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Al- Basrah

 
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: Al- Basrah
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Port and city (pop., 2005 est.: 837,000), southeastern Iraq. It lies at the head of the Shatt Al-'Arab, about 70 mi (110 km) upstream from the Persian Gulf. Founded in 638 CE, it became famous under the 'Abbasid dynasty; in The Thousand and One Nights it was the city from which Sindbad the Sailor set sail. In the 17th – 18th centuries it became a trading centre. Occupied by the British in World War I (1914 – 18), the town and port underwent many improvements and grew in importance. After World War II (1939 – 45) the growth of Iraq's petroleum industry turned Al-Basrah into a major refining centre. It suffered heavy damage in the Iran-Iraq War (1980 – 88) and the Persian Gulf War (1990 – 91), and in the early 21st century it was a scene of fighting during the Iraq War.

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