Al-Mundhir III ibn al-Nu'man ( ar, المنذر بن النعمان), also known as Al-Mundhir ibn Imri' al-Qays () (died 554) was the king of the

Lakhmids The Lakhmids ( ar, اللخميون, translit=al-Laḫmiyyūn) referred to in Arabic as al-Manādhirah (, romanized as: ) or Banu Lakhm (, romanized as: ) was an Arab kingdom in Southern Iraq and Eastern Arabia, with al-Hirah as their capita ...

in 503/505–554.

Biography

His mother's name was Mawia bint Awf bin Geshem. The son of al-Nu'man II ibn al-Aswad, he succeeded his father either immediately upon his death in 503 or after a short interregnum by Abu Ya'fur ibn Alqama. He is one of the most renowned

Lakhmid The Lakhmids ( ar, اللخميون, translit=al-Laḫmiyyūn) referred to in Arabic as al-Manādhirah (, romanized as: ) or Banu Lakhm (, romanized as: ) was an Arab kingdom in Southern Iraq and Eastern Arabia, with al-Hirah as their capital ...

kings, and is known for his military achievements. These started before he was crowned a king, during the

Anastasian War The Anastasian War was fought from 502 to 506 between the Byzantine Empire and the Sasanian Empire. It was the first major conflict between the two powers since 440, and would be the prelude to a long series of destructive conflicts between the t ...

, with a raid in

Palaestina Salutaris Palaestina Salutaris or Palaestina Tertia was a Byzantine (Eastern Roman) province, which covered the area of the Negev, Sinai (except the north western coast) and south-west of Transjordan, south of the Dead Sea. The province, a part of the Dio ...

and

Arabia Petraea Arabia Petraea or Petrea, also known as Rome's Arabian Province ( la, Provincia Arabia; ar, العربية البترائية; grc, Ἐπαρχία Πετραίας Ἀραβίας) or simply Arabia, was a frontier province of the Roman Emp ...

in the year 503, capturing a large number of Romans. Mundhir's raids covered the area between

Euphrates The Euphrates () is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia ( ''the land between the rivers''). Originating in Turkey, the Eup ...

from the east up to

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

in the west and Najd southward, where in 516 he engaged in a battle with Maadi Karb the

Himyarite The Himyarite Kingdom ( ar, مملكة حِمْيَر, Mamlakat Ḥimyar, he, ממלכת חִמְיָר), or Himyar ( ar, حِمْيَر, ''Ḥimyar'', / 𐩹𐩧𐩺𐩵𐩬) (fl. 110 BCE–520s CE), historically referred to as the Homerite ...

king.Le Muséon, LXVI, 1953, P. 307, 310, Ryckmans 510-446 In 526 a

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

between

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

and

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

began, and Mundhir attacked Syria, ravaging it. Two Roman high-ranking commanders were captured, Timostratus and John. This caused

Justinian I Justinian I (; la, Iustinianus, ; grc-gre, Ἰουστινιανός ; 48214 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was the Byzantine emperor from 527 to 565. His reign is marked by the ambitious but only partly realized ''renova ...

to send al-Mundhir an embassy for peace consisting of Abraham son of Euphrasius (his son is Nonnosus the historian) and

Simeon of Beth Arsham Simeon of Beth Arsham ( syr, ܫܡܥܘܢ ܕܒܝܬ ܐܪܫܡ, Shemʿun di-Beth Arsham) was a Syrian bishop who spread his teachings at the beginning of the sixth century. He was the bishop of Beth Arsham (''House of Arsames''), which was located near ...

. They were joined by Sergius of Rasafa (who was later sent by Justinian with gifts to al-Mundhir). In 528 al-Mundhir attacked Syria and returned with much booty. The next year (529) he renewed his attacks, firstly taking all the area of frontiers which was Khabour. Afterwards, he marched towards Arzona and

Nisibis Nusaybin (; '; ar, نُصَيْبِيْن, translit=Nuṣaybīn; syr, ܢܨܝܒܝܢ, translit=Nṣībīn), historically known as Nisibis () or Nesbin, is a city in Mardin Province, Turkey. The population of the city is 83,832 as of 2009 and is ...

spoiling and ravaging the cities before continuing to

Apamea Apamea or Apameia ( grc, Απάμεια) is the name of several Hellenistic cities in western Asia, after Apama, the Sogdian wife of Seleucus I Nicator, several of which are also former bishoprics and Catholic titular see. Places called Apamea in ...

and

Chalcedon Chalcedon ( or ; , sometimes transliterated as ''Chalkedon'') was an ancient maritime town of Bithynia, in Asia Minor. It was located almost directly opposite Byzantium, south of Scutari (modern Üsküdar) and it is now a district of the cit ...

. Al-Mundhir was unable to conquer

Antioch Antioch on the Orontes (; grc-gre, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου, ''Antiókheia hē epì Oróntou'', Learned ; also Syrian Antioch) grc-koi, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου; or Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπ� ...

because Justinian dispatched a large army to protect it. Al-Mundhir returned with much booty, among them 400 nuns, whom he burnt to the goddess

al-Uzza Al-ʻUzzā ( ar, العزى or Old Arabic l ʕuzzeː was one of the three chief goddesses of Arabian religion in pre-Islamic times and she was worshiped by the pre-Islamic Arabs along with al-Lāt and Manāt. A stone cube at Nakhla (near M ...

. Al-Mundhir was killed in the battle of

Yawm Halima Yawm Halima ( ar, يوم حليمة, , Day of Halima) is the name given to a battle fought between the rival Ghassanid and Lakhmid Arabs in the 6th century. Considered " e of the most famous battles of pre-Islamic Arabia", it was named after Halima ...

with the Ghassanids under Al-Harith ibn Jabalah in June 554. He was succeeded by his three sons, 'Amr III (r. 554–569),

Qabus Qabus ibn Wushmagir (full name: ''Abol-Hasan Qābūs ibn Wušmagīr ibn Ziyar Sams al-maʿālī'', ; (died 1012) (r. 977–981; 997–1012) was the Ziyarid ruler of Gurgan and Tabaristan in medieval Iran. His father was Vushmgir and his mother wa ...

(r. 569–573) and

al-Mundhir IV Al-Mundhir IV ibn al-Mundhir ( ar, المنذر بن المنذر) was the king of the Lakhmid Arabs in 575–580. The son of al-Mundhir III ibn al-Nu'man (), he succeeded to the throne after his brothers Amr () and Qabus (). His succession w ...

(r. 574–580).

Biography

Sources

Further reading