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Basrah
Port city in southern Iraq

Basrah

Basra or Basrah is a port city in southern Iraq.

Plan a trip to Basrah→From Najaf

It is the capital of the eponymous Basra Governorate, as well as the third largest city in Iraq overall, behind Baghdad and Mosul. Located near the Iran–Iraq border, the city is situated along the banks of the Shatt al-Arab that empties into the Persian Gulf. It is consistently one of the hottest cities on the planet, with summer temperatures regularly exceeding 50 °C (122 °F).

Get in

Getting to Basrah

Basra is close to Kuwait. The Safwan border crossing is a safe exit point into Kuwait from Iraq, but it is highly inadvisable for foreigners to enter Iraq from Kuwait. The Iraqi immigration entry point is watched by insurgents and there is a small chance that they will try to kidnap Western-looking individuals on the road once they have crossed into Iraq. Entry from Iran is also very unsafe and is not advised.

  1. 01
    Basra International Airport

    BSR IATA The main road between Baghdad and Basra is Freeway 1, which is generally in good condition.

  2. 02
    Basra
See

Worth seeing

This list also features some sites located in nearby the nearby city of Az Zubayr.

  1. 01
    Basra Museum

    Opened in September 2016 in the former Lakeside Palace of Saddam Hussein.

  2. 02
    Basta Natural History Museum
  3. 03
    Badr Shakir

    Basra was the home of one of the Arab world's most celebrated poets, Badr Shakir al-Sayyab (1926-1964).

  4. 04
    Sinbad Island

    A tourist landmark, named after Sinbad the Sailor, who embarked on his legendary journeys from Basra.

  5. 05
    Corniche

    A street which runs on the shore of the Shatt al-Arab, from the Lion of Babylon square to the four palaces.

  6. 06
    Basra Memorial
Do

Things to do

  1. 01
    Basra Sports City

    A major sports complex that opened in 2013.

  2. 02
    River

    There are boats that will take you for a short cruise along the Shatt al-Arab.

  3. 03
    Basrah Land

    One of the oldest theme parks in southern Iraq, and the largest, involving a large number of games giants.

Eat

Where to eat

Most restaurants are located along the corniche, many with excellent views over the river.

  1. 01
    Shatt Al Arab Restaurant

    Large and popular restaurant with traditional Iraqi foods along the river.

How locals move

Getting around Basrah the local way

  • Get inA river ferry is available from nearby Khorramshahr, across the border in Iran, taking just 45 minutes to complete the journey.
  • Get inThe ferry is run by Valfajar Shipping Company and there are multiple sailings each week.

From Wikivoyage: Basra, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-04.

Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Satdeep Gill (see Commons), Wikimedia Commons.