Bosra is an amazing amalgamation of architectures, ages and religions. Bosra is an extremely ancient city, funded in the fourteenth century BC. After its Nabataean and Hellenic periods, Bosra (then called Neatrajana Bustra) became the capital of the Province of Arabia of the Roman Empire (in 106 BC). But the city really flourished when became a crossroad on the caravan routes, so an important trading centre within the Roman Empire.

After the decline of the Roman Empire, Bosra played a significant role in the history of early Christianity, and in the rise of Islam when a Nestorian monk called Bahira met the young Mohammad when his caravan stopped at Bosra, and predicted his prophetic vocation and the faith he was going to initiate.

To describe the remains of Bosra as “ruins” would be to do them a disservice, because of the excellent condition of preservation or restoration of many of the structures.

Of course, the finest piece is certainly the Roman Theatre built in the second century AD, which is one of the most beautiful and well-preserved roman amphitheatres in the world. But Bosra also owns the third oldest surviving mosque in the Muslin world (7th century), the Umari Mosque, or again, several Byzantine buildings, like the cathedral, the bishop’s palace, and so on.

In that way, your visit to Bosra will be a wonderful time-trip, mixing different periods, in a hospitable place!