al-Hirah

Al Hīra (Arabic,الحيرة) was an ancient city located south of al-Kufah in south-central Iraq. It was a significant city in pre-Islamic Arab history. Originally a military encampment, in the 5th and 6th centuries CE it became the capital of the Lakhmids.The Arabs were migrating into the Near East from the 9th century BCE. In the 3rd century CE parts of southern Mesopotamia had a substantial Arab population. Under the Sasanid Empire, southern Mesopotamia was sometimes called Arabistan. The first historical Arab kingdom outside Arabia, Hīra (4th-7th centuries), in southern Iraq, was a vassal of the Sassanians, whom it helped in containing the nomadic Arabs to the south. The rulers of Hīra, identified as Lakhmids, were recognized by Shapur II (337-358 CE).
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