Busra al-Sham, Busrá ash Sham, or Bosra ash-Sham, depending how it is translated from Arabic, sits on a fertile plain that is littered with black basalt.
The earliest sources that mention Busra were 14th-century BC Egyptian scripts. It was a Nabatean city that sat on local trade and pilgrimage routes and it became quite wealthy. When the Nabatean kingdom crumbled, Busra became the capital of the Roman province of Arabia Petraea. When Christianity reached the region, Busra flourished as a Metropolitan Archbishopric. Later, under Muslim rule, it maintained its importance as a strategic gateway to Syria's south. During the times of the Ottoman empire it slowly declined and by the 20th century it was just a village of no particular significance.
When the Hijaz railway was constructed in 1908 Busra once again started to gain importance. Even after the railroad was closed in 1920 Busra continued growing due to growing archaeological interest. Tourism-focused development by the Syrian government also revitalised the city. Nowadays Busra is an important archaeological site and inscribed in the UNESCO list of world heritage sites.
Busra al-Sham was once a city of 80,000 inhabitants, but nowadays it's only a small city among the Roman ruins.
These ruins include one of the world's best-preserved Roman theatres. The Roman theatre dates from the 12nd century and had been fortified from 481 to 1231 and converted into a citadel, which is quite unusual. A deep moat was dug around it and nine towers were erected for protection. Inside the citadel is the theatre, which holds 15,000 spectators. During Roman times, the theatre was faced with marble and a fine mist of water was sprayed over the patrons to keep them cool.
There are also several other ruins in Busra al-Sham, including a nymphaeum, baths and one of the oldest mosques in the world, the Al-Omari Mosque. There is also a monastery, which dates from the 4th century, as well as a Nabatean gate. Several other Nabatean and Roman monuments, Christian churches, mosques and Madrassas can be seen in the area.
Many contemporary buildings have been constructed on top of Roman foundations and are made from the black basalt collected from the surrounding area.
Not far from Busra are the two roman bridges of Kharaba Bridge and the Gemarrin Bridge.
There is not much accommodation in Busra, but it is possible to visit the town on a day trip from Dimashq (Damascus) or Dar'a (Der'a). Microbuses ply both routes. Busra al-Sham is 110 km south of Dimashq (Damascus).
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