What is Daraa famous for?
Daraa is known for two things. The first is where it sits: the main town of the Hauran plain, thirteen kilometres north of the Jordanian border and astride the Damascus–Amman road, and the junction where the Hejaz railway's Haifa branch met the line to Medina. The second is 2011: the Syrian uprising began in this town with the detention of schoolboys who had written on a wall, and heavy destruction followed in the years after. Its history runs much deeper than that — Atharaa in Egyptian texts, Edrei in Hebrew sources, Adraa under Rome. The oldest building still standing is the Mosque of Omar in the old town.
Highlights
- The Mosque of Omar in the old town — the oldest building left standing
- Hauran architecture: basalt blocks and flat roofs carried on stone arches
- The Hejaz railway junction; the line was finished in 1908, nothing runs now
- Izra, forty kilometres north: the oldest church in Syria still in use
- The plain itself: wheat fields start where the last houses end
What to see
- Daraa · Roman period
Sahr al-Lajat, a Roman Sanctuary and Village
A Roman sanctuary and village with no road to it at the north tip of al-Lajat: the 1998-2001 digs, a small 7-row theatre, and why no visit can be recommended yet.
- Daraa · Roman period
The Ataman Mausoleum and Roman Bridge near Daraa
In Ataman, 4 km north of Daraa, a Roman mausoleum crowned by a Corinthian structure, an ancient bridge and villa ruins: what the sources say and what is unclear.
- Daraa · 3rd millennium BC — Roman
Tell al-Ash’ari, a Candidate for Decapolis Dion
A mound above the Yarmouk valley, 16 km west of Daraa: a candidate for Decapolis Dion, with its gold earrings now in Damascus. Access today is unverified.
Daraa · Bronze AgeTell Ashtara, Biblical Ashtaroth
A mound 4 km south-west of al-Shaykh Saad: Astartu of the Amarna letters, Ashtaroth of King Og of Bashan. You see the mound and plain; access is unverified.
- Daraa · Roman to Ottoman
Tafas, a Hauran Town North of Daraa
A Hauran town 13 km north-west of Daraa, known for an old mosque built with Roman and Byzantine stone and for the events of 27 September 1918. Condition unverified.
Daraa · Bronze Age stele, Byzantine recordAl-Shaykh Saad: the Shrine of Job and the Job Stone
In al-Shaykh Saad, south of Nawa, a mosque dedicated to Job holds the Job Stone, in fact an Egyptian stele of Ramesses II. Its condition today is unverified.
Where to eat
- Hauran · winter and Ramadan
Zaqarit, bulgur balls in yoghurt
Fine bulgur kneaded with onion into small balls and simmered in hot yoghurt, with no meat and no filling: the dish Daraa households make in winter, Ramadan and Eid.
- Hauran · winter soup
Rashouf: lentil, wheat and jameed soup
Lentils, chickpeas and cracked wheat cooked in yoghurt or jameed and finished with onion fried in olive oil: the winter soup of the Hauran, sipped hot on snowy days.
Hauran · wedding and Friday tableRaqaqa (Makmoura), Hauran layered chicken pie
Thin sheets of dough layered with chicken and onion cooked in olive oil, baked slowly and cut into triangles: the Hauran's dish for guests and Fridays, with yoghurt.
Ready-made routes
By car · 1 dayDamascus to Muzayrib: a day drive along the first stages of the Hajj road
The Hajj caravan's first stages south of Damascus in one day: Qadam station, Khan Dannun of 1376, the temple at As-Sanamayn, Muzayrib and Daraa's railway junction.
By car · 1 dayFrom Daraa to the Yarmouk edge: a day trip to Tafas, Muzayrib and Tell Shihab
A day in rural western Daraa: Tafas's old mosque, the Dion candidate Tell al-Ash'ari, the Hajj stop of Muzayrib and the Tell Shihab falls. 55 km, border area.
By car · 1 dayOne day from Daraa to Izra
An early Islamic mosque in the old town, a dead railway junction at its edge, and a church of 515 forty kilometres north. One day by car, three stops.
Transparency
- How this was chosen
- The answer on this page is written by hand. The lists are built from published records tied to this city and grow on their own as records are added.
- Facts checked
- September 2026
- Last updated
- September 15, 2026