Basra

Basra (البصرة; Al Baṣrah) is the third largest city of Iraq with a population of about 2,600,000 (2003). It is the country's main port. Baṣra played an important role in early Islamic history, and it was the first city built in Islam 14 A.H (after Hijra)

البصرة Al Baṣrah
Coordinates:
Country	Iraq
Governorate	Basra Governorate
Founded	AD 636
Population  (2003 Est)
• Total	1,700,000

Overview

The city lies at the Shatt al-Arab waterway near the Persian Gulf, 55 kilometres (34 mi) from the Persian Gulf and 545 kilometres (339 mi) from Baghdad, Iraq's capital and largest city.

Basra Media

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  View of Basra in circa 1695, by Dutch cartographer Isaak de Graaf

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  Ashar Creek and bazaar, c. 1915

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  Basra designed by the Portuguese at the end of the 16th century, according to the representation of the "Lyvro de plantaforma of the fortresses of India" codex of São julião da Barra

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  Purple - Portuguese in the Persian Gulf in the 16th and 17th century. Main cities, ports and routes.

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  Ministry of Information First World War Official Collection*Type of Arab women at Basra.

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  Turkish prisoners passing along the bank of Ashar Creek, nearing Whiteley's Bridge, Basra 1917.

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  Shanasheel of the old part of Basra city, 1954

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  HeritagehousesinBasra

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  Model of Basra Dockyard of the Indian Army.

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  منظر لكورنيش العشار في البصرة من جهة التنومة

Bibliography

• Hawting, Gerald R. The First Dynasty of Islam. Routledge. 2nd ed, 2000
• Vincent, Stephen. Into The Red Zone: A Journey Into the Soul of Iraq. ISBN 1-890626-57-0.

Other websites

• 2003 Basra map (NIMA)
• Boomtown Basra Archived 2005-10-23 at the Wayback Machine
• Muhammad and the Spread of Islam by Sanderson Beck
• Theological Themes Archived 2007-02-08 at the Wayback Machine
• The Qadariyya, Mu'tazila, and Shi'a Archived 2009-06-05 at the Wayback Machine
• The Textual History of the Qur'an, Arthur Jeffery, 1946
• Codex of Abu Musa al-Ashari, Arthur Jeffery, 1936