Basra, Morocco
Basra, nicknamed Basra al-Hamra, is an archaeological site in Morocco. It was originally a summer capital of the Idrisid dynasty from the 8th to 10th centuries.
It is situated on the road from Souq al-Arba to Ouezzane, about 40 km from the Atlantic coast and 20 km south of Ksar el-Kebir.
It was named after the famous city of Basra in Iraq. The geographer and traveller Ibn Hawqal in the 9th century described it as a flourishing commercial centre. The main productions were cotton and cereals. The red earth fortifications which gave it its nickname were destroyed in 979 but the city lingered on. By the time of Leo Africanus it was in ruins.
