of other successes in the strategic Qalamoun region, including the seizure of the former rebel bastion of Yabroud in the previous month. Virgin Mary statue The people of Maaloula celebrated as a new statue of Mary, mother of Jesus was erected in its centre, replacing the figure destroyed in Islamists attacks in 2013. On 13 June 2015, Syrian officials unveiled the new statue of the Virgin Mary, draped in a white robe topped with a blue shawl, her hands lifted in prayer. The fibreglass figure stood at just over 3 metres (10 feet) tall and was placed on the base of the original statue. The statue is titled "Lady of Peace" (). Climate Sister city Béziers, (2014) See also Western Neo-Aramaic References Bibliography External links Yawna Maaloula Aramaic Non-profit educational project to preserve Aramaic, and the culture and heritage of Maaloula. A web site dedicated to Maaloula New York Times article on Aramaic language in Maaloula and other villages in Syria Syrian village clings to Aramaic language at Al Jazeera English An episode from Australian program, Foreign Correspondent, about Maaloula. The dialect of Maalula. Grammar, vocabulary and texts. (1897–1898) By Jean Parisot (in French): Parts 1, 2, 3 at the Internet Archive. Samples of spoken Maaloula Aramaic at the Semitisches Tonarchiv (Semitic Audio Archive) Christian monasteries in Syria Christian communities in Syria Populated places in Al-Qutayfah District Towns in Syria Eastern Orthodox Christian communities in Syria