Bosra

For the town in Jordan, see Bozrah. For the city in Iraq, see Basra. For the other town in Syria, see Busra al-Harir. For the genus of moths, see Bostra (moth).

Bosra بُصْرَىٰ بُصْرَىٰ ٱلشَّام
Town
Busra al-Sham
Bosra Central Square
Bosra Location in Syria Bosra Bosra (Eastern Mediterranean)
Coordinates: 32°31′06″N 36°28′50″E
Grid position	289/214
Country	Syria
Governorate	Daraa
District	Daraa
Subdistrict	Bosra
Population  (2004)
• Total	19,683
• Religions	Sunni Muslim Shia (minority)
Time zone	UTC+3 (AST)
Area code	15
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name	Ancient City of Bosra
Criteria	Cultural: i, iii, vi
Reference	22
Inscription	1980 (4th Session)
Area	116.2 ha (287 acres)
Buffer zone	200.4 ha (495 acres)

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Bosra (Arabic: بُصْرَىٰ, romanized: Buṣrā), historically Bostra (Greek: Βόστρα) and officially called Busra al-Sham (Arabic: بُصْرَىٰ ٱلشَّام, romanized: Buṣrā al-Shām), is a town in southern Syria, administratively belonging to the Daraa District of the Daraa Governorate and geographically part of the Hauran region.

Bosra is an ancient city mentioned in 14th century BC Egyptian sources. A key Nabatean city, it became the prosperous provincial capital of the Roman province of Arabia Petraea following the dissolution of the Nabatean kingdom. With the advent of Christianity Bostra flourished as a Metropolitan Archbishopric under the jurisdiction of Eastern Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East. It also became a Latin Catholic titular see and the episcopal see of a Melkite Catholic Archeparchy.

Throughout its history under various Muslim rulers the city maintained its strategic importance as Syria's southern gateway. It attracted attention from Damascus' rulers and was governed by various lords, serving as a hub for Islamic learning and endowments. However it declined into a village during the Ottoman era, only to be revitalized in the 20th century with the construction of the Hijaz railway and growing archaeological interest, later prompting tourism-focused development by the Syrian government. Today it is a major archaeological site and has been declared by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Bosra had a population of 19,683 in the 2004 census. It is the administrative center of the nahiyah ("subdistrict") of Bosra, which consisted of nine localities with a total population of 33,839 in 2004. Bosra's inhabitants are predominantly Sunni Muslims.