Basra

Basra or Al Başrah, city, capital of Basra province, Iraq. Basra is Iraq’s second city and its principal port, lying on the west bank of the Shatt Al Arab waterway, formed by the convergence of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers; it is close to the Persian Gulf and to Iraq’s borders with Kuwait and Iran. It is an industrial city, refining and exporting oil and chemicals, and the centre of an agricultural area producing wool, grain, and dates.

Umar I, the second caliph, founded Basra in about ad 636, as a military encampment about 13 km (8 mi) downstream of the modern city. Basra subsequently became an important scientific and cultural centre, and the object of many battles between the Arabs and local peoples. By the 14th century successive revolts, neglect, and the effects of the Mongol invasions had left little of the original city standing. In the early 16th century Basra was relocated to its present site and developed as a trading city and port. The city’s importance increased in the 17th century, when Dutch, English, and Portuguese traders established settlements there. As Iraq’s only port in the 18th and 19th centuries, the city became an important point of transfer of shipments to Baghdad.

Basra’s importance grew during World War I, when it was occupied by the British; the modern harbour was built and many improvements were introduced in the city until, in 1932, the British mandate ended and Basra returned to Iraq. British troops occupied the city again during World War II, and it was used as an Allied communications centre and staging post for supplies. Commercial development began with the post-war oil boom and Basra grew rapidly. It sustained heavy damage in the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988); air raids during the 1991 Gulf War caused further devastation. Subsequent economic sanctions hampered reconstruction efforts, and living standards in the city deteriorated with the loss of oil exports. In March 2003 US-led ground forces invaded Iraq from the south and advanced towards Baghdad, aiming to dislodge President Saddam Hussein and his regime from power. Key sites in Basra, including the presidential palace, were targeted by coalition air forces and destroyed in bombing raids. On April 6, British forces advanced into Basra and occupied the city. Widespread looting and civil unrest followed the fall of the city, causing further damage and disruption. British soldiers remained in Basra until December 2007, when control of the city was transferred to the local Iraqi government. Population 406,296 (1987).