Lakhmid Kingdom

Origins

The Lakhmids, or Nasrids, established themselves at al-Hira near the Euphrates in the late 3rd century as allies of the Sasanian Empire. The Namara inscription of 328 commemorates Imru al-Qays, son of Amr, as king of all the Arabs; he is usually counted as an early Lakhmid ruler.

Rule and society

From al-Hira the kings controlled the Arab tribes of the desert fringe for Persia and fought the Ghassanid Kingdom on Byzantium's behalf. al-Mundhir III raided Syria repeatedly in the 6th century. al-Hira was a cosmopolitan town with a large Church of the East community, monasteries and a court that drew poets such as Tarafa and al-Nabigha, helping shape classical Arabic.

Decline and legacy

In 602 Khosrow II deposed and executed al-Nu'man III, the last Lakhmid king, and replaced the dynasty with Persian governors. The loss of this buffer contributed to the Arab victory over Persian forces at Dhi Qar and left the frontier open to the armies of the Rashidun Caliphate, which took al-Hira in 633.