Due to good location and excellent conditions to produce wine and olive oil, it flourished in the 5th and 6th centuries; this was aided by the plentiful underground water in the area.

[2] Agricultural development accelerated from the 5th century, with peasants digging to access underground springs rather than relying on waterfalls, the appearance of a network of wells and canals across the region, the cutting of private reservoirs in courtyards to collect rainwater, and the digging of large communal reservoirs.

[3] The site’s affluence is demonstrated by well-decorated stonework, industrial-scale olive presses and a small number of decorated monumental tombs from the 6th century.

[5] At the height of the Byzantine Empire’s power, the emperors increased their control over sites like Bara, strategically positioned to both protect mountain access and survey the more contested plains to the east.

[3] In 1098, Al-Bara was conquered by crusaders (from there they later set off to the infamous cannibalistic massacre of Ma`arat al-Numan) led by Raymond de Saint-Gilles.