Maaloula (, "Ma‘lūlā", from the Aramaic word ܡܥܠܐ, "ma‘lā", meaning 'entrance') is a town in Syria. Most people in the town speak Western Neo-Aramaic. It is one of only three places where the Western branch of the Aramaic languages is still spoken along ith two other nearby towns Bakh'a and Jubb'adin, Maaloula 56 km northeast of Damascus, and built into the rugged mountainside, at an altitude of more than 1500 meters. The distance and geography helped protect the town and its language for over one and half thousand years. However, modern roads and transportation, as well as accessibility to Arabic-language television and print media - and for some time until recently, also state policy - have eroded that linguistic heritage. As of 2005, the town has a population of 2,000.