or Basra
Port and city (pop., 1987: 406,296), southeastern Iraq.
It lies at the head of the Shatt al-Arab , about 75 mi (120 km) upstream from the Persian Gulf . Founded in AD 638, it became famous under the 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-Baṣrah into a major refining centre. It suffered heavy damage in the Iran-Iraq War (1980–90) and {{link=Persian Gulf War, First">Persian Gulf War (1990–91).