Maarat Saidnaya, or Maaret Saidnaya ( ar, معرة صيدنايا) is a mountainous

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

Al-Tall District al-Tall District ( ar-at, منطقة التل, manṭiqat al-Tall) is a district of the Rif Dimashq Governorate in southern Syria. The administrative centre An administrative center is a seat of regional administration or local government, o ...

of Damascus's Countryside

Rif Dimashq Governorate Rif Dimashq Governorate ( ar, محافظة ريف دمشق, ', literally, the "Governorate of the Countryside of Damascus", Damascus Suburb) is one of the fourteen governorates (provinces) of Syria. It is situated in the southwestern part of the c ...

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

. It sets on the plains of the

Qalamoun Mountains The Qalamoun Mountains ( ar, جبال القلمون, Jabāl al-Qalamūn) are the northeastern portion of the Anti-Lebanon Mountains, and they are northeast of the Syrian capital Damascus. They run from Barada River, Barada River Valley in the s ...

that are overlooked by nearby city of

Saidnaya Saidnaya (also transliterated Saydnaya, Seidnaya or Sednaya, from the syr, ܣܝܕܢܝܐ, ar, صيدنايا, Ṣaydnāyā) is a city located in the mountains, above sea level, north of the city of Damascus in Syria. It is the home of a Greek ...

at 1,200 metres (3,937.00 feet) above sea level, north of the city of

Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...

. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Maarat Saidnaya had a population of 3,084 in the 2004 census.General Census of Population and Housing 2004
Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Rif Dimashq Governorate. In 1838, the majority of its inhabitants were

Melkite The term Melkite (), also written Melchite, refers to various Eastern Christianity, Eastern Christian churches of the Byzantine Rite and their members originating in the Middle East. The term comes from the common Central Semitic Semitic root, ro ...

Catholic Christians.

Smith Smith may refer to: People * Metalsmith, or simply smith, a craftsman fashioning tools or works of art out of various metals * Smith (given name) * Smith (surname), a family name originating in England, Scotland and Ireland ** List of people wi ...

, in Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, 2nd appendix, p
172
/ref> Located on the mountain side at the town's outskirts, the Shrine of Mar Elias Al-Hai (Shrine of St. Elijah the Living; Arabic: مقام مار الياس الحي ; pronounced: "Deir or Makam Mar Elias Al-Hai"), is one of its most famous attractions . Many people come every year to visit this

Melkite Greek Catholic Church el, Μελχιτική Ελληνική Καθολική Εκκλησία , image = Melkite Greek Catholic Church, Damascus, Syria.jpg , imagewidth = 200px , alt = , caption = , abbreviatio ...

especially to celebrate St. Elijah day of 20 June. Notably also, the Mor Ephrem Monastery, consecrated in 1996, is the summer residence of the

Patriarch The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and in certai ...

of the

Syriac Orthodox Church , native_name_lang = syc , image = St_George_Syriac_orthodox_church_in_Damascus.jpg , imagewidth = 250 , alt = Cathedral of Saint George , caption = Cathedral of Saint George, Damascus ...

, along with the church

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...

and the recently founded Antioch Syrian University.

References

Bibliography

* Populated places in Al-Tall District Christian communities in Syria {{RifDimashqSY-geo-stub