Dara or Daras ( el, Δάρας, syr,
ܕܪܐ) was an important
East Roman fortress city in northern
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia ''Mesopotamíā''; ar, بِلَاد ٱلرَّافِدَيْن or ; syc, ܐܪܡ ܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ, or , ) is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the F ...
on the border with the
Sassanid Empire
The Sasanian () or Sassanid Empire, officially known as the Empire of Iranians (, ) and also referred to by historians as the Neo-Persian Empire, was the last Iranian empire before the early Muslim conquests of the 7th-8th centuries AD. Named ...
. Because of its great strategic importance, it featured prominently in the
Roman-Persian conflicts (in
530
__NOTOC__
Year 530 (Roman numerals, DXXX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. In the Roman Empire, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Lampadius and Rufius Gennadius Pr ...
, 540, 544,
573
__NOTOC__
Year 573 (Roman numerals, DLXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 573 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Dom ...
, and 604). The former archbishopric remains a multiple
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
titular see
A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular metropolitan" (highest rank), "titular archbish ...
. Today the
Turkish
Turkish may refer to:
*a Turkic language spoken by the Turks
* of or about Turkey
** Turkish language
*** Turkish alphabet
** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation
*** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey
*** Turkish communities and mi ...
village of Oğuz,
Mardin Province, occupies its location.
History
Foundation by Anastasius
During the
Anastasian War
The Anastasian War was fought from 502 to 506 between the Byzantine Empire and the Sasanian Empire. It was the first major conflict between the two powers since 440, and would be the prelude to a long series of destructive conflicts between the t ...
in 502–506, the Roman armies fared poorly against the
Sassanid Persians
The Sasanian () or Sassanid Empire, officially known as the Empire of Iranians (, ) and also referred to by historians as the Neo-Persian Empire, was the last Iranian empire before the early Muslim conquests of the 7th-8th centuries AD. Named ...
. According to the ''Syriac Chronicle'' of
Zacharias of Mytilene
Zacharias of Mytilene (c. 465, Gaza – after 536), also known as Zacharias Scholasticus or Zacharias Rhetor, was a bishop and ecclesiastical historian.
Life
The life of Zacharias of Mytilene can be reconstructed only from a few scattered repo ...
, the Roman generals blamed their difficulties on the lack of a strong base in the area, as opposed to the Persians, who held the great city of
Nisibis
Nusaybin (; '; ar, نُصَيْبِيْن, translit=Nuṣaybīn; syr, ܢܨܝܒܝܢ, translit=Nṣībīn), historically known as Nisibis () or Nesbin, is a city in Mardin Province, Turkey. The population of the city is 83,832 as of 2009 and is ...
(which until its cession in 363 had served the same purpose for the Romans).
[Zacharias of Mytilene, ''Syriac Chronicle'', Book VII, Chapter VI]
Therefore, in 505, while the Persian King
Kavadh I
Kavad I ( pal, 𐭪𐭥𐭠𐭲 ; 473 – 13 September 531) was the Sasanian King of Kings of Iran from 488 to 531, with a two or three-year interruption. A son of Peroz I (), he was crowned by the nobles to replace his deposed and unpopular u ...
was distracted in the East, Emperor
Anastasius I decided to rebuild the village of Dara, only 18 kilometres westwards from
Nisibis
Nusaybin (; '; ar, نُصَيْبِيْن, translit=Nuṣaybīn; syr, ܢܨܝܒܝܢ, translit=Nṣībīn), historically known as Nisibis () or Nesbin, is a city in Mardin Province, Turkey. The population of the city is 83,832 as of 2009 and is ...
and just 5 km from the actual border with Persia, to be "a refuge for the army in which they might rest, and for the preparation of weapons, and to guard the country of the Arabs from the inroads of the Persians and
Saracens
file:Erhard Reuwich Sarazenen 1486.png, upright 1.5, Late 15th-century Germany in the Middle Ages, German woodcut depicting Saracens
Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek language, Greek and Latin writings, to refer ...
".
[ Masons and workers from all over Mesopotamia were gathered and worked with great haste. The new city was built on three hills, on the highest of which stood the citadel, and endowed with great storehouses, a public bath and water ]cistern
A cistern (Middle English ', from Latin ', from ', "box", from Greek ', "basket") is a waterproof receptacle for holding liquids, usually water. Cisterns are often built to catch and store rainwater. Cisterns are distinguished from wells by t ...
s.[ It took the name ''Anastasiopolis'' ( el, Ἀναστασιούπολις) and became the seat of the Roman '']dux Mesopotamiae
Mesopotamia was the name of a Roman province, initially a short-lived creation of the Roman emperor Trajan in 116–117 and then re-established by Emperor Septimius Severus in c. 198. Control of the province was subsequently fought over betwe ...
''.
Reconstruction by Justinian
According to Procopius, the hasty construction of the original walls resulted in poor quality, and the severe weather conditions of the region exacerbated the problem, ruining some sections. Thus Byzantine Emperor
This is a list of the Byzantine emperors from the foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD, which marks the conventional start of the Eastern Roman Empire, to its fall to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. Only the emperors who were recognized as le ...
Justinian I
Justinian I (; la, Iustinianus, ; grc-gre, Ἰουστινιανός ; 48214 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was the Byzantine emperor from 527 to 565.
His reign is marked by the ambitious but only partly realized ''renovat ...
was compelled to undertake extensive repairs to the city, afterwards renaming it ''Iustiniana Nova''. The walls were rebuilt and the inner wall raised by a new storey, doubling its height to about . The towers were strengthened and raised to three stories (ca. 35 m) high, and a moat dug out and filled with water.
Justinian's engineers also diverted the nearby river Cordes towards the city by digging a canal. The river now flowed through the city, ensuring ample water supply. At the same time, by means of diverting its flow to an underground channel which exited to the north, the garrison was able to deny water to a besieging enemy, a fact which saved the city on several occasions. To avert the danger of flooding, which had already once wrecked large parts of the city, an elaborate arch dam was built to contain it, one of the earliest known of its kind. In addition, barracks were built for the garrison, and two new churches were constructed, the "Great Church", and one dedicated to St Bartholomew.
Later history
The city was later besieged and captured by the Persians under Khosrau I in 573–574, but was returned to the Romans by Khosrau II after the Roman-Persian treaty in 590. It was taken again by Khosrau II in 604–05 after a nine-month siege, recovered again for the Roman Empire by Heraclius
Heraclius ( grc-gre, Ἡράκλειος, Hērákleios; c. 575 – 11 February 641), was List of Byzantine emperors, Eastern Roman emperor from 610 to 641. His rise to power began in 608, when he and his father, Heraclius the Elder, the Exa ...
. Finally captured in 639 by the Arab Muslims, the city then lost its military significance, declined and was eventually abandoned.
Modern history
Dara became the site of massacre during the Armenian genocide
The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was ...
. According to some reports, the cisterns were filled with the bodies of slaughtered Armenians from Diyarbakır
Diyarbakır (; ; ; ) is the largest Kurdish-majority city in Turkey. It is the administrative center of Diyarbakır Province.
Situated around a high plateau by the banks of the Tigris river on which stands the historic Diyarbakır Fortress, ...
, Mardin
Mardin ( ku, Mêrdîn; ar, ماردين; syr, ܡܪܕܝܢ, Merdīn; hy, Մարդին) is a city in southeastern Turkey. The capital of Mardin Province, it is known for the Artuqid architecture of its old city, and for its strategic location on ...
, and Erzurum in the spring and summer of 1915.
Ecclesiastical history
Archbishopric
The new city became the seat of a Christian bishop and was at first a Metropolitan see
Metropolitan may refer to:
* Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories
* Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England
* Metropolitan county, a t ...
, with three suffragan
A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations.
In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdictiona ...
s : Rhesaina (also called Theodosiopolis), Rhandus and Nasala.
Its first known bishop was Eutychianus, who took possession in 506. His successor, Thomas, was deposed in 519 for his opposition to the Council of Chalcedon
The Council of Chalcedon (; la, Concilium Chalcedonense), ''Synodos tēs Chalkēdonos'' was the fourth ecumenical council of the Christian Church. It was convoked by the Roman emperor Marcian. The council convened in the city of Chalcedon, Bith ...
and died in 540. Mamas was removed in 537. Stephanus took part in the Second Council of Constantinople
The Second Council of Constantinople is the fifth of the first seven ecumenical councils recognized by both the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church. It is also recognized by the Old Catholics and others. Protestant opinions and rec ...
in 553.
After the 7th-century Arab conquest, Dara again became the seat of Jacobite (Syriac Orthodox) bishops. Between 825 and 860, the archbishop was John of Dara John ( 825–860), in Syriac Iwannis, was a Syriac Orthodox writer and the metropolitan bishop of Dara (Anastasiopolis). He wrote extensively on theology, philosophy and liturgy in the Syriac language.
Life
Nothing is known of John's life beyond ...
, a prolific theologian. In the 10th century, Syriac Orthodox Diocese of Dara lost its Metropolitan rank, which passed to its former suffragan Rhesaina.
Titular Catholic see
No longer a residential bishopric, Dara is now listed by the Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
as a titular see
A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular metropolitan" (highest rank), "titular archbish ...
, both Latin and in particular for the Syriac Catholic Church
The Syriac Catholic Church ( syc, ܥܕܬܐ ܣܘܪܝܝܬܐ ܩܬܘܠܝܩܝܬܐ, ʿĪṯo Suryayṯo Qaṯolīqayṯo, ar, الكنيسة السريانية الكاثوليكية) is an Eastern Catholic Churches, Eastern Catholic Christianity ...
, which, though of the West Syriac Rite, is in full communion with the Holy See
The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...
.[''Annuario Pontificio 2013'' (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2013, ), p. 879]
The diocese was nominally restored in the 15th century as the Latin Catholic titular bishopric of Dara.
As such, it has the following incumbents, all of the lowest (episcopal) rank :
* Hubert Léonard, Carmelite Order
, image =
, caption = Coat of arms of the Carmelites
, abbreviation = OCarm
, formation = Late 12th century
, founder = Early hermits of Mount Carmel
, founding_location = Mount Ca ...
(O. Carm.) (1474.11.16 – 1489.07.06) and again (1492.12.03 – ?)
* Blasius de Aguinaga (1669.09.09 – ?)
* Nicolás de Ulloa y Hurtado de Mendoza, Augustinian Order (O.E.S.A.) (1677.02.08 – 1679.11.27)
* Francisco Zapata Vera y Morales (1680.03.11 – 1703.04.23)
* Franz Engelbert Barbo von Waxenstein (1703.06.04 – 1706.12.25)
In 1925 it was renamed and Promoted as Metropolitan Titular archbishopric of Dara.
It has been vacant for decades, having had the following incumbents of that (highest) rank :
* Alfonso Archi (1925.11.16 – 1927.03.04)
* Joseph-Marie Le Gouaze (1927.09.29 – 1930.12.05)
* Luigi Fantozzi (1931.01.01 – 1932.01.14)
* Torquato Dini (1933.11.12 – 1934.03.26)
* Antonio Riberi
Antonio Riberi (15 June 1897 – 16 December 1967) was a Monegasque prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as the fifth apostolic nuncio to Ireland and later as the nuncio to Spain from 1962 until his death. He was elevated to the cardinala ...
(黎培理) (1934.08.13 – 1967.07.25), as papal diplomat : Apostolic Delegate
An apostolic nuncio ( la, nuntius apostolicus; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international o ...
to Africa for Missions (1934.08.13 – 1945), Apostolic Internuncio
An apostolic nuncio ( la, nuntius apostolicus; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international o ...
(papal envoy) to PR China (1946.07.06 – 1959.02.19), Apostolic Nuncio (papal ambassador) to Ireland (1959.02.19 – 1962.04.28), Apostolic Nuncio to Spain (1962.04.28 – 1967.06.26); later created Cardinal-Priest of S. Girolamo della Carità ''pro hac vice'' Title (1967.06.29 – 1967.12.16)
* Nicholas Thomas Elko (1967.12.22 – 1971.08.10)
Established as Titular bishopric of Anastasiopolis, suppressed without incumbent, restored in 1979 as titular bishopric of Dara Syrorum (Dara of the Syriacs, or just Dara in Curiate Italian).
It has had the following incumbents, of both the lowest (episcopal) ''and intermediary (archiepiscopal)'' ranks :
* Titular Bishop Athanase Matti Shaba Matoka (1979.08.25 – 1983.07.15) (later Archbishop)
* ''Titular Archbishop Flavien Joseph Melki (1996.05.25 – ... ), Bishop of Curia
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
emeritus of the Syriacs
See also
* Mt. Izla
Mount Izla ( syr, ܛܘܪ ܐܝܙܠܐ ''Ṭūr Īzlā' ''),Thomas A. Carlson et al., “Izla — ܛܘܪܐ ܕܐܝܙܠܐ ” in The Syriac Gazetteer last modified January 14, 2014, http://syriaca.org/place/100. also Mountain of Nisibis or briefly ...
References
Sources and external links
Primary sources
*Zacharias of Mytilene
Zacharias of Mytilene (c. 465, Gaza – after 536), also known as Zacharias Scholasticus or Zacharias Rhetor, was a bishop and ecclesiastical historian.
Life
The life of Zacharias of Mytilene can be reconstructed only from a few scattered repo ...
''Syriac Chronicle'', Book VII
Chapter VI
* Procopius
Aedificiis'', Book II
Secondary sources
*Brian Croke, James Crow: ''Procopius and Dara'', in: Journal of Roman Studies 73 (1983), p. 143–159.
*Italo Furlan, ''Accertamenti a Dara'', Padua 1984
*Michael Whitby: ''Procopius' description of Dara ("Buildings" II 1-3)'', in: ''The defence of the Roman and Byzantine East. Proceedings of a colloquium held at the University of Sheffield in April 1986'', Oxford 1986, S. 737–783.
* Gunnar Brands: ''Ein Baukomplex in Dara-Anastasiopolis'', in: ''Jahrbuch für Antike und Christentum 47'' (2004), pp. 144–155.
*Christopher Lillington-Martin, "Archaeological and Ancient Literary Evidence for a Battle near Dara Gap, Turkey, AD 530: Topography, Texts & Trenches", British Archaeological Reports (BAR) –S1717, 2007 The Late Roman Army in the Near East from Diocletian to the Arab Conquest Proceedings of a colloquium held at Potenza, Acerenza and Matera, Italy (May 2005) edited by Ariel S. Lewin and Pietrina Pellegrini with the aid of Zbigniew T. Fiema and Sylvain Janniard. . (pages 299-311).
Arch dam
*
*
*
*
*
External links
Article
on the city by ''Encyclopædia Iranica
''Encyclopædia Iranica'' is a project whose goal is to create a comprehensive and authoritative English language encyclopedia about the history, culture, and civilization of Iranian peoples from prehistory to modern times.
Scope
The ''Encycl ...
''
GCatholic - Latin titular see, with titular incumbent bio links
{{Authority control
Roman towns and cities in Turkey
Populated places in ancient Upper Mesopotamia
Former populated places in Turkey
Populated places of the Byzantine Empire
History of Mardin Province
Buildings and structures in Mardin Province
Syriac Catholic dioceses
Catholic titular sees in Asia
Roman–Sasanian Wars