Basra, << BAHS ruh or BUHS ruh >>, is one of Iraq’s largest cities and a chief Iraqi port. It has about 1 million people. Basra stands along the Shatt al Arab, a waterway that connects the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and links Basra with the Persian Gulf. The city lies about 55 miles (90 kilometers) from the Persian Gulf. Basra’s name is sometimes spelled al-Basra or al-Basrah.
Arabs founded Basra in A.D. 636 as a military outpost. It became an important trading center. The Ottoman Empire ruled the city from 1534 to 1918. Basra declined in importance under Ottoman rule. The United Kingdom gained control of the city in 1918, at the end of World War I. The city was a military center under British rule until Iraq gained independence in 1932. Basra became the main port for exporting Iraqi oil and other products.
A war took place between Iraq and Iran from 1980 to 1988. During that time, much of Basra was destroyed. The city was quickly built up after the war. Basra was again heavily damaged by bombing during the Persian Gulf War of 1991 (see Persian Gulf War of 1991). Later in 1991, Basra suffered additional damage during fighting between Shī`ite Muslim rebels and Iraqi government forces. The city was again the scene of repeated air and ground attacks at the beginning of the Iraq War (2003-2011). See Iraq War.
