During the Druze revolt against the Ottomans to protest consctiption into the Ottoman army, the Ottoman general Mustafa Pasha led his army to al-Mazraa where he faced the forces of Ismail al-Atrash, the Druze chieftain.
The French authorities divided the territory of Syria into separate autonomous entities based on the different sects in the country, including the Jabal al-Druze area of Hauran with its Druze majority of 90%.