BOSRA
Situated in the Hawran plain, 145 KM to the south of Damascus, Bosra is an extremely ancient city which was mentioned in the list of Thutmose and Akhnatoun, in the fourteenth century B.C., it was the first Nabatean city, in the second century B.C., it reached the apogee of its glory during the Hellenistic period and later in the Roman period, when it became the capital of the province of Arabia. Bosra continued to play a significant role during the days of early Christianity. It was also linked with the rise of Islam, because one of its inhabitants, a Nestorian Monk called Bahira, once met the young man Mohammad Ibn Abdullah, who was passing with his caravan at Bosra, and predicted his prophecy and the faith he was going to initiate.

The most important site in Bosra is its famous Roman Theatre, which is considered as one of the most beautiful and well-preserved Roman Amphitheatres in the world. The Theatre, dating back to the second century A.D., seats 15 thousand spectators, and its stage is 45 meters long and 8 meters deep. The city also contains:

• Al Mabrak mosque and Omar mosque, which is the only mosque remaining from the early days of Islam and retaining its primitive form.

• The Muslim Ayoubit Citadel, which now houses two museums, one for antiquities and the other for traditional arts.

• Parts of the Bahira church, dating back to the Byzantine period.

• A Cathedral from the Byzantine period with its square dome of 512 sq. meters.

• Remains of Nabatean walls, a Roman Triumphal Arch and the Roman baths.

Sites In Syria

Aleppo
Amreet
Apamea
Ar'rasafeh
Arwad
As'sweida
Banyas
Bara
Bosra
Crac des Chevaliers
Damascus
Deir Ez-zor
Doura Europos
Ebla
Halabiye
Hama
Homs
Hosn Souleiman
Jableh
Latakia
Maalula
Mari
Misyaf
Palmyra
Qal'aat Al-Marqab
Qalb Lozeh
Qanawat
Qasr Al'hir al gharbi
Qasr Al'hir al sharqi
Safita
Saladin's Citadel
Salkhad
Seydnaya
Shahba
St. Simeon
Tartus
Ugarit