Manin or Ain Manin (Arabic: منين) is a small town in southern Syria about 18 kilometers north of Damascus. Manin is a popular tourist site, surrounded by seven small mountains with the Manin valley between them. The Manin river flows from a mountain dubbed "Al-Ain" (Arabic : العين) and continues until it reaches the suburbs of Damascus. The town has an elevation of roughly 1,200 meters above sea level.[2] According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics, Manin had a population of 17,521 in the 2004 census.[1] In the 1960s it was reported to be a relatively large village with 3,200 inhabitants.[2] Its inhabitants are predominantly Sunni Muslims.[3]
Recent discoveries at another mountain named (Mar Takla) (From Arabic : مار تقلا, Saint Thecla) show that the town had a long history, especially in the Roman and Byzantine periods, with two temples carved in the mountain's stone as well as many houses and tombs.[4] St. Helena had two churches constructed in Manin.[2]