Day 13: Damascus, Syria

Thursday, 20th March 2008:

BOSRA:

After going to the Souk Al-Hamidiyeh for the second time (sekali inda puas), we head on to Bosra (also called Bozrah or Bostra; Arabic: Busra ash-Sham) is an ancient city 67 miles (108 km) south of Damascus.

It was once the capital of the Roman province of Arabia, Bosra was an important stopover on the ancient caravan route to Mekah. Bosra's most impressive feature is its superbly well-preserved Roman theater, complete with tall stage buildings. And there are also early Christian ruins and several old mosques to be found within its great walls.

Just like Petra (in Jordan), it was originally a Nabataean city, Bosra was conquered by the Roman emperor Trajan and made the capital of the Roman province of Arabia. It served as a key Roman fortress east of the Jordan River. The city eventually achieved the title "metropolis" under the Roman emperor Philip, who was a native of the city.


After the decline of the Roman Empire, Bosra played a significant role in the history of early Christianity. It was also Iinked to the rise of Islam, when a Nestorian monk called Bahira, who lived in Bosra Amphitheatre the city, met the young (Prophet) Muhammad (PBUH) when his caravan stopped at Bosra, and predicted his prophetic vocation and the faith (Islam) he was going to initiate.

Read more about Bosra here.


The King used to sit here... (sampai hajat Muaz jadi Leonidas)


I can see my name being initialed here:

This used to be the cave where the young (Prophet) Muhammad was hidden. You can still see tapak kaki camel nya.. it was sooo small & cramp.

One of the oldest hand-written Quran - over 200 years old.

Saiyida Fatima's mosque (Puteri Nabi).

Place for wudu' - over 200 years old.

The place where the young (Prophet) Muhammad was discovered with his camel.
The Syrian Gate.
We went back to Jordan around 6.30pm. Good 'Bye'. Gambar di bawah ani paling lawa lah.