A second walk in Bosra: a hammam, a mosque and a basilica

Everyone who gives Bosra a single day sees the theatre, the cathedral and the Omari Mosque. This walk collects what is left: a Mamluk bath built for the pilgrim caravan, a small mosque whose founding date is argued over across four centuries, and the oldest surviving church in the town. All three stand inside the old city and the whole walk does not reach a kilometre. The difficulty is not distance but hours: one is a working mosque, one has no roof.

The route

Start at the north end of the colonnaded street. Manjak Hammam is there, directly opposite the Omari Mosque; the two share a crossing and need no further directions. From the bath, step into the old city and find the Mabrak al-Naqa Mosque — it sits among the lanes, its front is plain and from outside it reads as a small building. From there walk east, to the ground the cathedral stands on. The Basilica of Bahira is 30 metres north of the cathedral; once you have found the cathedral you need not look for the basilica separately, the two buildings face each other.

Timing

Be at the bath at 09:00. The roof has fallen in, so the plan reads from above, and morning side light is what brings out the order of the rooms. Move to the mosque at 10:00, outside prayer times; the interior is small and cannot be walked once the congregation is in. At 11:30 you should be at the basilica. The building has no roof, the interior is lit from above, and the row of 19 windows at the top only reads in full once the sun is high. All three are short stops; without hurrying the walk takes two hours.

Take care

The mosque is a working place of worship: shoulders and knees covered, shoes at the door, no photographs during prayer. The bath is an open excavation; the edges of the channels and pits are loose, so hold a child’s hand. Entry looks free at all three, but no tariff is confirmed — carry cash anyway. The only shade is in the niches of the bath and inside the mosque, which makes this walk hard at a summer midday. Do not expect a single date at the mosque either: the sources split between the 8th and the 12th century, and its page gives both.