Dara (Mesopotamia)

Dara

Δάρας (in Greek)
Ruins of rock-cut building in Daras
Shown within Turkey
Alternative name	Daras, Anastasiopolis, Iustiniana Nova
Location	Oğuz, Mardin Province, Turkey
Region	Mesopotamia
Coordinates	37°10′40″N 40°56′28″E / 37.17778°N 40.94111°E / 37.17778; 40.94111
Type	Settlement
History
Builder	Anastasius I
Founded	505
Abandoned	After 639
Periods	Late Antiquity
Events	Battle of Dara Fall of Dara

Dara or Daras (Turkish: Dara Antik Kenti; Kurdish: Darê; Greek: Δάρας; Syriac: ܕܪܐ^[1]) was an important East Roman fortress city in northern Mesopotamia on the border with the Sassanid Empire. Because of its great strategic importance, it featured prominently in the Roman-Persian conflicts (in 530, 540, 544, 573, and 604). The former archbishopric remains a multiple Catholic titular see. Today, the village of Dara, in the Mardin Province occupies its location.