al- basrah

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Definition of al- basrah in English English dictionary

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Al- Basrah

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 Abbsid dynasty; in 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-Barah into a major refining centre. It suffered heavy damage in the Iran-Iraq War (1980-90) and Persian Gulf War (1990-91)

Hyphenation

al- Bas-rah