Atlas of Battles

battle, major, medieval

Battle of Dara

Battle of Dara was a battle fought in May AD 530 at Dara, in what is now Turkey. It was part of the Iberian War, which ran from AD 526 to AD 532. The recorded result: Byzantine victory. Recorded strength: 25,000 men against 50,000 men; (40,000 men before reinforcements).

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The battleplan of the Battle of Dara
The battleplan of the Battle of Dara. United States Military Academy Department of History, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
FoughtMay AD 530
WhereDara, Turkey37.180N, 40.955E
OutcomeByzantine victory
BelligerentsByzantine Empire; Heruli; HunsagainstSasanian Empire
Casualties and lossesLess than 5,000 menand8,000+ men
Part ofIberian WarAD 526 to AD 532

Where it sits in the Iberian War

Battle of Thannuris, AD 528Battle of Mindouos, AD 528Battle of Satala, AD 530Battle of Dara, AD 530Battle of Callinicum, AD 531AD 528AD 531Battle of Dara, AD 530
5 placed engagements of the Iberian War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

DateMay AD 530 (month precision)
PlaceDara, Turkey
37.180N, 40.955E
KindBattle, medieval
Strength25,000 men50,000 men; (40,000 men before reinforcements)
Casualties and lossesLess than 5,000 men8,000+ men
Commanders
  • Belisarius
  • Hermogenes (magister officiorum)
  • Pharas the Herulian
  • Sunicas
  • Aigan (Hunnic commander)
  • Simmas
  • Perozes
  • Pityaxes
  • Baresmanas
Battle of DaraBattle of DaraSiege of DaraSiege of NisibisSiege of NisibisSiege of NisibisSiege of NisibisSiege of NisibisDiyarbakırBatmanTall AfarZakhoMardinAl HasakahDuhokSiirt100 km37.180N, 40.955E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Dara
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 50 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Dara today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2024-06-07. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2024.

The recorded site stands at about 562 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 0 to 943 m, 943 m of relief, mountainous country and today it is 65% grassland, 33% cropland.

grassland: 65%cropland: 33%grassland 65%cropland 33%
west to east, 10.0 km0 to 662 mnorth to south, 10.0 km499 to 921 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Battle of Dara is one of 128 engagements of the 6th century in the atlas and one of 687 in present-day Turkey.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q385604, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Dara, revision 1382821908, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.