For the town in Jordan, see Bozrah. For the town in Iraq, see Basra. For the other town in Syria, see Busra al-Harir. For the genus of moths, see Bostra (moth).
Bosra (Arabic: بُصْرَىٰ, romanized: Buṣrā), formerly Bostra (Greek: Βόστρα) and officially called Busra al-Sham (Arabic: بُصْرَىٰ ٱلشَّام, romanized: Buṣrā al-Shām), is a town in southern Syria, administratively belonging to the Daraa District of the Daraa Governorate and geographically part of the Hauran region.
Bosra is an ancient city mentioned in 14th century BC Egyptian sources. A key Nabatean city, it became the prosperous provincial capital of the Roman province of Arabia Petraea following the dissolvement of the Nabatean kingdom.[1] With the advent of Christianity, Bostra flourished as a Metropolitan Archbishopric, under the jurisdiction of Eastern Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East. It also became a Latin Catholic titular see and the episcopal see of a Melkite Catholic Archeparchy.
Throughout its history under various Muslim rulers, the city maintained its strategic importance as Syria's southern gateway. It attracted attention from Damascus' rulers and was governed by various lords, serving as a hub for Islamic learning and endowments. However, it declined into a village during the Ottoman era, only to be revitalized in the 20th century with the construction of the Hijaz railway and due to growing archaeological interest, later prompting tourism-focused development by the Syrian government. Today, it is a major archaeological site and has been declared by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.[1]
According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Bosra had a population of 19,683 in the 2004 census. It is the administrative center of the nahiyah ("subdistrict") of Bosra which consisted of nine localities with a collective population of 33,839 in 2004.[2] Bosra's inhabitants are predominantly Sunni Muslim, although the town has a small Shia Muslim community.[3]
^ abSharon, M. (2007-01-01), "Sites", Corpus Inscriptionum Arabicarum Palaestinae, Addendum, Brill, pp. 43–44, ISBN 978-90-474-2073-6, retrieved 2024-02-13
^General Census of Population and Housing 2004. Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Daraa Governorate. (in Arabic)
Battle of Bosra was fought in 634 CE between the Rashidun Caliphate army and the Byzantine Empire over the possession of the city of Bosra, in Syria....
The Ancient City of Bosra is an archaeological site located in the city of Bosra, Syria. The site illustrates the Roman, Byzantine and Muslim civilizations...
The Roman Theatre at Bosra (Arabic: المسرح الروماني ببصرى) is a large Roman theatre in Bosra, in the district of Dar'a in south-western Syria.: 143 It...
Bosra Sham (28 February 1993) is a retired Thoroughbred racehorse bred in the United States and trained in England. In a career which lasted from August...
well-preserved Classical-era monuments in the world. Hauran towns such as Bosra, Qanawat, Shahba, Salkhad, Umm al-Jimal and numerous others contain Roman...
New York and All North America, formerly the metropolitan archbishop of Bosra, Hauran and Jabal al-Arab in Syria. Saba Esber was born in 1959 in Latakia...
The Book of the Bee (Syriac: ܟܬܒܐ ܕܕܒܘܪܝܬܐ, romanized: Kṯāḇā ḏ-debboriṯā) is a historiographic and theological compilation, containing numerous Biblical...
The Bosra Sham Stakes is a Listed flat horse race in Great Britain open to fillies aged two years only. It is run on the Rowley Mile course at Newmarket...
ruling over the Arabs in Jordan and Southern Syria from his capital at Bosra. The last of the Ghassanid kings, who ruled at the time of the Muslim invasion...
Abi Bakr al-Ansari, which is essentially, as follows: It is said that in Bosra, a Syrian city, a monk by the name of Bahira learns the descriptions of...
Aleppo Bosra Damascus Ancient Villages Crac des Chevaliers Qal'at Salah El-Din Palmyra The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization...
offensive Battle of Sarrin (Mar–Apr) Battle of Sarrin (Jun–Jul) Battle of Bosra Idlib Offensive Second Battle of Idlib Battle of Nasib Border Crossing Battle...
madrasa created in Syria was the Madrasa of Kumushtakin, added to a mosque in Bosra in 1136.: 27 One of the earliest madrasas in Damascus, and one of the first...
offensive Battle of Sarrin (Mar–Apr) Battle of Sarrin (Jun–Jul) Battle of Bosra Idlib Offensive Second Battle of Idlib Battle of Nasib Border Crossing Battle...
desert with 700 picked horsemen, passing through al-Kerak then reaching Bosra. According to his own account, was joined by "emirs, soldiers, and Bedouins—the...
Global Information
Syria