Bosra

Ancient City of Bosra

Bosra (also spelled Bostra, Busrana, Bozrah, Bozra), officially known Busra al-Sham, is an ancient town in Syria. Due to being a major archaeological site, it has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Understand

The city had once had around 80,000 inhabitants.

As Syria is at war, Bosra has appeared on UNESCO's List of World Heritage in Danger since 2013. Portions of the Ancient City of Bosra were destroyed during combat on 22 December 2015. There is fear of further deterioration due to severe damage to the western courtyard adjacent to Bosra’s 2nd century Roman theatre and to parts of the Ayyubid citadel which surrounds it.

See

Roman ruins north of the citadel.

Nabatean Arch.

Heritage sites across Bosra have been damaged by the civil war.

• 1 Roman Theatre at Bosra. From 2nd century (updated Oct 2019)
• 2 Kharaba Bridge. (updated Oct 2019)
• 3 Gemarrin Bridge. (updated Oct 2019)
• 4 Bab al-Hawa. Western gate of the city, dates back to the 2nd century AD. (updated Jul 2021)
• 5 Al-Omari Mosque. One of the oldest surviving mosques. (updated Oct 2019)
• Fatima Mosque. (updated Jul 2021)

Go next

• Damascus
• Ancient ruins in Palmyra were once a major attraction, but much has been destroyed by Da'esh in 2015. The site is a minefield and not safe for travel.