Battle of Dara

The Battle of Dara was fought in 530 near the fortified frontier city of Dara in northern Mesopotamia. Belisarius organised the Roman position around trenches and used infantry, cavalry and allied troops to meet a larger Sasanian force.

The Roman victory established Belisarius’s reputation and demonstrated the importance of preparation, manoeuvre and coordinated cavalry on the eastern frontier.

The battle is a key setting for fiction about the Roman–Sasanian wars and the early military career of Belisarius.