MAALULA, Syria – The historic Christian town of Maalula stands a shadow of its former self, abandoned and war-scarred, a month after Syrian government forces expelled Islamist rebels.
In the main square, with its posters of President Bashar Al-Assad and slogans daubed on walls singing his praises, a handful of soldiers lounge in the spring sunshine.
MaalulaÂ’s residents, many of whom still speak Aramaic are nowhere to be seen.
Silence fills the mountain town, broken only by the squeaks of swallows as they swoop near ancient caves with their tales from the early years of Christianity.
“People come here for an hour to see their homes, and then they leave,” a soldier told AFP on a state-authorised visit to the town, 50 kilometres (30 miles) northeast of Damascus.
Syria?s Maalula: Ghost town after rebel ouster | Mid-East | Saudi Gazette