SYRIA-CONFLICT-CHRISTIANITY

A national flag and portraits of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad are pictured in the village of Maalula north of the Syrian capital Damascus, on June 29, 2021. - One of the world's oldest Christian settlements where residents still speak the language of Jesus, Maalula once drew in thousands of visitors a year to visit its churches and monasteries, as well as to hear its inhabitants speak Aramaic. But from 2011 onwards, Syria's war largely kept pilgrims away from the village, whose name in Aramaic means "entrance", after the narrow passage between its limestone cliffs. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP) (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA/AFP via Getty Images)