Sednaya

Saidnaya صيدنايا
Overview of Saidnaya
Saidnaya Location in Syria
Coordinates: 33°41′45″N 36°22′39″E / 33.69583°N 36.37750°E / 33.69583; 36.37750Coordinates: 33°41′45″N 36°22′39″E / 33.69583°N 36.37750°E / 33.69583; 36.37750
Country	Syria
Governorate	Rif Dimashq Governorate
District	Al-Tall District
Nahiyah	Saidnaya
Elevation	1,500 m (4,900 ft)
Population (2004 census)
• Total	5,194
Time zone	+2
• Summer (DST)	+3 (UTC)
Area code(s)	11

Saidnaya (also transliterated Saydnaya or Sednaya from the Syriac: ܣܝܕܢܝܐ‎, Arabic: صيدنايا‎‎) is a city located in the mountains, 1500 metres (4,921.26 feet) above sea level, 27 kilometres (17 mi) north of the city of Damascus in Syria. Though orthographically slightly variant with Arabic, the spelling is consistent with Syriac-Aramaic orthography (with no distinction between "sin" and "sad") of the name for "Our Lady" and refers, almost certainly to the Virgin Mary, a renowned icon of whom is revered in the city's main church by both Christians and Muslims to this day. The town is noted for the large number of (Western Neo-) Aramaic speakers, along with nearby Maaloula and few smaller towns nearby such as Maarat Saidnaya. The Hellenistic-era name for the region centered in the Barada Valley was Abilene: the local tradition has thus long held it as the site where the grave of Abel, slain brother of Cain, lies. Scholars consider it likely that the capital of Abilene was the city of Saidnaya. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Saidnaya had a population of 25,194 in the 2004 census.

Long a center of Christian pilgrimage, pilgrims from all over the world seek Saidnaya for renewal of faith and for healing. Renowned for its faithfulness to Christianity, tradition holds that the Convent of Our Lady of Saidnaya was constructed by the Byzantine emperor Justinian I in 547 AD, after he had two visions of Mary, one that indicated where to build the church and the other outlining its design. Justinian dedicated the finished project to the feast of Mary's Nativity, and annually thereafter on September 8, and through to the present day, both Muslim and Christian pilgrims have come to commemorate the feast day of Our Lady of Saidnaya. Also located in the convent of Saidnaya is an icon of the Holy Mother and Child known as the Shaghurah and reputed to have been painted by Luke the Evangelist which is believed to protect its owners from harm in times of danger.