The rock of the underlying Hauran plateau isblack basalt and it is this material which has been used to such dramatic effect in the construction of Bosra.
Located some 145 kilometres south of Damascus Bosra is an extremely ancient city mentioned by both Tutmose III and Akhenaten, Egyptian pharaohs of the 14th century B.C. As a Nabatean city in the second century B.C. it was called Buhora, but during the Hellenistic period, it was known as Bustra.
Capital of the Province of Arabia in Roman times the city saw its greatest period of prosperity and expansion sitting as it does on the crossroads of caravan routes. After the decline of the Roman Empire Bosra played a significant role in the history of early Christianity and was also linked to the rise of Islam, when a Nestorian monk called Bahira met the young Muhammad here.
The oldest Islamic square minarets (still standing) are found in Bosra, whose prosperous role as a halt for pilgrims on the way to Mecca lasted until the 17th century. The city is home to many Druze families.
Today people come to gaze in wonder at its famous Roman theatre built in the second century A.D. and which seats 15,000 spectators – it is considered the best example of its kind in the world. Every summer it hosts Arab and international performers who entertain audiences during the Bosra Art Festival.
The town itself also contains a great number of Roman ruins, a part of the Byzantine Bahira Church, as well as the al-Mabrak Mosque, erected it is said of the place where Mohammed stopped to rest.
An important Muslim citadel, dating back to the Ayoubite and Mamluke period, still stands; one of its towers now houses the Museum of Antiquities and Traditional Arts.
