November 6th, 2008 
Sheila Simkin A very brief history of Bosra:
- Bosra was first mentioned by Tuthmosis II (1470-25 BC).
- Was capital of the Nabatean Kingdom a thousand years later.
- Roman Emperor Trajan extended his rule south in 106 AD. Zenobia sacked it in 268 AD.
- Seat of an Archbishop
- Battleground during the 10th century, occupied by Crusaders, Druze and now Muslims.
The old city is laid out in a grid pattern, enclosed by walls and you can still see some remains at the 2nd century western gate.
It’s what the Romans built in Bosra…View image…however, that makes the biggest impact. The penultimate and wonderfully restored Roman Amphitheater built out of hard black basalt. They sure knew how to built them in those days. An audience of 15,000 could all come in or go out in five minutes through the vomitoria on either side of the stage. For those of us (including me) that never took Latin, vomitoria comes from vomere – to discharge, and we’ve all “discharged” at one time or another.
During performances, a sun shade was suspended from the Doric columns above the cavea to shade actors and theatergoers, and the acoustics are still excellent. Several of us climbed to the top level while others stood on stage and whispered. Perfect! Possibly because there was a roof at the top that slanted out towards the audience. Almost all the rows of seating and columns have been restored.
The theater was fortified in the late 12-13 centuries. The Umayyads began the defensive work, the Seljuks built two towers and the Ayyubids finished the process by adding four more towers along the outer arc (one has a museum in it now).
To show what an imposing site this was, the group decided to pose for the obligatory group photo here rather than anywhere else. The premier “must see” in Bosra…
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