View source for Bosra

{{Short description|Town in Syria}}
{{About||the town in Jordan|Bozrah|the city in Iraq|Basra|the other town in Syria|Busra al-Harir|the genus of moths|Bostra (moth)}}
{{Infobox settlement
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<!-- Basic info  ---------------->
| name                     = Bosra
| official_name            = Busra al-Sham
| native_name              = {{lang|ar|بُصْرَىٰ}}<br />{{lang|ar|بُصْرَىٰ ٱلشَّام}}
| other_name               =
| settlement_type          = [[List of towns and villages in Syria|Town]]
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| image_skyline            = Bosra square.jpg
| imagesize                = 300px
| image_caption            = Bosra Central Square
| image_flag               =
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| nickname                 =
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| pushpin_map              = Syria#Mediterranean east <!-- the name of a location map as per http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Location_map -->
| pushpin_label_position   = top
| pushpin_mapsize          = 250
| pushpin_map_caption      = Location in Syria
| pushpin_relief            = 1
<!-- Location ------------------>
| coordinates              = {{coord|32|31|06|N|36|28|50|E|region:SY|display=inline,title}}
| grid_position            =  289/214   
| subdivision_type         = Country
| subdivision_name         = {{flagicon image|Flag of the Syrian revolution.svg}} [[Syria]]
| subdivision_type1        = [[Governorates of Syria|Governorate]]
| subdivision_name1        = [[Daraa Governorate|Daraa]]
| subdivision_type2        = [[Districts of Syria|District]]
| subdivision_name2        = [[Daraa District|Daraa]]
| subdivision_type3        = [[Nahiyah|Subdistrict]]
| subdivision_name3        = Bosra
| subdivision_type4        = Control
| subdivision_name4        = {{flagicon image|Flag of the Syrian revolution.svg}} [[Syrian transitional government]]
| parts_type               = 
| parts_style              = para
| p1                       =
| established_title        = <!-- Settled -->
| established_date         =
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| unit_pref                = Metric <!--Enter: Imperial, if Imperial (metric) is desired-->
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| elevation_footnotes      = <!--for references: use<ref> </ref>  tags-->
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| population_footnotes     =
| population_total         = 19,683
| population_as_of         = 2004
| population_density_km2   =
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| population_blank2_title  = Religions
| population_blank2        = [[Sunni Muslim]] <br/> [[Shia]] (minority)
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| postal_code_type         = <!-- enter ZIP code, Postcode, Post code, Postal code... -->
| postal_code              =
| area_code                = 15
| website                  =
| footnotes                = 
  {{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site
  |child = yes
  |Official_name = Ancient City of Bosra
  |ID = 22
  |Year = 1980
  |Criteria = Cultural: i, iii, vi
  |Area = 116.2 ha
  |Buffer_zone = 200.4 ha
  }}
}}
'''Bosra''' ({{langx|ar|بُصْرَىٰ|Buṣrā}}), formerly '''Bostra''' ({{langx|el|Βόστρα}}) and officially called '''Busra al-Sham''' ({{langx|ar|بُصْرَىٰ ٱلشَّام|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 [[Nabataeans|Nabatean]] city, it became the prosperous provincial capital of the [[Roman Empire|Roman]] province of [[Arabia Petraea]] following the dissolution of the [[Nabataean Kingdom|Nabatean kingdom]].<ref name=":0">{{Citation |last=Sharon |first=M. |title=Sites |date=2007-01-01 |work=Corpus Inscriptionum Arabicarum Palaestinae, Addendum |pages=43–44 |url=https://brill.com/display/book/9789047420736/Bej.9789004157804.i-237_003.xml |access-date=2024-02-13 |chapter= |publisher=Brill |language=en |isbn=978-90-474-2073-6}}</ref> 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 [[Islam]]ic learning and endowments. However it declined into a village during the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] era, only to be revitalized in the 20th century with the construction of the [[Hejaz railway|Hijaz railway]] and growing archaeological interest, later prompting [[Tourism in Syria|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]].<ref name=":0" />

According to the [[Central Bureau of Statistics (Syria)|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 total population of 33,839 in 2004.<ref name="CBS">[https://archive.today/20130112231040/http://www.cbssyr.org/new%20web%20site/General_census/census_2004/NH/TAB12-2-2004.htm General Census of Population and Housing 2004]. [[Central Bureau of Statistics (Syria)|Syria Central Bureau of Statistics]] (CBS). Daraa Governorate. {{in lang|ar}}</ref> Bosra's inhabitants are predominantly [[Sunni Muslim]], although the town has a small [[Shia Muslim]] community.<ref name="Batatu24">Batatu, 1999, p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=Mbr-ZfU_uCoC&pg=PA24 24]</ref>

== History ==

Bosra was the first [[Nabateans|Nabatean]] city in the 2nd century BC. The Nabatean Kingdom was conquered by [[Cornelius Palma]], a general of [[Trajan]], in 106 AD.

According to [[John Malalas]] it was called Bostra ({{langx|grc|Βόστρα}}) after Bostras, a Roman general who was dispatched to the country.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://topostext.org/work/792#9.223|title=ToposText|website=topostext.org}}</ref>

=== Roman period===
[[File:Bosra theatre cavea 0675.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Roman Theatre at Bosra]], dating from the 2nd century AD]]
[[File:BosraMosaicCamels.png|thumb|Roman mosaic from Bosra displaying a [[camel train]]]]
Under the [[Roman Empire]] Bosra was renamed ''Nova Trajana Bostra'' and was the residence of the [[Legio III Cyrenaica|legio III ''Cyrenaica'']]. It was made capital of the [[Roman province]] of [[Arabia Petraea]]. The city flourished and became a major [[metropolis]] at the juncture of several [[trade route]]s, in particular the [[Via Traiana Nova]], a [[Roman road]] that connected [[Damascus]] to the [[Red Sea]]. It became an important centre for food production and during the reign of Emperor [[Philip the Arab]] Bosra began to mint its own coins.{{sfn|Beattie|Pepper|2001|p=126}} The two [[Councils of Arabia]] were held at Bosra in 246 and 247 AD.  The [[Babylonian Talmud]] and [[Jerusalem Talmud]] mention Bosra as a town on the border outside Israel, but with a sizeable Jewish population. In the Jerusalem Talmud, it states that [[Resh Lakish]] was in Bosra when he saw them sprinkling water to the goddess [[Aphrodite]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Jerusalem Talmud, Shevi'it |url=https://www.sefaria.org.il/Jerusalem_Talmud_Sheviit.8.8.8?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=he |access-date=16 August 2025}}</ref>  In the Babylonian Talmud, tractate [[Avoda Zara]] (58b) it likewise mentions how [[Resh Lakish]] interacted with the population in Bosra. There are also rabbis who were identified as the sage from Bosra, such as Rabbi Jonah of Bosra.  The Talmud (Shabbat 29b) also notes that there was a synagogue in Bosra.<ref>{{cite web | title=Bozrah | url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/bozrah }}</ref>

===Byzantine period===
By the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] period, which began in the 5th century, Christianity had become the dominant religion in Bosra (''Βόσρα'' in [[Byzantine Empire|Greek-Byzantine]]). The city became a Metropolitan [[archbishop]]'s seat (see below) and a large cathedral was built in the 6th century.{{sfn|Beattie|Pepper|2001|p=126}} Bosra was conquered by the [[Sasanian Empire|Sasanian Persian]]s in the early 7th century but was recaptured during the Byzantine reconquest.

===Islamic era===
Bosra played an important part in the early life of [[Muhammad]], as described in the entry for the Christian monk [[Bahira]]. The [[Rashidun army|forces]] of the [[Rashidun Caliphate]] under general [[Khalid ibn al-Walid]] captured the city from the [[Byzantine]]s in the [[Battle of Bosra]] in 634. Throughout Islamic rule Bosra would serve as the southernmost outpost of [[Bilad al-Sham]], its prosperity being mostly contingent on the political importance of that city. Bosra held additional significance as a centre of the pilgrim caravan between Damascus and the Muslim holy cities of [[Mecca]] and [[Medina]], the destinations of the annual ''[[hajj]]'' pilgrimage.<ref>Meinecke, 1996, pp. [https://books.google.com/books?id=g8_kJYOu_moC&pg=PA31 31]-32.</ref> Early Islamic rule did not alter the general architecture of Bosra, with only two structures dating to the [[Umayyad Caliphate|Umayyad era]] (721 and 746) when Damascus was the capital of the Caliphate. As Bosra's inhabitants gradually converted to Islam the Roman-era holy sites were utilized for Muslim practices.<ref name="Meinecke35">Meinecke, 1996, p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=g8_kJYOu_moC&pg=PA35 35]</ref> In the 9th century, [[Ya'qubi]] wrote that Bosra was the capital of the Hauran province.<ref>le Strange, 1890, p. [https://archive.org/stream/palestineundermo00lestuoft#page/425/mode/1up 425]</ref>
[[File:Bosra-Citadel.jpg|A view of the citadel in Bosra (the theater is located inside)|thumb|right]]
After the end of the Umayyad era in 750, major activity in Bosra ceased for around 300 years until the late 11th century. In the last years of [[Fatimid Caliphate|Fatimid]] rule, in 1068, a number of building projects were commissioned. With the advent of [[Seljuq Empire|Seljuk]] rule in 1076 increasing focus was paid to Bosra's defences. In particular the Roman theatre was transformed into a fortress, with a new floor added to the interior staircase tower.<ref name="Meinecke35"/> With the coming to power of the [[Burid dynasty]] in Damascus, the general [[Kumushtakin]] was allotted the entire[[Hauran]] plain as a fief by the ''[[atabeg]]'' [[Toghtekin|Tughtakin]]. Under Kumushtakin, efforts to enhance the Muslim nature of the city increased with the construction of a number of Islamic edifices. One of these projects was the restoration of the [[Al-Omari Mosque (Bosra)|Umari Mosque]], which had been built by the Umayyads in 721.<ref name="Meinecke35"/> Another mosque commissioned was the smaller al-Khidr Mosque at the northwestern part of the city, which was established under Kumushtakin in 1134. Kumushtakin also had a ''[[madrasa]]'' constructed alongside the Muslim shrine honoring the ''mabrak an-naqa'' ("camel's knees"), which marked the imprints of the camel the prophet Muhammad rode on when he entered Bosra in the early 7th century.<ref>Meinecke, 1996, p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=g8_kJYOu_moC&pg=PA37  37]</ref> In 1147 King [[Baldwin III of Jerusalem]] led a Crusader force to [[Battle of Bosra (1147)|capture the city]] but his attempt was thwarted since the Damascene army led by [[Mu'in ad-Din Unur]] managed to garrison Bosra's citadel.{{sfn|Smail|1956|p=159}}

A golden age of political and architectural activity in Bosra began during the reign of [[Ayyubid dynasty|Ayyubid]] sultan [[al-Adil I]] (1196–1218). One of the first architectural developments in the city was the construction of eight large external towers in the Roman theatre-turned-fortress. The project began in 1202 and was completed in 1253, towards the end of the Ayyubid period. The two northern corner towers alone occupied more space than the remaining six. After al-Adil's death in 1218 his son [[as-Salih Ismail, Emir of Damascus|as-Salih Ismail]] inherited the fief of Bosra and lived in its newly fortified citadel. During Ismail's rule Bosra gained political prominence. Ismail used the city as his base when he claimed the sultanate in Damascus on two separate occasions, reigning between 1237–38 and 1239–45.<ref>Meinecke, 1996, pp. [https://books.google.com/books?id=g8_kJYOu_moC&pg=PA38 38]-39.</ref>

===Ottoman era===
In 1596 Bosra appeared in the [[Ottoman Syria|Ottoman]] tax registers as ''Nafs Busra'', being part of the ''[[nahiyah]]'' of Bani Nasiyya in the [[Qada of Hauran]]. It had a Muslim population consisting of 75 households and 27 bachelors, and a Christian population of 15 households and 8 bachelors. Taxes were paid on [[wheat]], [[barley]], summer crops, fruit- or other trees,  goats and/or beehives and water mill.<ref>Hütteroth and Abdulfattah, 1977, p. 219.</ref>

When [[James Silk Buckingham]] visited Bosra in 1816, he described "a large ruined edifice, which was originally an oblong square, with one semicircular end," containing "a miserable work of the Greek Christians, by whom it was no doubt used as a place of worship up to the period of its destruction." He also noted "an old building, with a high square tower attached to it… with many Arabic inscriptions in different parts of it," as well as another plain building "with crosses sculptured in the doors and walls, and the whole appearance that of an early place of Christian worship." Among the structures of Bosra he was shown was the ''Serait-el-Bint-el-Yahoodi'' or "Palace of the Jew's Daughter," though he could not "learn the origin of this name, or obtain an account of any tradition connected with it." He remarked further on the ''El-Hamam'' bath, with pointed arches in alternating black and white stone, and on "a large building entirely constructed out of the ruins of more ancient edifices," containing "Cufic, Arabic, and Greek" inscriptions and "a mixture of antiquity and freshness, of wealth and poverty, of skill and ignorance." He described ascending a great square tower of sixty-four steps, with stone doors on its stages and an open space at the top, from which "we enjoyed a commanding view of the ruins of Bosra." Buckingham also saw "a Roman arched gateway, not unlike that of Jerash," Corinthian colonnades standing in the town's streets, and the castle of Bosra, which he thought showed "a mixture of styles which rendered it exceedingly difficult to say in what age or by what people they were constructed," containing Roman sculpture and Arabic inscriptions dated to 722 AH.<ref>Silk, 1825, pp. [[iarchive:cu31924103698217/page/194/mode/2up|194]]–[[iarchive:cu31924103698217/page/203/mode/2up|203]]</ref>

According to the [[1914 population statistics for the Ottoman Empire|1914 Ottoman population statistics]], the district of Busra had a total population of 26.355, consisting of 22.485 Muslims, 3.096 [[Ottoman Greeks|Orthodox Greeks]], 594 [[Catholic Church in Greece|Catholic Greeks]], and 180 [[Protestantism|Protestants]].<ref>[[Kemal Karpat]] (1985), [https://archive.org/details/kupdf.net_kemal-karpat-ottoman-population-1830-1914-demographic-and-social-characteristics Ottoman Population, 1830-1914, Demographic and Social Characteristics], [[The University of Wisconsin Press]], p. 178</ref>

===Modern era===
Today Bosra is a major archaeological site, containing ruins from [[Ancient Rome|Roman]], [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] and Muslim times, its main feature being the well-preserved Roman theatre. Every year a national music festival is held in the [[Roman Theatre at Bosra|main theatre]].

Significant social and economic changes have affected Bosra since the end of the French Mandate in 1946. Whereas until the 1950s the shopkeepers of Bosra were from [[Damascus]], since then most have lived in the town. In the late Ottoman era and the French Mandate period the agricultural relationship was between the small landowner and the sharecroppers, but since the agrarian reforms in the late 1950s and 1960s the relevant relationship has been between the landowners and the wage laborers. Many of its residents have found work in the [[Gulf Cooperation Council]] states, sending the proceeds to their relatives in Bosra. Social changes and increased access to education have largely diminished traditional clan life according to historian [[Hanna Batatu]].<ref name="Batatu25"/>

During the presidency of [[Hafez al-Assad]] (1970–2000), Bosra and the surrounding villages were largely free of government interference and for the most part were politically dominated by members of the prominent al-Mokdad clan, who served as intermediaries of sorts between the residents of the town and the governor of [[Daraa Governorate|Daraa]] and the [[Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Syria Region|Ba'ath Party]] branch secretary.<ref name="Batatu25"/>

{{anchor|civilwar}}On 14 October 2012, there was intense gunfire from government forces stationed at checkpoints on the main road running through the town.{{citation needed|date=December 2012}} On 13 November 2012, fierce fighting was reported in the east of the town.{{citation needed|date=December 2012}} By January 2013, after 22 months of conflict during the ongoing [[Syrian Civil War]], some refugees fleeing Bosra were speaking of escalating violence, with many bodies being left in the streets.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.channel4.com/news/syrian-refugees-tonight-we-died-many-deaths|title=Syrian refugees: 'Tonight we died many deaths'|first=Jonathan|last=Miller|date=January 31, 2013|website=Channel 4 News}}</ref> On 15 January 2013, it was reported that the citadel was used by the army to shell the town on a daily basis.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OS-OQVMYTnE|title=سيف الحوراني الإفراج عن الحرائر الذين اختطفهم النظام| date=15 January 2013|access-date=15 January 2013|work= Syria Tomorrow}}</ref> After the beginning of February 2014 the city was under the control of the Syrian Army.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/syrian-army-prepares-attack-its-southern-border|title=Syrian army prepares for an attack from its southern border|author=Hassan, Doha|publisher=Al Akhbar|date=19 February 2014|access-date=3 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181009092714/http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/syrian-army-prepares-attack-its-southern-border|archive-date=9 October 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> However on 31 January 2015, the Army's 5th Division confronted a contingent from the rebels near the famous Roman theatre – fierce firefights broke out between the groups.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.almasdarnews.com/article/daraa-syrian-army-attempts-counter-rebels-battalion-82/|title=Dara'a: Syrian Army Attempts to Counter Rebels at Battalion 82|author=Leith Fadel|publisher=Al Masdar News|date=31 January 2015|access-date=3 February 2015|archive-date=11 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190211051955/https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/daraa-syrian-army-attempts-counter-rebels-battalion-82/|url-status=dead}}</ref> On 1 February 2015, the Army forces shelled areas in the east of the town.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://syriahr.com/en/2015/02/9-people-killed-in-the-capitals-explosion-while-3-fighters-killed-daraa/ |title=9 people killed in the capital's explosion, and 3 fighters in Daraa |publisher=Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. |date=1 February 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150203080925/http://syriahr.com/en/2015/02/9-people-killed-in-the-capitals-explosion-while-3-fighters-killed-daraa/ |archive-date=3 February 2015 }}</ref> On 25 March 2015, Syrian rebels seized the town, ousting Syrian soldiers and allied militiamen after [[Battle of Bosra (2015)|four days of intense battle]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=70680/|title=Syria rebels seize ancient town of Busra Sham|publisher=Middle East Online|date=25 March 2015|access-date=2018-11-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151002114648/http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=70680%2F|archive-date=2015-10-02|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Bosra was recaptured by the Syrian Arab Army on 2 July 2018 following the surrender of the rebel forces. The recapture was a part of the [[2018 Southern Syria offensive|Daraa Offensive]], which involved the surrender and/or reconciliation of many rebel groups in the area.

== Landmarks==
[[File:Bosra Southern Baths 0685.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Southern Baths in Bosra]]
Of the city that once counted 80,000 inhabitants there remains today only a village among the ruins. The 2nd-century [[Roman theatre of Bosra]], constructed probably under [[Trajan]], is the only monument of this type with its upper gallery in the form of a covered portico fully preserved. It was fortified between 481 and 1231.

There are also Nabatean and Roman monuments, Christian churches, mosques, and Madrasahs within the half-ruined enceinte of the city. The structure of the cathedral, a central plan with eastern apses flanked by two sacristies, exerted a decisive influence on the evolution of Christian architectural forms and to a certain extent on Islamic style. [[Al-Omari Mosque (Bosra)|Al-Omari Mosque]] of Bosra is one of the oldest surviving mosques in Islamic history.<ref name="ADL">[http://www.archnet.org/library/sites/one-site.jsp?site_id=10081 Al-Omari Mosque] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090908040400/http://www.archnet.org/library/sites/one-site.jsp?site_id=10081 |date=2009-09-08 }} Archnet Digital Library.</ref>

Close by are the [[Kharaba Bridge]] and the [[Gemarrin Bridge]], both [[Roman bridges]].

==Climate==
Bosra has a [[cold semi-arid climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]] ''BSk''). Rainfall is higher in winter than in summer. The average annual temperature in Bosra is {{convert|16.4|°C|1}}. About {{convert|247|mm|2|abbr=on}} of precipitation falls annually.

{{Weather box|location = Bosra
|metric first = Y
|single line = Y

|Jan high C = 11.8
|Feb high C = 13.5
|Mar high C = 16.9
|Apr high C = 21.9
|May high C = 27.1
|Jun high C = 30.7
|Jul high C = 31.9
|Aug high C = 32.3
|Sep high C = 30.6
|Oct high C = 26.7
|Nov high C = 20.1
|Dec high C = 13.9

|Jan low C =  2.1
|Feb low C =  3.1
|Mar low C = 5.3
|Apr low C = 8.5
|May low C = 11.9
|Jun low C = 14.6
|Jul low C = 16.1
|Aug low C = 16.3
|Sep low C = 14.6
|Oct low C = 11.8
|Nov low C =  7.7
|Dec low C =  3.5

|Jan precipitation mm = 52
|Feb precipitation mm = 53
|Mar precipitation mm = 42
|Apr precipitation mm = 15
|May precipitation mm = 6
|Jun precipitation mm = 0
|Jul precipitation mm = 0
|Aug precipitation mm = 0
|Sep precipitation mm = 0
|Oct precipitation mm = 10
|Nov precipitation mm = 22
|Dec precipitation mm = 47
|year precipitation mm= 247

|source = {{URL|climate-data.org}}
|date=21 January 2018}}

== Demographics ==
In the late 1990s, Bosra had an estimated population of 12,000.<ref name="Batatu24"/> Its population increased to 19,683 according to the 2004 census by the [[Central Bureau of Statistics (Syria)|Syria Central Bureau of Statistics]]. The population of its metropolitan area was 33,839.<ref name="CBS"/>

Bosra's inhabitants are predominantly [[Sunni Muslim]]s and are mostly divided between seven major clans. The leading clan is the al-Miqdad whose members immigrated to Bosra from [[al-Suwayda]] in the mid-18th-century. During this era they also dominated the nearby villages of [[Ghasm]], [[Maaraba, Daraa|Maaraba]] and [[Samaqiyat]]. However, the oldest clan of Bosra are the Hamd, a largely fair-skinned people, many members of which have blond hair and blue eyes. They claim to be descendants of the ancient Roman governor of Bosra, although other townspeople believe they are of Crusader origins. Regarding land ownership, the Hamd clan owns around 1,000 hectares in the town while the al-Miqdad clan owns roughly 12,000.<ref name="Batatu24"/> The latter's members were historically influential in the [[Hauran]] region and beyond, having had one of their own in the Ottoman parliament of [[Abdul Hamid II]] in [[Istanbul|Constantinople]] during the [[Young Turks]] period and in the Syrian parliament during the French Mandate period. As of the late 1990s, members of the al-Miqdad clan occupied the positions of mayor, the chief imam of the main [[Al-Omari Mosque (Bosra)|al-Omari Mosque]], the chief of the town's bureau of antiquities as well as manager of Bosra's carpet workshop and the owner of the principal coffeehouse. While their members traditionally resided in the eastern quarter of old Bosra, they are currently prevalent throughout the town.<ref name="Batatu25">Batatu, 1999, p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=Mbr-ZfU_uCoC&pg=PA25 25]</ref>

Bosra also has a small [[Shia Muslim]] community of some fifty families. According to [[Palestinian American]] historian [[Hanna Batatu]], the Shia inhabitants of Bosra were "relatively recent arrivals" and immigrated to the town from the city of [[Nabatieh]] in [[South Lebanon]]. Most of the working members of the Shia community are artisans or laborers.<ref name="Batatu24"/> Batatu also asserts that social changes in Bosra since Syrian independence have led to tribal diffusion, with intermarriage between the clans and between the Sunni and Shia communities having increased significantly.<ref name="Batatu25"/>

== Notable people ==
* Saint [[Timon the Deacon]], 1st century, Christian proto-deacon and bishop of Bosra
* [[Beryllus of Bostra]], 3rd century, Bishop
* [[Shimon ben Lakish]], 3rd century, [[Amoraim|amora]] of the second generation and [[rabbi]]
* [[Titus of Bostra]], fl. 4th century, Christian theologian
* Saint [[Antipater of Bostra]], fl. 5th century, Christian bishop
* [[Bahira]], c. 600, [[Assyrian people|Assyrian]] monk
* [[Ibn Kathir]] (1301–1373), Islamic scholar

== References ==
{{Reflist|25em}}

== Sources ==
*{{cite book|first=H.|last=Batatu|author-link =Hanna Batatu|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Mbr-ZfU_uCoC&q=Bayt+Yashut|title=Syria's Peasantry, the Descendants of Its Lesser Rural Notables, and Their Politics|publisher=Princeton University Press|year=1999|isbn=0691002541}}
*{{cite book|title=The Rough Guide to Syria |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9iCfkTe8v2EC |first1=Andrew |last1=Beattie |first2=Timothy |last2=Pepper |date=2001 |publisher=Rough Guides |isbn = 9781858287188}}
*{{Cite book |last=Buckingham |first=James Silk |url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924103698217/page/194/mode/2up |title=Travels among the Arab tribes inhabiting the countries east of Syria and Palestine |publisher=Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green |year=1825 |location=London}}
*{{cite book 
| last1 = Hütteroth |first1=W.-D.|author-link1=Wolf-Dieter Hütteroth
| last2 = Abdulfattah|first2=K. |author-link2=Kamal Abdulfattah
| title = Historical Geography of Palestine, Transjordan and Southern Syria in the Late 16th Century 
|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=wqULAAAAIAAJ  
| year = 1977 
| publisher = Erlanger Geographische Arbeiten, Sonderband 5. Erlangen, Germany: Vorstand der Fränkischen Geographischen Gesellschaft
|isbn= 3-920405-41-2}}*{{cite book|first=M. |last=Meinecke| author-link=Michael Meinecke |title=Patterns of Stylistic Changes in Islamic Architecture: Local Traditions Versus Migrating Artists|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g8_kJYOu_moC&pg=PA36|publisher=New York University Press|year=1996|isbn=9780814754924}}
*{{cite book|last=Smail |first=R. C. |title=Crusading Warfare 1097-1193 |location=New York |publisher=Barnes & Noble Books |year=1956 |isbn=1-56619-769-4 }}
*{{cite book|title=Palestine Under the Moslems: A Description of Syria and the Holy Land from A.D. 650 to 1500|url=https://archive.org/details/palestineundermo00lestuoft |first=G.|last=Strange, le|author-link =Guy Le Strange|year=1890|publisher=Committee of the [[Palestine Exploration Fund]]}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Bosra}}
* [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02707a.htm Catholic Encyclopedia on Bosra]
* [http://www.bosracity.com/ Official website of Bosra city]
* [http://www.pbase.com/dosseman_syria/bosra Extensive photo site about Bosra]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20111104030543/http://www.fotex.biz/countries/syria/bosra/language%3Den/ Photo Gallery of Bosra]
* [http://www.gcatholic.org/dioceses/former/t0337.htm GCatholic Latin titular see]
* [https://www.google.com/maps/@32.516836,36.4797163,15z  Map of the town], Google Maps
* [http://www.nla.gov.au/apps/cdview/?pi=nla.map-vn745520-s22m  Bosra-map; 22M]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20151208013441/http://antiochpatriarchate.org/en/category/69/ Eastern Orthodox Archdiocese of Bosra, Horan and Jabal al-Arab]
* [http://www.antiochian.org/hauran/brief-history Brief History of the Archdiocese of Bosra-Hauran]

{{World Heritage Sites in Syria}}
{{Daraa Governorate|daraa}}
{{Cities of Syria}}
{{Roman colonies in ancient Levant}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Bosra| ]]
[[Category:Cities in Syria]]
[[Category:Nabataea]]
[[Category:Populated places in Daraa District]]
[[Category:Shia Muslim communities in Syria]]
[[Category:Archaeological sites in Daraa Governorate]]
[[Category:World Heritage Sites in Danger]]
[[Category:Nabataean architecture]]