Located in the southern part of the Hebron Governorate, the city of Dura was mentioned as 'Adoraim' in ancient texts (such as the Amarna letters) as early as 14 BC. Typical to such ancient cities, following an unrelenting series of conquests and colonizations by the Israelites, Babylonians and Hellenists, in the 16th century, the city was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire.
Since 1967, Dura has been under Israeli occupation and an illegal Israeli settlement built in the Judean mountains.
Fragments of columns, ceramics and ancient ruins scatter the landscape of Dura. Local Palestinian legend has it that Dura is the resting place of Noah (Neby Nuh) and a sarcophagus containing what is said to be his remains, exists within a shrine, nearby the main town.