DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.45583#0007
Bosra eski Sham (Bostra or Bosra}.
217
name, learned all he knew of the tenets of Christianity. In the following century, in
the year 632, Bostra fell to Khalid and the Moslems. During the Middle Ages the
city flourished as one of the important cities of Islam ; in the midst of the town several
mosques were built, the minarets of five of which still impart a mediaeval character to
the ruins, and a strong castle, one of the largest in this part of the world, was erected
upon the Roman theatre out of materials torn from the Roman walls and colonnaded
streets. A number of the Arab geographers 1 refer to Bosra, and one 2 of them com-
pares its castle with that at Damascus. The great Pilgrim Road to Mecca passed
through the town for many centuries, and here the great caravan halted for several
days. After the Pilgrim Road was changed to a route farther west the decline of the
Arab city began. A few generations ago it was almost deserted; even now only one
of its mosques is in use, and the poor modern village occupies only a small fraction
of the area within the limits described by the ancient walls.
Bosra has been visited frequently during the last century. Some idea of the
large number of visitors who have referred to the ruins in books may be had by
looking through Professor Brunnow’s exhaustive bibliography3 of the books of travel
touching the Province of Arabia, and noting the frequent references to Bosra. The
work of the earliest traveller to make important notes on the ruins was not the first
to be published. Seetzen went to Bosra in the course of an extended journey in
Syria in 1805 —1807; but the account of his travels4 was not published until after
1850. Burckhardt5 was in Bosra in the spring of 1812, and the results of his journey
were published in 1822. Richter6, who visited the ruins in 1815, was the first to
publish plans and pictoral illustrations of the ancient buildings. Buckingham7 reached
Bosra, in the course of his wide travels, in 1816, and makes several references to the
ruins in his book of travel; Berggren 8 came here in 1821. In 1827 Count Leon de
Laborde 9 made notes and drawings here which were published in 1837. Lord Lindsay 10
made his visit in 1837, and Monk 11 came in 1849. Porter12, who first arrived in Bosra
in 1853, published a sketch plan of the city and a number of illustrations of its ruins.
Rey13 brought out a far better plan, on a larger scale, and published several large
drawings of buildings and of Arabic inscriptions which he made in 1857. In the same
year Graham14 made a few notes on Bosra, and a year later the Prussian Consul
Wetzstein15 passed through the ruins taking a few notes. The first important study
1 Guy le Strange; Palestine under the Moslems, p. 425.
2 Abu-l-Fida, 253, 3 P. A., p. 481.
4 Seetzen, Ulrich Jasper: Reisen durch Syrien, etc. I—III Band: Berlin, G. Reimer, 1854—1855, T P· 66 sq.
5 Burckhardt, Johan Ludwig: Travels in Syria and the Holy Land. — London, John Murray, 1822, p. 226 sq.
6 Richter, Otto Friedrich von: Wallfahrten im Morgenlande. — Berlin, G. Reimer, 1822, p. 181 sq.
7 Buckingham, J. S.: Travels among the Arab Tribes, etc. — London, Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, Brown and Green
1825, pp. 189—207.
8 Berggren, J.: Reisen in Europa und im Morgenlande, I—III. — Leipzig und Darmstadt, C. W. Leske, 1834, II, p. 61 sq.
9 Laborde, Comte Leon de: Voyage de la Syrie. — Paris, Firmin Didot. 1837 (Gr. Folio) 63 sq. Pls. lvii—lviii.
10 Lindsay, Lord: Letters on Egypt, Edom and the Holy Land. 2 Vpls. — London, Henry Colburn, 1838, 137 sq.
11 Monk, Charles James: The Golden Horn, and Sketches in Asia Minor, Egypt, Syria and the Hauraan. 2 Vols. —
London, Richard Bently, 1851. II 270 sq.
12 Porter, John Leslie: Five Years in Damascus, etc. 2 Vols. — London, John Murray, 1855—1870, II 142 sq.
Porter, John Leslie: The Giant Cities of Bashan, etc. — London, T. Nelson & Sons, 1855 —1862, 64, 72·
13 Rey, E. Guillaume: Voyage dans le Haouran etc. — Paris, A. Bertrand, p. 177 sq., Pls. (in gr. Folio) iv, x—xvm.
14 Graham, Cyril C.: Explorations in the Desert, etc. f. R. G. S. ’58, 226—263.
15 Wetzstein, J. G.: Reisebericht uber Hauran tend die Trachonen. Berlin, D. Reimer, i860. 42, 71.
217
name, learned all he knew of the tenets of Christianity. In the following century, in
the year 632, Bostra fell to Khalid and the Moslems. During the Middle Ages the
city flourished as one of the important cities of Islam ; in the midst of the town several
mosques were built, the minarets of five of which still impart a mediaeval character to
the ruins, and a strong castle, one of the largest in this part of the world, was erected
upon the Roman theatre out of materials torn from the Roman walls and colonnaded
streets. A number of the Arab geographers 1 refer to Bosra, and one 2 of them com-
pares its castle with that at Damascus. The great Pilgrim Road to Mecca passed
through the town for many centuries, and here the great caravan halted for several
days. After the Pilgrim Road was changed to a route farther west the decline of the
Arab city began. A few generations ago it was almost deserted; even now only one
of its mosques is in use, and the poor modern village occupies only a small fraction
of the area within the limits described by the ancient walls.
Bosra has been visited frequently during the last century. Some idea of the
large number of visitors who have referred to the ruins in books may be had by
looking through Professor Brunnow’s exhaustive bibliography3 of the books of travel
touching the Province of Arabia, and noting the frequent references to Bosra. The
work of the earliest traveller to make important notes on the ruins was not the first
to be published. Seetzen went to Bosra in the course of an extended journey in
Syria in 1805 —1807; but the account of his travels4 was not published until after
1850. Burckhardt5 was in Bosra in the spring of 1812, and the results of his journey
were published in 1822. Richter6, who visited the ruins in 1815, was the first to
publish plans and pictoral illustrations of the ancient buildings. Buckingham7 reached
Bosra, in the course of his wide travels, in 1816, and makes several references to the
ruins in his book of travel; Berggren 8 came here in 1821. In 1827 Count Leon de
Laborde 9 made notes and drawings here which were published in 1837. Lord Lindsay 10
made his visit in 1837, and Monk 11 came in 1849. Porter12, who first arrived in Bosra
in 1853, published a sketch plan of the city and a number of illustrations of its ruins.
Rey13 brought out a far better plan, on a larger scale, and published several large
drawings of buildings and of Arabic inscriptions which he made in 1857. In the same
year Graham14 made a few notes on Bosra, and a year later the Prussian Consul
Wetzstein15 passed through the ruins taking a few notes. The first important study
1 Guy le Strange; Palestine under the Moslems, p. 425.
2 Abu-l-Fida, 253, 3 P. A., p. 481.
4 Seetzen, Ulrich Jasper: Reisen durch Syrien, etc. I—III Band: Berlin, G. Reimer, 1854—1855, T P· 66 sq.
5 Burckhardt, Johan Ludwig: Travels in Syria and the Holy Land. — London, John Murray, 1822, p. 226 sq.
6 Richter, Otto Friedrich von: Wallfahrten im Morgenlande. — Berlin, G. Reimer, 1822, p. 181 sq.
7 Buckingham, J. S.: Travels among the Arab Tribes, etc. — London, Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, Brown and Green
1825, pp. 189—207.
8 Berggren, J.: Reisen in Europa und im Morgenlande, I—III. — Leipzig und Darmstadt, C. W. Leske, 1834, II, p. 61 sq.
9 Laborde, Comte Leon de: Voyage de la Syrie. — Paris, Firmin Didot. 1837 (Gr. Folio) 63 sq. Pls. lvii—lviii.
10 Lindsay, Lord: Letters on Egypt, Edom and the Holy Land. 2 Vpls. — London, Henry Colburn, 1838, 137 sq.
11 Monk, Charles James: The Golden Horn, and Sketches in Asia Minor, Egypt, Syria and the Hauraan. 2 Vols. —
London, Richard Bently, 1851. II 270 sq.
12 Porter, John Leslie: Five Years in Damascus, etc. 2 Vols. — London, John Murray, 1855—1870, II 142 sq.
Porter, John Leslie: The Giant Cities of Bashan, etc. — London, T. Nelson & Sons, 1855 —1862, 64, 72·
13 Rey, E. Guillaume: Voyage dans le Haouran etc. — Paris, A. Bertrand, p. 177 sq., Pls. (in gr. Folio) iv, x—xvm.
14 Graham, Cyril C.: Explorations in the Desert, etc. f. R. G. S. ’58, 226—263.
15 Wetzstein, J. G.: Reisebericht uber Hauran tend die Trachonen. Berlin, D. Reimer, i860. 42, 71.