Basra

Basra (Arabic: ٱلْبَصْرَة, romanized: al-Baṣrah) or Basrah is a port city in southern Iraq. It is the capital of the eponymous Basra Governorate, as well as the third largest city in Iraq overall, behind Baghdad and Mosul. Located near the Iran–Iraq border at the north-easternmost extent of the Arabian Peninsula, the city is situated along the banks of the Shatt al-Arab that empties into the Persian Gulf. It is consistently one of the hottest cities in Iraq, with summer temperatures regularly exceeding 50 °C (122 °F).

Built in 636 as a military camp, Basra played an important role as a regional hub of knowledge, trade and commerce during the Islamic Golden Age and is home to the first mosque built outside the Arabian Peninsula. It was a center of the slave trade in Mesopotamia, until the Zanj rebellion in 871. Historically, Basra is one of the ports from which the fictional Sinbad the Sailor embarked on his journeys. It has experienced numerous ruling shifts. In 1258, the city was sacked by the Mongols. Basra came under Portuguese control in 1526 and later fell under the control of the Ottomans as part of the Basra Eyalet, one of the provinces comprising Ottoman Iraq.^[3][4] During World War I, British forces captured Basra in 1917. It was incorporated into Mandatory Iraq, under the framework Mandate for Mesopotamia after 1921, which later became the independent Kingdom of Iraq in 1932.

Since Iraq's independence, the wars Iraq has fought have made Basra an active battlefield due to its strategic location. During the Iran–Iraq War, the city was heavily shelled and besieged by Iranian forces. As a result of the war, half of the city's population fled. It suffered extensive damage again during the Gulf War due to coalition attacks. In 1991 and 1999, Basra was the site of two uprisings against Saddam Hussein. On April 6, 2003, the city was occupied by the United Kingdom and United States-led coalition, becoming the first city to be captured during the invasion of Iraq, enduring further devastation. During the war, it fell under the control of Shia factions such as Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army, who were later removed in 2008. Additionally, Basra was targeted by bombings in 2011 and 2012, and was impacted by the Islamist insurgency and the war with Islamic State from 2013 to 2017.

With its strategic location and abundant oil reserves, Basra has become one of the major industrial cities in the region. As the country’s only coastal region, along with its adjoining governorate, Basra serves as a crucial transport hub. After the Iraq war ended, Basra experienced a period of prosperity and development, with numerous reconstruction projects funded by foreign investments, including the Grand Faw Port, which have gained global attention. Today, the majority of its population consists of Arab Shia Muslims, with a large Sunni minority.