Aramaic, the language of Jesus Christ, is a language that originated among the inhabitants of some villages in al-Qalamoun region in Syria.
During its three-thousand-year long history, the Aramaic language went through several stages of development.
It has served as a language of public life and administration of ancient kingdoms and empires, and also as a language of divine worship and religious study.
One of the most prominent variants of the Aramaic alphabet, still used in modern times, is the Syriac alphabet.
In al-Qalamoun mountain range, about 50 kilometres northeast of the capital Damascus, the inhabitants of Maaloula, Jaba’adin and Bakha’a villages still speak the Aramaic language.
Damascus University is one of the few institutions that established an Aramaic language centre in the town of Maaloula, with the aim of enhancing the presence of this language and preserving it, especially since the majority of the town’s residents speak the Aramaic language.
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)