MAALOULA, Syria (AP) — Church bells echoed across the rocky slopes of this ancient Syrian town on a cold Sunday morning. But few families remained. Maaloula is one of the world’s few places where ...

Marian Shanees had never seen the letters of her native language of Aramaic. Now, a new program in Maaloula, one of the few places where Aramaic is still spoken, will change that. "This is the first ...

"Ah-bwoon da-bwash-maya. Net-ka-dahsh schmahh." The group of five haltingly recited the ancient words. The rough English translation: "Our Father, which art in heaven. Hallowed be thy name." Saying ...

Aramaic may be best known as the language spoken by Jesus Christ, but it was also the language of multiple empires, a lingua franca of ancient times. Today, the language’s modern speakers are ...

Trying to unravel the mysteries of Aramaic is like embarking on an odyssey across the deserts, mountains and valleys of the Middle East and onwards to Europe and North America. It is an intellectual ...

MAALOULA Ilyana Barqil wears skinny jeans, boots and a fur-lined jacket, handy for keeping out the cold in the Qalamoun mountains north of Damascus. She likes TV quiz shows and American films and ...