Daraa درعا
Daraa
Coordinates: 32°37′N 36°6′E / 32.617°N 36.1°E / 32.617; 36.1
Country	Syria
Governorate	Daraa Governorate
District	Daraa District
Government
• Governor	Mohammad Khaled al-Hannus[1]
Elevation	435 m (1,427 ft)
Population (2004 census)[2]
• City	97,969
• Metro	146,481
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
• Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)
Area code(s)	15

Daraa (Arabic: درعا‎, Levantine Arabic: [ˈdarʕa]), also Darʿā, Dara’a, Deraa, Dera, and Derʿā ("fortress", compare Dura-Europos), is a city in southwestern Syria, near the border with Jordan, with a population of 97,969 as of the 2004 census.^[2][3] It is the capital of Daraa Governorate, historically part of the ancient Hauran region. The city is located about 100 kilometres (62 mi) south of Damascus on the Damascus-Amman highway, and is used as a stopping station for travelers.

Daraa is an ancient city dating back to the Canaanites. It was mentioned in Egyptian hieroglyphic tablets at the time of the Pharaoh Thutmose III between 1490 and 1436 BC. It was known in those days as the city of Atharaa, and was later mentioned in the Old Testament as Edrei in the Kingdom of Bashan. Located in the city itself are a few ruins including caves and ancient dwellings, a Roman amphitheater, and the old Oumari Mosque which is of some architectural significance, dating back to the Umayyad and Ayyubid eras.

Daraa has recently suffered from reduced water supply in the region. Thousands of people protested in the city as part of the 2011 Syrian protests.^[4]

Climate[link]

2011 uprising[link]

The city of Daraa was the starting point of the 2011 uprising against the regime lead by Bashar Al-Assad. It all started when 15 children from the same family (Al-Abazeed) were arrested in early March 2011 for writing an anti regime slogan on the wall of their school. The children's ages ranged between 9 and 15 years. After attempts to negotiate the release of the children were rejected by the local government, a few hundred protesters gathered in front of Oumari Mosque on March 15, 2011 calling for reforms and end of corruption. Soon after the gathering increased in size and it is reported that over 3000 people protested on the first day. This protest was faced with Syrian security forces opening fire on the protesters killing 4 people^[5]. Since then, the city of Daraa and the surrounding villages have had daily protests.

Notes[link]

Further reading[link]

• T.E. Lawrence, (various editions) Seven Pillars of Wisdom, Chapter LXXX
• J.G. Schumacher,(1886) Across the Jordan, pp. 1–148;

External links[link]

• Official Site of Daraa Governorate (Arabic)
• s:Encyclopaedia Biblica/Ecclesiasticus-Eglon (king)#EDREI

Coordinates: 32°37′31″N 36°6′22″E / 32.62528°N 36.10611°E / 32.62528; 36.10611

v t e Cities of Syria Governorate capitals Aleppo Damascus Daraa Deir ez-Zor Hama Al-Hasakah Homs Idlib Latakia Quneitra Ar-Raqqah As-Suwayda Tartus District capitals Afrin Arihah Atarib Ayn al-Arab Azaz Al-Bab Baniyas Al-Bukamal Darayya Dayr Hafir Douma Drekish Fiq Al-Haffah Harem Afrin Jableh Jarabulus Jisr ash-Shugur Kiswe Maarrat al-Numan Manbij Al-Malikiyah Masyaf Mayadin Mhardeh Mukharram al-Foqani Al-Nabk Palmyra Al-Qamishli Qardaha Qatana Al-Qusayr Al-Qutayfah Ra's al-'Ayn Al-Rastan As Safirah Safita Salamiyah Salkhad Al-Sanamayn Shahba Ash-Shaykh Badr Al-Suqaylabiyah Tal Abyad Talkalakh Al-Tall Al-Thawrah Yabrud Zabadani Others Binnish Bosra Al-Darbasiyah Deir Atiyah Al-Hajar al-Aswad Harasta Jaramana Kafr Nabl Khan Shaykhun Ma'arrat Misrin Nawa Saidnaya Salqin Saraqib Sayyidah Zaynab

v t e Daraa Governorate Cities Daraa Izra' Nawa al-Sanamayn Daraa Governorate Towns and villages Bosra Burraq Busra al-Harir Da'el Deir al-Adas al-Harra Hirak Ibta' Inkhil Jassem Kafr Shams al-Karak Khabab Khirbet al-Ghazaleh al-Musayfrah Naseeb Sa'sa Saham al-Jawlan Saida Sheikh Maskin Sheikh Sa'ad Tafas Tubna Zimrin

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