DAR'A

also spelled Der'a, Greek Edrei, town, southwestern Syria. Dar'a, which is the chief town of the Hawran (a region of southwestern Syria), is a road and rail junction located less than 6 miles (10 km) from the Jordanian border on the Wadi Jride. It is the focal point for communications between Amman, Jerusalem, Haifa, and Damascus. There are no local industries, but Dar'a serves as a market centre and garrison town. The town contains ruins from the Greco-Roman period and a mosque built in 1253. The decisive Battle of the Yarmuk River (636), which led to the annihilation of the Byzantine forces and the capture of Syria by the Arabs, was fought near the town; it also was the scene of fighting during World War I. Dar'a is the centre of a grain-growing (especially wheat and barley) region. Pop. (1981 prelim.) 49,534.