Bosra

Visited on a group tour to Syria in May 2023.

Although the city is controlled by the Free Syrian Army, but there are mutual agreements, and foreign tourists are brought here from the territories controlled by Assad. Everyone needs money.
I really wanted to visit this city, because it is the last capital of the Nabataean kingdom, and after visiting Petra it was logical to get here as well, although there is little left of the Nabataeans here, only a huge gate, the same type as in Petra.
In fact, the Romans built a new city here, which became the capital of the province of Arabia.
The most important building of the Roman era can is the well-preserved Roman theater, although it is not so big (about 8 thousand spectators), but the stage and the rows of spectators have perfectly survived to our time. Maybe because basalt was used as the main building material, and the Muslims rebuilt the theater into a citadel after conquering the city, thus preserving it.
There are also traces of the Byzantine era, a basilica that was the center of the bishopric. From Islamic times, the main object is the Omar's Mosque, it claims the status of one of the first mosques in the world according to local tradition, although historians have doubts about this.
In general, there are many different layers, but it looks complete, because the material is the same - basalt, and the architectural continuity is visible.

The old sunken roadway still held its north-south bearing. The stubby remains of columns lined my way to left and right as I walked, my feet kicking up puffs of sand from the stone flags. I could feel the heat of the morning through the soles of my shoes. Towards me swayed an old woman in a startling midnight blue velvet robe, a black plastic sack balanced on her head. Two schoolboys ran past, late for class. I stopped in disbelief before a pair of skyscraping Roman columns. It was not the columns themselves or the finely decorated architrave that startled me. Instead it was the fact that rough hunks of dark masonry had been used to fill in the lower half of the gap between them. Doors and barred windows glowered at me. These Roman ruins, out on the edge of empire, were still inhabited to this day.

Bosra is a town of black basalt and dust. Even when I visited in 2009, ten years ago, it seemed a little bit forgotten. The tour buses charged straight on from the Jordanian border for the orientalist allure of Damascus. No one turned right to follow the road to Bosra. And that was a shame. The town was definitely of interest. Bosra has a long and storied history, passing from one conquering empire to another like a family heirloom. Nabateans to Romans, Romans to Byzantines, Byzantines to Sassanians and back again before falling to the first caliphate just two years …

Great drive from Damascus to Bosra, really enjoyed it some interesting places to stop and eat. The Theatre was interesting, the basalt rock used to construct it seems indestructible. Not much else to see in the town though. It seems it later became a fort to defend the city.

Paul Tanner's review is quite accurate. The intermingling of ancient ruins and modern housing makes for an odd feeling. Unfortunately some of the shells of ancient buildings have been used as garbage dumps by the residents. Walking down the streets you can come across the ruins of unexcavated ancient buildings in whose debris you can see fragments of Roman glass protruding. Besides the excelently preserved Roman theater, the site is notable for the use of black basalt stonework. It is so very different from the usual marble. There is so much still standing that a conservation program that includes relocating the current residents could make for a wonderful archaeological park.

Bosra is a very strange “ruined town”. Its remains are primarily Roman and its star attraction is the well preserved 15000 seat Roman theatre. What is slightly disconcerting when visiting the place is the intermingling of current dwellings and ruins. People live inside the city walls in houses which either are or are partly built from or are next to “old” buildings. The streets still seem to be paved as in Roman days – yet have clapped out old cars parked in them (photo!).

The city is located south of Damascus close to the Jordanian border in an area you are unlikely to visit to see anything else and, in my view is only worth a visit if you can either

a. take it in if crossing at Dera to/from Jordan

b. are determined to pick up all the Syrian WHS!!

the great thing about this City is the fact that it survived about 2500 years inhabited and almost intact.the Romans, Nabateans, Byzanthine, Umayyad Muslims all left traces in it..it is simply an open museum. make sure to read about it before visiting or at least get a guide book to the numerous sites you are about to see or you will be lost and not really appreciate what you are seeing.

you might wanna know how important it is to the Eastern Christians since it was a center of archbichop and it has many intact ancient churches. alo very important for muslims since in it prophet Mohammed has met the monk Buheira who was the first to forsee the child Mohammad's prophesy. It was also the second Nabatean capital after the sacking of Petra by the Romans.

truely a must see if you are spending longer than a few days in Syria.the area also has many other ancient classic cities like Shahba, Qanata(Qanawat),Izraa, Salkhad..etc