Basra, Morocco

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Basra, also known as Basra al-Hamra, is a historic town in northwestern Morocco. It was founded in 833 by the Idrisid dynasty under Muhammad ibn Idris II and served as their summer capital from the 9th to early 10th centuries after they were driven from Fez by the Fatimids. Today it is in the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region, on the road from Souk El Arbaa to Ouezzane, about 40 km from the Atlantic coast and 20 km south of Ksar el-Kebir. It was named after Basra in Iraq.

In its early days Basra grew from a village into a thriving commercial center, surrounded by defensive walls and with two river ports. It produced cereals, wheat, barley, and cotton, exporting to Ifriqiya. In the 9th century it also minted Idrisid dirhams, together with Asilah.

In 979 the Fatimids destroyed Basra’s walls on their march toward Ceuta. The red earth fortifications were damaged, but the city lingered for a time. By the time Leo Africanus visited in the 16th century, Basra was in ruins. Since 1980 archaeologists have excavated the site, revealing its layout, a metallurgical workshop, and stone tools.

What remains includes the city wall, once with ten gates, now largely ruined. The enclosure stretches about 2.5 km around a 30-hectare area and is about 2.2 meters thick, built of rubble with semicircular towers. A stone cistern from the fortifications has been uncovered, measuring about 4.25 m by 6 m.