Bosra

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For the town in Iraq, see Basra.

Ancient City of Bosra*
UNESCO World Heritage Site

State Party	Syria
Type	Cultural
Criteria	i, iii, iv
Reference	22
Region†	Arab States
Inscription History
Inscription	1980 (4th Session)
* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. † Region as classified by UNESCO.

Bosra (Arabic: بصرى, also transliterated Bostra, Busrana, Bozrah, Bozra, Busra Eski Şam, Busra ash-Sham, Nova Trajana Bostra) is an ancient city administratively belonging to the Daraa Governorate in southern modern-day Syria. It is an archaeological and UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The settlement was first mentioned in the documents of Tutmose III and Akhenaton (14th century BC). Bosra was the first Nabatean city in the 2nd century BC. The Nabatean Kingdom was conquered by Cornelius Palma, a general of Trajan, in 106.

Under the Roman Empire, Bosra was renamed Nova Trajana Bostra, residence of the legion III Cyrenaica and capital of the Roman province Arabia Petraea. The city flourished and became a major metropolis at the juncture of several trade routes, including the Roman road to the Red Sea. The Forces of Rashidun Caliphate under Khalid ibn Walid conquered the city from the Romans in the Battle of Bosra in 634. In Islamic times, the settlement was noted as the birthplace of Ibn Kathir. A famous Assyrian from Bosra, was Bahira.

Today, Bosra is a major archaeological site, containing ruins from Roman, Byzantine, and Muslim times. The city features what is thought to be the best-preserved Roman theater in the world. Every year there is a national music festival hosted in the theater.