Saidnaya

Saidnaya (also transliterated Saydnaya or Sednaya from the Arabic: صيدنايا‎) is a city located in the mountains, 1500 metres (0.938 miles) above sea level, 27 kilometres (17 mi) north of the city of Damascus in Syria and was one of the episcopal cities of the ancient Patriarchate of Antioch. Though orthographically slightly variant with Arabic, the spelling is consistent with Aramaic orthography (with no distinction between "sin" and "sad") of the name for "Our Lady" and refers, almost certainly to the Virgin Mary, a renowned icon of whom is revered in the city's main church by both Christians and Muslims to this day. The town is noted for the large number of (Western Neo-) Aramaic speakers, along with nearby Maaloula and a few smaller...