Adra ( ar, عَدْرَا, ʿAdrā) is a town in southern Syria, administratively part of the

Rif Dimashq Governorate Rif Dimashq Governorate ( ar, محافظة ريف دمشق, ', literally, the "Governorate of the Countryside of Damascus", Damascus Suburb) is one of the fourteen governorates (provinces) of Syria. It is situated in the southwestern part of the ...

, located northeast of Damascus. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics, the town had a population of 20,559 in the 2004 census.General Census of Population and Housing 2004
Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Rif Dimashq Governorate. The Hujr ibn Adi Mosque is located in the town.

Summary

Adra is the site of Syria's largest

industrial city An industrial city or industrial town is a town or city in which the municipal economy, at least historically, is centered around industry, with important factories or other production facilities in the town. It has been part of most countries' i ...

, located immediately east of the town. The industrial zone's area is around 7,000

hectare The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100- metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre is ...

s, with half being designated for services and the other half for industries. Its total estimated cost $570 million US. In 2008 there were 90 operating factories while 1,125 factories were under construction. The investment value for active factories was $646 million US. By 2010, Adra's industrial city contained the largest number of active factories and factories under construction in Syria, with a total of 1,952, a few more than in Shaykh Najjar. The city's director-general in 2010 was Ziad Badour. The town is the site of the Adra Prison. Nearby localities include al-Rihan and Douma to the west, al-Shafuniyah and Hawsh Nasri to the southwest, Midaa to the south, Dumeir to the east, al-Qutayfah to the north, Hufayr al-Tahta to the northwest.

History

Adra is identified with the Biblical town of " Hadrach" mentioned by Zechariah who noted the city, which was defended by Damascus, was condemned. The Ghassanids, who were Arab Christians, dominated Adra and fought against the Muslim invaders commanded by

Khalid bin Walid Khalid ibn al-Walid ibn al-Mughira al-Makhzumi (; died 642) was a 7th-century Arab military commander. He initially headed campaigns against Muhammad on behalf of the Quraysh. He later became a Muslim and spent the remainder of his career i ...

in the Battle of Marj Rahit in July, 634 CE. Adra contains several graves of ''

sahaba The Companions of the Prophet ( ar, اَلصَّحَابَةُ; ''aṣ-ṣaḥāba'' meaning "the companions", from the verb meaning "accompany", "keep company with", "associate with") were the disciples and followers of Muhammad who saw or m ...

'' ("companions" of Islamic prophet

Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the mo ...

), including most notably that of

Hujr ibn Adi Ḥujr ibn ʿAdī al-Kindī ( ar, حُجْر بن عَدِيّ ٱلْكِنْدِيّ), died 660 CE, was a Companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He was sentenced to death by the Umayyad Caliph Muawiyah I for his unwavering support and prais ...

. The

Zengid The Zengid dynasty was a Muslim dynasty of Oghuz Turkic origin, which ruled parts of the Levant and Upper Mesopotamia on behalf of the Seljuk Empire and eventually seized control of Egypt in 1169. In 1174 the Zengid state extended from Tripoli ...

ruler

Imad ad-Din Zengi Imad al-Din Zengi ( ar, عماد الدین زنكي; – 14 September 1146), also romanized as Zangi, Zengui, Zenki, and Zanki, was a Turkmen atabeg, who ruled Mosul, Aleppo, Hama, and, later, Edessa. He was the namesake of the Zengid dyna ...

encamped at Adra in early 1135 before attempting to besiege Damascus which was controlled by the Burids. In the early 19th-century a ruined ''khan'' ("

caravansary A caravanserai (or caravansary; ) was a roadside Pub#Inns, inn where travelers (caravan (travellers), caravaners) could rest and recover from the day's journey. Caravanserais supported the flow of commerce, information and people across the ne ...

") was reported by Western travelers to be near the village of Adra. In 2013, it was the site of the Adra massacre conducted by Islamist rebels against Syrian minorities.

References

Bibliography

* {{Rif Dimashq Governorate, douma Populated places in Douma District