Syria: August 18, 2016. The language spoken by Jesus during His time on earth, an ancient dialect of Aramaic, is currently being revived in Syria. ChristianToday.com reports that Assyrian Neo-Aramaic, or Syriac, will be taught at the Ourhi Center in Qamishli. Before the Syrian civil war broke out in 2011, it was illegal to teach any other language except Arabic in Syria, so this is a big step for the country. "Learning the Syriac-Assyrian language would help us better understand our culture and history in order to pass this knowledge to the next generations and guarantee them learning their mother-tongue," said Mirna Saliba, a student learning Syriac at the center. The new language center and language study is especially significant because of the turmoil many Syrians have experienced in recent years from the civil war and from Islamic State militants. Qamishli has specifically been a target of the violence. ISIS carried out three terror attacks in the city last year, and in June 2016, terrorists carried out a suicide attack that targeted the head of the Syriac Orthodox Church.