Founded as a military encampment in 636 on the Persian Gulf where the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers meet and form another river called the Shatt al-Arab, al-Baṣrah flourished especially in a "golden age" during the medieval period as a centre of learning and trade, and today has a population of around 1.5 million and is a hub for petrochemicals production as well as shipping - in fact, it´s considered Iraq´s "economic capital."
Highlights include the Old Mosque of Basra (aka Imam Ali Mosque), the first one built outside the Arabian peninsula, in the early days of the camp; the Old Basra quarter with its shanasheel architecture notable for its carved wooden balconies and window screens (you can visit one of these, now the Al-Hasoun Museum and Restaurant, to have a delicious traditional meal and check out the traditional furnishings/decor as well as the owner´s eclectic collection of bric-a-brac). Others worth noting: the Iraqi Museum of Basra; the home of a famous local poet, Badr Shakir al-Sayyab (1926-1964), now a cultural centre; the Corniche, popular for strolling and hanging out along the waterfront; and various bazaars such as the Old Souq, the Indian Market (Amogaiz), the Hanna-Sheikh Bazaar, the bird market, and the fish market.
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