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 ...

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. Name ...

. Because of its great strategic importance, it featured prominently in the Roman-Persian conflicts (in 530, 540, 544, 573, 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 archbis ...

. Today the Turkish village of Oğuz,

Mardin Province Mardin Province ( tr, Mardin ili; ku, Parêzgeha Mêrdînê; ar, محافظة ماردين) is a province of Turkey with a population of 809,719 in 2017, slightly down from the population of 835,173 in 2000. Kurds form the majority of the popu ...

, 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 tw ...

in 502–506, the Roman armies fared poorly against the Sassanid Persians. 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 rep ...

, 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

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 upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek and Latin writings, to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Romans as Arabia ...

". 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 Procopius of Caesarea ( grc-gre, Προκόπιος ὁ Καισαρεύς ''Prokópios ho Kaisareús''; la, Procopius Caesariensis; – after 565) was a prominent late antique Greek scholar from Caesarea Maritima. Accompanying the Roman gener ...

, 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 ...

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 Khosrow I (also spelled Khosrau, Khusro or Chosroes; pal, 𐭧𐭥𐭮𐭫𐭥𐭣𐭩; New Persian: []), traditionally known by his epithet of Anushirvan ( [] "the Immortal Soul"), was the Sasanian Empire, Sasanian King of Kings of Iran from ...

in 573–574, but was returned to the Romans by

Khosrau II Khosrow II (spelled Chosroes II in classical sources; pal, 𐭧𐭥𐭮𐭫𐭥𐭣𐭩, Husrō), also known as Khosrow Parviz ( New Persian: , "Khosrow the Victorious"), is considered to be the last great Sasanian king (shah) of Iran, ruling ...

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 Eastern Roman emperor from 610 to 641. His rise to power began in 608, when he and his father, Heraclius the Elder, the exarch of Africa, led a revolt ...

. 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 Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was implemented primarily through th ...

. 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 o ...

, and

Erzurum Erzurum (; ) is a city in eastern Anatolia, Turkey. It is the largest city and capital of Erzurum Province and is 1,900 meters (6,233 feet) above sea level. Erzurum had a population of 367,250 in 2010. The city uses the double-headed eagle a ...

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 ...

, 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 jurisdiction ...

s :

Rhesaina Rhesaina (Rhesaena) ( grc, Ρέσαινα and Ρεσαίνα) was a city in the late Roman province of Mesopotamia Secunda and a bishopric that was a suffragan of Dara. Rhesaina (Rhesaena, Resaena – numerous variations of the name appear in an ...

(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, Bit ...

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 ...

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, a prolific theologian. In the 10th century, Syriac Orthodox Diocese of Dara lost its Metropolitan rank, which passed to its former suffragan

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

, 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 Christian jurisdiction originating in ...

, which, though of the

West Syriac Rite The West Syriac Rite, also called Syro-Antiochian Rite, is an Eastern Christian liturgical rite that employs the Divine Liturgy of Saint James in the West Syriac dialect. It is practised in the Maronite Church, the Syriac Orthodox Chu ...

, 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 R ...

.''Annuario Pontificio 2013'' (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2013, ), p. 879 The diocese was nominally restored in the 15th century as the Latin Catholic

titular bishopric 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 archbis ...

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 Car ...

(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 Augustinians are members of Christian religious orders that follow the Rule of Saint Augustine, written in about 400 AD by Augustine of Hippo. There are two distinct types of Augustinians in Catholic religious orders dating back to the 12th–1 ...

(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 (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 org ...

to Africa for Missions (1934.08.13 – 1945), Apostolic Internuncio (papal envoy) to PR China (1946.07.06 – 1959.02.19),

Apostolic Nuncio 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 or ...

(papal ambassador) to Ireland (1959.02.19 – 1962.04.28), Apostolic Nuncio to Spain (1962.04.28 – 1967.06.26); later created

Cardinal-Priest A cardinal ( la, Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae cardinalis, literally 'cardinal of the Holy Roman Church') is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. Cardinals are created by the ruling pope and typically hold the title for life. Col ...

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

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 emeritus of the Syriacs

References

Sources and external links

Primary sources *

''Syriac Chronicle'', Book VII
Chapter VI *

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 ''Ency ...

''
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