Al-Hirak, Daraa

Al-Hirak (Arabic: الحراك also spelled al-Hrak or Herak) is a city in southern Syria, administratively belonging to the Izraa District of the Daraa Governorate. It is situated about 40 kilometers northeast of Daraa, and is surrounded by the towns of Al-Mlaihah al-Gharbiyah to the east and Izraa to the northeast.

According to the 2004 census by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), al-Hirak had a population of 20,760. It is the administrative center of a nahiyah ("subdistrict") consisting of six localities with a combined population of 40,979 in the 2004 census. Its inhabitants are predominantly Sunni Muslims. It is primarily inhabited by clans originally from the Hejaz who arrived in the region in the 17th and 18th centuries and settled there, such as Al Zamil, Al Salamat (historically allied to the currently-ruling Al-Sharaa family) and Abu Salem, all of which belong to the Anaza tribe. Other clans, such as Al-Qaddah (from the Islamic prophets tribe of Quraysh), Al-Kheirat, Al-Hareeri and Al-Kasabra inhabit the city.

Among its most important features is the ancient Al-Umari mosque, once a Christian monastery and before that a pagan temple for the worship of Baal, the sun god.