Deir Mar Sarkis

2005 Syria Maaloula, village chrétien

Maaloula (en arabe : معلولة Ma'loula, de l'araméen : ܡܥܠܐ, ma`lā, 'entrée'), est un village chrétien au Nord-est de Damas en Syrie, qui présente la particularité d'abriter une population qui parle encore l'araméen (voir néo-araméen occidental).

Le village doit sa renommée à ses refuges troglodytiques datant des premiers siècles du christianisme.

La majorité des chrétiens locaux appartient à l'Église grecque-catholique melkite. Le village est célèbre au Proche-Orient pour la ferveur et la solennité avec lesquelles il célèbre chaque 14 septembre la fête de l'Exaltation de la Croix.

Le village abrite le monastère Mar Takla, grec-orthodoxe, construit autour de la grotte et du tombeau de Sainte-Thècle fêtée le 24 septembre. En haut d'un rocher qui domine le village, se dresse un antique monastère desservi par un prêtre grec-catholique et dédié à Mar Sarkis et Mar Bacchus (Saints Serge et Bacchus), deux saints martyrs fêtés le 7 octobre.


Les chrétiens de Syrie représentent environ 7.5 % de la population du pays. C'est une des plus anciennes communautés chrétiennes du Proche-et-Moyen-Orient.


Source : Wikipédia

Maaloula

A Video of my visit to Syria as is and not as the Media reports it.

Stolen icons returned to Christian monastery ahead of Christmas

LEADIN:
A number of religious relics and icons, feared stolen from a Syrian Christian town by rebel soldiers - have been found and returned, just in time for Christmas.
The town of Maaloula, outside of Damascus, was under rebel control earlier this year, but when Syrian government troops re-took the town, the relics - which included icons, crosses and a church door - were gone.
STORYLINE:
Returned to their rightful owners.
These relics are amongst 37 icons and crosses missing from the predominantly Christian town of Maaloula since April.
Once they would have been found in the monastery of Saint Sarkis and Bacchus, but for eight months the walls here have been empty.
They're alleged to have been taken from the town by rebel soldiers, as they retreated from the area in April this year.
As government troops moved in, they found much of the town in ruins.
The Church bell, cross and church door went missing from the Mar Sarkis convent, while icons of saints, copies of the holy bible, papers and glass littered the floors.
But today they have been welcomed back into the church's possession.
The Syrian government says they believe the relics were smuggled into Lebanon where they were put up for sale.
It's claimed that they were recognised and authorities in Lebanon alerted Syrian officials.
Gregorius III Laham, Patriarch of Antioch and the East for the Melkite Greek Catholic sect is overseeing their return, alongside Bisher Yazeji, Syria's Minister of Tourism.
With retrieving this door and some icons and crosses we think our chant today is a chant of hope. There is time for peace and joy to be back to the hearts of all people, he says.
The town, located some 40 miles (60 kilometres) northeast of the capital and home to a large Christian population, serves as an important symbolic prize for the government in its quest to be seen as protector of religious minorities, including Syria's Christians.
Some Maaloula residents still speak a version of Aramaic, the language of biblical times believed to have been used by Jesus and the town and the surrounding areas have long been a draw for tourists visiting the country, as well as pilgrims.
Yazeji says he'd like to see them return to the town again.
Despite all that has happened to it and despite the robbery and destruction, Maaloula will remain the destination of all pilgrims and visitors from all over the world and normal life will return to it thanks to the efforts of its people and the efforts paid by all sectors, says Yazeji.
The toll of of the unrest on Maaloula is clear, including on Christian sites - some which have been left burnt out and abandoned.
It is not clear, however, whether the wreckage to Christian buildings was intentional, or whether the ancient sites were merely caught in the crossfire.
Rebels have taken the town and been driven out of it twice before.
Those fighters included gunmen from the al-Qaida-affiliated Nusra Front, who abducted more than a dozen Greek Orthodox nuns from their convent during the fighting, fuelling fears that hard-line Muslims were targeting Christians.
The nuns were released unharmed in March.
In exchange, the Syrian government reportedly released dozens of women from prison.
Rebuilding in the town is well underway and local residents say Maaloula is slowly returning to normal.
The situation now is stable. Thank God, students are going to school, the bakery is functioning and shops are gradually starting to get back to work, transport and reconstruction has resumed, says Mary.
For shopkeeper Salim, it's taken a bit longer to get back on his feet.
They (rebel groups) stole my shop and left me nothing.
He remains undefeated.


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Patriarch Gregorios III visits Maaloula schoolchildren

Maaloula (also spelt Ma'Loula) is an ancient Christian town to the northeast is an ancient Christian town to the northeast of the capital Damascus, Syria. The town is known for its monastery Deir Mar Takla and is often visited by both Christian and Muslim pilgrims - it is one of the earliest Christian centres known to the world. In September 2013, jihadists entered the town, reportedly targeting Christians if they refused to abandon their faith and shouting:
You! The Cross worshippers! We will kill you! Patriarch Gregorios III of Antioch, head of the Greek Mekilte Church, visited Maaloula, where he met school children whose families had been forced to flee or take refuge in the convent. Some of the children's parents had been murdered by the jihadists. This video shows their remarkable faith in God.

Christian City in Syria Still Recovering

Historic churches and monasteries in the Syrian Christian city of Maaloula still haven't recovered from its occupation by Islamic militants two years ago.

Saidnaya - Seydnaya - Seidnaya - Sednaya

Uploaded with Free Video Converter from Freemake

maaloula 3ed al salib 2004 part 6

The Battle for the Orthodoxy Center of Syria: Al-Qaeda assaults Maalula

Read more: rusvesna.su/recent_opinions/1515266812

During the long years of war in Syria, militants killed thousands of women and children, destroyed hundreds of schools and monuments of cultural heritage.

The unlimited cruelty of terrorists has not bypassed even holy places that have existed on Syrian soil for thousands of years. Our correspondent managed to take a comment from one of the ministers of the Church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus in the village of Maalula, Damascus Governorate.

— My name is Rita Vahba. I’m from town of Maalula. December 7, 2014, terrorists approached the town. They settled down on the mounts around the monastery and lived in Saidnaya hotel. We saw a light in monastery after three months of siege. Many men tried to leave Maalula to know what there had happened but they were captured by militants. Terrorists demanded ransoms for their release.

Later militants blew up a checkpoint near Maalula and started to shoot in different directions. On the checkpoint they killed Syrian soldiers, captured tanks and started use it as own weapons. There were militia units in town. Women and children were taken shelter in the caves. I have been living in the cave for three days. It was too difficult.

The government forces launched an offensive after the militants from Yabroud had joined the terrorists in Maalula. The liberation of town began. During the offensive, we fled to Damascus because the district was unsafe. The vault of the dome was destroyed. The western and eastern walls too. The church has preserved its appearance since 313 AD due to wooden ceilings which are more than two thousand years old.

During the liberation of town by government forces, militants destroyed the church. 26 icons were looted. One of them was found by us later. It’s icon of the Archangels Gabriel and Michael. We see consequences of disastrous vandalism — plaster in the area of their faces is knocked off. Some of the icons were burned by militants. They also desecrate and destroyed altar. Thanks to the efforts of our youth the church was gradually restored.

Our church’s altar is one of the oldest Christian altar under the sun. This small window was used by militants’ snipers. Every Sunday in 7.30 a.m. we have church service. The second altar was also damaged by militants. They destroyed its lid which is more than 200 years old.

There were two icons from Poland in monastery. It was presented by general Andres. One depicts Jesus, the second the Mother of God. We wish your prayers were directed to the return of these icons.

This painful narrative proves that there is not and cannot be a place for terrorism in our world. The victory of the Syrian army, with the support of the Russian Air Force, over illegal armed formations in the republic gives people hope for a bright future. Judging by the active integration Syrians into civilian life, it is not far off.

Al-Qaeda — terrorist orgnization banned in Russia

Passing along the glorious Euphrates river in Syria

You can contemplate how amazing the Euphrates is when you are heading West coming from the North-Eastern part of Syria. This N-E part of Syria, called the Khabur valley is the northern border of dry farming, which means this region deals with 150mm of precipitation per YEAR!!! Dry farming techniques were and are practiced. They were in the 2nd and third Millennium B.C.E. with the extensive use of canalization systems. Today, due to a slow desertification of the Khabur valley, dry farming is more and more difficult and results are just not satisfying. Just outside of Aleppo, there is an International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas... New techniques must be introduced to help local population. In the mean time, the Khabur basin is still the area which produces the most of Syria's wheat; you can see on the road a fully loaded truck brings some agricultural products to other Syrian provinces.

To get back to our story... The Euphrates. Many people though the name we have today originated from Persian: Ufratu or maybe Kurdish: Ferhat.. Guess what... nOt really..

In fact the origins of Euphrates is Akkadian, part of the Semitic family branch, the language was widely spoken 200 years before the end of the third Millennium B.C.E. in Southern Mesopotamia. ops, the word in Akkadian is PU-RA-TU.

SYRIA -Prayer for the souls of the martyrs of the army

Syriac Prayer in 5th century Monastery in Mardin, Turkey - 3

Prayer time at the Za'faran (Saffron) der (Monastery), This monastery is in the surrounding (10km) of the gorgeous city of Mardin, Turkey.

This morning prayer is conducted in the church inside the Monastery. I will provide the name and nfo of the priest later.

The 5th century Monastery was built on the location of a sun worshipping temple.

St Serge et Bacchus-Maaloula (Syrie) Claude ZEREZ

Les belles icones sont du XVIII s. du Couvent St Serge et Bacchus (ancien temple paien) qui datent du 318. Les habitants de Maaloula parlent toujours l'Arameen, la langue du Christ.

Mar Sarkis And Bacchus Video Art

Description from alexyfr.org:

Mar Sarkis And Bacchus Video Art was originally a commission for the Antonine Coventry, I was provided pictures from the monastery's archive and photographs taken by Joseph Chahid Douaihy (Bou Chahid). The soundtrack was the operetta of Saint Charbel and in the second part of the video Syriac Chant.

The film was intended to be 150 years commemorative for the Zgharta Monastery. This monastery is considered very recent compared to the age of the Monastery in Ehden.

Directives were very unclear, so as part of a package, later on unpaid, was this video. After work completion, Father Nader Nader rejected the work, pretending the need for a documentary, a thing out of scope and specialty.

My artist friends encouraged me to keep the work as a personal artistic achievement despite the monasteries rejection. And so happened, I considered the project as a personal artwork reflecting a very subjective religious view.

The film starts with an aerial dive, the with still images depicting the recent monastery of Zgharta, and few old photos while the operetta plays.

In the second part, the video deals with the Ehden Monastery (more than 600 years old); showing pictures and engravings of this monastery and of Ehden, with a tremendous rare Syriac Chant performance.

The third part is an addition I proposed, since most of the pictures had no people in, so I showed pictures of the archive containing people, again with an extract of the already used soundtrack in part one, in order to show the tight integration between locals and monasteries throughout history.

Saydnaya, Syria - (P) Mazarat Film By Muhammad Ali Adeeb

Mazarat Film is an imaginative-doc film about realities, secrets, and the unbelievable untold stories of Sacred Syria. The film is in developing stage. The film covers multi cities, areas, and religions. The film will be Written and Directed by Muhammad Ali Adeeb.

españoles en maaloula

Hanne Massaad in Maaloula

Syria War News

امسية عيد الصليب 13-9-2008 part 2

Noël dans le village syrien de Maaloula

L'ancien village chrétien de Maaloula, près de Damas, a célébré Noël par une messe spéciale.
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