Dara

Dara ("fortress", compare Dura-Europos) was a Byzantine fort in Syria. Anastasius I fortified it in 506 as a stronghold against Persian invasions on the frontier in Mesopotamia. He renamed the town Anastasiopolis, but the new name was rarely used.

Dara was located along the roads into Roman Mesopotamia, Syria, and Asia Minor, at the head of the Bouron river, which was dry in the summer but flowed into the Khabour river in the winter. The construction of Dara, including the damming of the river to provide a large and secure water supply, combined with the advanced design of the fortifications, added to its situation so close to the frontier, caused the wars that erupted during the reign of Justinian I.