching. Love it .

Yet again another lovely video. The way you share your travels the land you visit & the lovely people is a light in the darkness of modern media. It’s been awesome watching your travels.

Nice that you are visiting Syria, great video as always! Have a good trip if you didnt already have it. Greetings from Germany. :)

Fantastic, one of my best mates years ago was of Syrian origin & he’s parents were so incredibly kind & beautiful people.

Thank you beautiful and enlightening video. ❤️JosAz

Thank you for making these great and informative videos! I have been watching your videos for a long time now. Just wanted to say thank you! And to tell you about Finnish, in Finnish maaluola means dugout or earth cave. A weird coincidence, I think! Stay safe out there! ❤

Wow my heart broke for the people there and the war so many people lost everything some things just cant be replaced and its so beautiful ! So amazing thank you!

Great job for this video. I'm from Malaysia n thank you for showing what it looks like there. Never really know that there are villages like Maaloula existed. I really enjoyed it. Will support giving a like n subscribe for you guys 👍🏻 be safe

Thank you guys for sharing and giving me a glimpse of Syria. And again we are the people of our beautiful planet ☮️🌍🕊️ Stay safe and best wishes form Hamburg

Thought provoking and highly interesting video. Loved it 🤗🤗👍❤️❤️

Like many others, I found this video very moving. You show me places, people and food I will never experience myself without your camera lens. Every one of your videos should be shown in schools worldwide to help educate about one world

I have been in this city, its beyoned imagination, you feel time taken you centuries backwards. Syria full of history. Its the birth of civilization. I hope peace to our Syrian brothers and sisters 🙏 ❤️

Thank you for sharing. It is heartbreaking to see what the ruins of the terrible war are in this beautiful country. The language spoken by Jezus Christ is the language of peace and hope. This language is not understood (yet) by all people in this world as you can see in many parts of the world. Jezus and his Father assure us we will learn in due time.....

Thank you so much for sharing your adventures, NC USA 🇺🇸

Good Report.about . Christian .(ommunity in syria. Thank you - So.much . കൺഗ്രാജുലേഷൻ ഫ്രം കേരള / ഇൻഡ്യ. Congragulations from kerala / India,

Thank you so very much for showing Maaloula, it is such a beautiful place. from south wales🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🇬🇧uk

Thank you for this beautiful, raw glimpse into Syria.

Nice vid, little bit distracted by dust on your camera sensor which cause grey dots around the screen (depends on zoom) .

Always showing us the story of how history happens. The human story of it all. I know you have these videos for reference but do you all keep a travel diary too? Maybe a book someday?

God blesses syria, and syrians all over the world

I will keep the people of Maaloula in my heart and prayers. It is so sad what people do to others. When in grade school I had a science teacher that made a huge impact on me. We were shown a fluoroscope image and asked what we could tell about the person, with the exception of male/female differences, you can not tell one person from another. We are all flesh and blood and if cut we bleed red blood. Thank you for sharing such a tragic place on our planet. Please stay safe and know you are doing something so amazing for the world if they choose to learn. 🙏🙏

Thanks so much for this fascinating look at Maaloula. I am hoping one day you will get to the Yemen, my Dad lived in Sanaa for 7 years before the recent troubles and had a deep and abiding love for the people and country he helped build the electricity infrastructure for. I have travelled a fair bit in my times but visiting Dad in Sanaa was always a very special place to go .

THANKS!

Необыкновенно интересные видео! Не только это, но и все другие!! Молодцы!!

Thanks for sharing another interesting video, never knew about Maaluola before so sad to see the war-damage of this beautiful country🫂

Absolutely fascinating!!!

I am from Syria and I learn something new from you about my country. Thank you

Just amazing. How did that church survive the war. So wonderful to see Syria with you. Thanks.

شكرااا لكم 👍

أهلاً وسهلاً بكم في سورية ❤❤