Bassir

Bassir () is a town in southern Syria, administratively part of the as-Sanamayn District in the Daraa Governorate. It is located 630 meters (2,070 ft) above sea level and south of Damascus. Bassir is bordered by Lajat to the east, Khabab to the south, as-Sanamayn to the west, and Jabab to the north. The town lies in the middle of three main Syrian cities: Damascus, Daraa and Suwayda. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Bassir had a population of 1,442 in the 2004 census. Its inhabitants are predominantly Melkite Greek Catholic Christians.

==Etymology== The name Bassir comes from the word Pethera, which in Greek means “high” or “elevated,” referring to its relatively high location. Basrah is the most common form. In Arabic, the word baṣrah means “the overwatcher.”