|
aleppo | apamea (dead cities) | busra al sham | damascus | homs | krak des chevaliers | latakkia | maaloula | palmyra | saydnaya | tartous| |
Busra is an extremely ancient city
mentioned in lists of Tutmose III and Akhenatcn in the fourteenth
century BC. The first Nabataean city in the 2nd century BC, it bore the
name Buhora, and then Bustra during Hellenistic period. Later the Romans
took an active interest in the city, and at time of Emperor Trajan it
was made the capital of the Province of Arabia (in 106 BC) and was
called Neatrajana Bustra.
The city flourished
when became a crossroads on the caravan routes and the official seat and
residence of the Imperial Legate. After the decline of the Roman Empire,
Busra played a significant role in the history of early Christianity. It
was also linked to the rise of Islam, when a Nestorian monk called
Bahira met the young Mohammad (pbuh) when his caravan stopped at Busra,
and predicted his prophetic vocation and the faith he was going to
initiate.
The oldest Islamic
still-standing square minarets are in Busra, whose prosperous role as an
important halt for pilgrims on the way to Mecca lasted until the 17th
century.
The most interesting
part of the city today is the famous Roman theater built in the second
century AD, which seats 15 thousand spectators, and is considered one of
the most beautiful and well-preserved Roman amphitheaters in the world.
The city itself contains a great number of
Roman ruins, a part of the Byzantine Bahira Church, as well as Al-Mabrak
Mosque, which is said to have been erected on site where the Prophet's
camel stopped to rest. There is also Omar Mosque (also called Al-Arouss
Mosque), which is the only one of its type remaining from the early
days of Islam, and it retains its 7th century primitive form. An
important Muslim citadel, dating back to Ayoubite and Mamluk period
still stands, and one of its towers now houses a museum of Antiquities
and Traditional Arts.
|
|