Ancient Bosra, Syria, 2009

In October, 2009 I was in the Ancient City of Bosra, Syria with Intersections International. Bosra is a UNESCO World Heritage Site featuring Nabatean, Roman, Byzantine and Ayyubid ruins dating to the 14th century BCE. Bosra was once a stopping place for pilgrims on the way to Mecca.

During our visit, we filmed a team of young archaeologists digging in the ruins. We also traveled with a group of Iraqi refugees who fled Iraq for Syria following the 2004 US invasion and resulting collapse of civil order in that country.

In 2011, Syria itself dissolved into civil war. Beginning in 2012, Bosra saw heavy fighting between Syrian rebel forces and the Syrian Army under Bashar al-Assad. The UN estimates that 5 million refugees currently live outside Syria in neighboring countries and another 6.1 million internally displaced persons.