Basra
Ancient port city, hub of trade and conflict in southern Iraq.
Basra (Arabic: ٱلْبَصْرَة, romanized: al-Baṣrah) or Basrah is a port city in southern Iraq, capital of the eponymous Basra Governorate and the third largest city in Iraq, behind Baghdad and Mosul.
- Country
- Iraq
- Governorate
- Basra Governorate
- Population rank
- Third largest city in Iraq
- Location
- Along the banks of the Shatt al-Arab, near the Iran–Iraq border
Lore & Background
The original site, a military camp, is marked by the Imam Ali Mosque about 15 kilometers southwest of modern Basra. The Muslim commander Utba ibn Ghazwan erected his camp on the site of an old Persian military settlement called Vaheštābād Ardašīr. The city was built in a circular plan according to Partho-Sasanian architecture.
Reader's Guide
Basra's significance lies in its dual role as a strategic port and a battlefield. As Iraq's only coastal region, it serves as a crucial transport hub and, with its abundant oil reserves, has become one of the major industrial cities in the region. Historically, it was a center of the slave trade and a hub of knowledge during the Islamic Golden Age. After the Iraq war ended, it experienced a period of prosperity and development with reconstruction projects such as the Grand Faw Port. Today, the majority of its population consists of Arab Shia Muslims, with a large Sunni minority.
Did You Know?
- Basra is home to the first mosque built outside the Arabian Peninsula.
- Basra is historically one of the ports from which the fictional Sinbad the Sailor embarked on his journeys.
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