modern Buṣra al-Shām
Ruined city, southwestern Syria.
Lying south of Damascus , it was first a Nabataean city and was later conquered by the Romans (see Roman Republic and Empire ) under Trajan . It was the capital of the Roman province of Arabia and served as a fortress east of the Jordan River . It became the see of a bishop early in the 4th century AD but fell to the Muslims in the 7th century. Crusaders captured the city in the 12th century but failed to hold it, and it quickly fell into decline. It is the site of monumental remains of temples, triumphal arches, aqueducts, churches, and mosques.