Roman Theatre of Bosra

About this place

The Roman Theatre of Bosra is among the best preserved Roman theatres in the world, in the town of Busra al-Sham in southern Syria. It stands inside a citadel later built around it, which helped to save it. The ancient city has been on the UNESCO list since 1980, and its black basalt stone is everywhere you look. Bosra appears in Egyptian sources from the 14th century BC, then became the northern capital of the Nabataean kingdom and later the prosperous capital of the Roman province of Arabia. The theatre was built in the 2nd century AD. Muslim rulers later fortified it and turned it into a citadel, and the Ayyubids built the huge towers that surround it today. You pass through the dark corridors of the citadel and suddenly come out onto broad black tiers, with the stage wall and its rows of columns before you. Climb to the top to take it all in at once, then continue through the citadel towers. Around it lie the remains of the old city, with arches, columns and early mosques that repay a walk. It is about 112 km in a straight line from Damascus and about 37 km from Daraa. A car is the best way to reach it, and it is best to start in the morning. We could not confirm the site's present state or hours, so check in advance and bring water. The UK Foreign Office currently advises against all travel to Syria, and British consular help is not available there, so check official guidance before making any plans.