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Dara'a

The capital of Hauran Province
At 850 km above sea level and 100 km south opf Damascus, lies the town of Dera’a,
capital of the Hauran province. This province has many archeological sites,
belonging mostly to the roman period, the monuments of which are still very well
preserved. Foremost among them are:
Bosra:
Avry old city, perhaps going back to more than 4000years, it is mentioned in the
Amarna tablets of Akhnaton under the name of “Bohora”. It became a Nabatean city
and an important trade center under tha name of “bostra”. It was occupied by the
Trajan in 106 AD. And became the capital ot newly formed Roman province of
Arabia under the name of “Neatrajiana Bostra”. As provincial capital, and as a
stopping point of the trade with south Arabia, it became a very important cith,
residence of the Roman Proconsul. It is said to have been visited by the prophet
Mohammad when he was a merchant on the road from Mekkah to Syria and was the
first Syrian town taken over by the Arab Muslims. Its square shaped minarets are
reminesxence of the early Islamic religious architecture. It remained an important
city untill the XVII th A.D.
It has many important well preserved monouments, belonging mostly to the Roman
period, including well engineered water supply systems which are still partly used.
The most important sites in the town are:
Bosra Amphitheatre:
It is the largest amphitheatre built by the Romans their Eastern provinces. It was
constructed in the second Century A.D. and can seat, until now, more than
15000 spectators. The stage is 45m wide and 8m deep. The gradins are seprated by
alleys into three sections, according to social status. A great many columns. Of the
Corinthian style, with beautifully engraved friezes be seen in the Amphitheatre
which is still used to give performance.

Bosra Citadel:
It is a fortress built around the amphitheatre at amphitheatre at various periods. Its
square towers are from the Fatimide and Ayoubite periods and consitute a good
example of Arab-Islamic military architecture. It has several floors and is
surrounded by a ditch its entrance being through a bridge. It has many vaulted
arcades and 36 big rooms. Some of these rooms are now used as resturant and
cafteria fot the Amphitheatre, as archeological museum and popular traditions (
folklore) museum.

Bosra Museum:
It is located in one of the towers of the citadel. It displays the archeological finds
discovered in the province, including a rich collection of coins, and many
inscriptions on black basalt rock in Nabatean, Greak. Latin and Arabic languages.
Many basalt statues and other sculptures are, due to their size, displayed in open
air at the top of the citadel. The folklore ,museum contains pictures of rural and
poplar life and collections of handicrafts.

Mabrak Al-Naqa Mosque:
It is an important Muslim shrine. Being the site where the camel carrying the first
copy of the Holy Qura’an knelt down. It is said also that it is the place where the
Prophet mohammad rested when he came to Bosra as a merchant and where he
met the Christan monk Bohaira. The mosque is divided into three sections, the
central one is the main mosque, the East one is a school believed to have been the
convent of the monkBohaira, and the West one is the remains of a cathedral church
which was built in the Ivth Century and is believed to be one of the oldest churches
in the world. It has a basilica form with an oval arch over the altar and a dome with a
diameter of 36m.
Other ruins can be seen n the town, including ithe remains of an old surrounding
wall, of a Nabatean tmple from the first century A.D. of the roman Triumphal Arch
from the third century, of Roman baths from the second century, and of the main
water supply pool, repaired during Ayoubite period. It is a mixture of Rome,
Byzance and Islam.

Salkhad:
Its old Arabic name was “Sarkhad”. It is a small town on a hill above the
surrounding plains at 23 km East of Bosra and south of Sweida. It is urrounded by
vineyards and orchards. Its main archeological monuments is the minaret of a
mosque built by the Mamluk Sultan Al-Zaher Bebars ( the mosque it self is in ruins)
and the remains of Salkhad citadel, originally built by the Nabateans, but greatly
modified to become a fortress against the crusaders by the Ayoubites.

Izra’a
A small town at 80km west of Bosra, it has an important cathedral from the fiveth
century.