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al-Ḥīraالحيرة | |
 A 15th-century Persian miniature describing the construction of Khawarnaq in Hira, the capital city of theLakhmids; miniature painting by Kamāl ud-Dīn Behzād. | |
  Shown within Iraq | |
| Location | Iraq |
|---|---|
| Region | Najaf Governorate |
| Coordinates | 31°59′N44°23′E / 31.98°N 44.39°E /31.98; 44.39 |
| Type | Ancient city |
| History | |
| Founded | 3rd century CE (Kingdom of theLakhmids) |
| Periods | 3rd-7th centuries CE |
| Cultures | Lakhmid,Sasanian |
| Satellite of | Sasanian Empire |
| Associated with | Lakhmids |
| Events | Battle of Hira (633 CE,Arab conquest of Iran) |
Al-Hira (Arabic:الحيرة,romanized: al-Ḥīra[1]Middle Persian:Hērt[2]) was an ancient city inMesopotamia located south of what is nowKufa in south-centralIraq.
Al-Hirah was a significant city in pre-Islamic Arab history. Al-Hirah (3th-7th centuries) served as the capital of theLakhmids, an Arabvassal kingdom of theSasanian Empire, whom it helped in containing the nomadic Arabs to the south. The Lakhmid rulers of al-Hirah were recognized byShapur II (309-379), the tenth Sasanian emperor.
A particular Mār 'Abdīšo' was born inMaysan and moved to Ḥīrā after studying elsewhere under Mār 'Abdā. There he gained widespread respect as he built a monastery and lived a pious life. The Sasanian emperorBahram V won the throne with support ofal-Mundhir I ibn al-Nu'man, king of Ḥīrā, in 420. He was amazed and showed great respect as he encountered the saint near the village of Bēṯ 'Arbī on his way back from the imperial capitalSeleucia-Ctesiphon.[3]
Fromc. 527, al-Hirah was opposed by theGhassanids, aByzantine-sponsored Arab state in Syria and Palestine. The two powers engaged in a long conflict of their own that functioned as aproxy war for the Byzantine and Sasanian Empires.
In 531, the Sasanians defeated the Byzantine generalBelisarius at theBattle of Callinicum south ofEdessa (nowUrfa, in southeasternTurkey), with the help of al-Hirah. In 602,Khosrow II deposedal-Nu'man III ibn al-Mundhir and annexed al-Hirah.
Hirta was the seat of a bishopric of theChurch of the East from the 4th century until the 11th century. It belonged to thePatriarchal Province of Seleucia-Ctesiphon.
Today, Hirta is a titularCatholic diocese in Iraq.
Following theBattle of Hira, the city was recaptured by an army of theHira Arab Bakr tribe under the command ofAbu Bakr in May 633.[4]
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