Today's Dera'a bore many names
The old town center, which lies in a bend of the river Wadi ez Zedi on the southwest side of the river, has been differently named by many Civilisations over the millennia.
From the conquered cities of Egyptian pharaohs (Atara), to the hometown of the gigantic king Og (Edrei),the Adraha of the Decapolis, or the Adriath of the Crusader period up to todays Dera'a, the most southerly province capital of the syrian state, this place has kept its secrets.
Already G. Schumacher wrote of the as yet undiscovered "mausoleum", which was probably more of an overflow structure/Distribution Chamber of the large water basin "Birket Siknany". Likewise, only a few parts of the Roman theater and its surroundings are exposed.
The described "Underground City" from Wetzstein/Schumacher is now completely gone from the memory of the local residents. The city was contested at all times and is today the border town to Jordan. Here began the 2011 civil war in Syria.
