Culture in Basra: Iraq's Second City

Culture Trip

The city of Basra has a long history with a rich culture and an identity distinct from its more northern cousin Baghdad. While Baghdad developed the busy urban character typical of capital cities, Basra retained more of a romantic quality and is often called the most beautiful part of Iraq.

Basra in the 1950s

The great rivers Euphrates and Tigris flow through Iraq before converging into the Shatt al-Arab, shortly before reaching Basra. The huge river connects the city with the Gulf and gives it a coastal feel, despite being 25 miles from the sea. This fertile area is also surrounded by the largest date palm forest in the world, fed by the cooling waters of the Shatt al-Arab and the fierce heat of the desert. The Arabs have a saying that the best dates have their feet in water and their head in fire, and the dates from around Basra are considered to be the sweetest in the world. Many canals also cross through Basra, once giving it the title “Venice of the East” — although in recent years these have fallen into disuse because of rising pollution and falling water levels.

The picturesque qualities of Basra have attracted a number of artists, poets and intellectuals over the years. Early on in its tumultuous history, it was known as a great centre of learning and theology and many figures important to the history of Islam were born or lived there, including the female Sufi mystic Rabia al-Basri and the polymath Alhazen. Perhaps most famously, it is also the city where Sinbad the Sailor began his seven voyages. An island in the river now bears his name in commemoration.

The etymology of Basra is uncertain, but some sources suggest it comes from the Persian Bas-rāh or Bassorāh meaning “where many paths meet.” In fiction, the city has sometimes appeared in novels characterised as a kind of geographic crossroads. In Voltaire’s Zadig (1747), the protagonist visits Basra and meets with travelers and religious leaders from around the world; “It was no little consolation […] to see so many men of different countries assembled in the same place. It seemed to him that the universe was one large family which gathered together at Bassora.”

In H.G. Wells’ The Shape of Things to Come (1933), he describes the Second Conference at Basra, a similar scene where world leaders come to meet and discuss important matters. In Wells’s future history, however, religious beliefs have been suppressed and, in an inversion of history, Basra is made the center state of an atheist world purged of Islam and all other major religions.

landscape with balloons floating in the air

KEEN TO EXPLORE THE WORLD?

Connect with like-minded people on our premium trips curated by local insiders and with care for the world

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.

Winter Sale Offers on Our Trips

Incredible Savings

X
Edit article