Al-Hira

Ancient Mesopotamian city Hiraal-Ḥīra (Arabic)A 15th-century Persian miniature describing the construction of Khawarnaq in Hira, the capital city of the Lakhmids; miniature painting by Kamāl ud-Dīn Behzād.Location within Iraq31°59′N 44°23′E / 31.98°N 44.39°E / 31.98; 44.39TypeAncient cityPeriods3rd-7th centuries CECulturesLakhmid, SasanianSatellite ofSasanian EmpireAssociated withLakhmid ArabsLocationIraqRegionNajaf GovernorateHistoryBuilt3rd century CE (Kingdom of the Lakhmids)Event(s)Battle of Hira (633 CE, Arab conquest of Iran) Al-Hira (Arabic: الحيرة, romanized: al-Ḥīra Middle Persian: Hērt ) was an ancient city and a major metropolis located in Mesopotamia, in what is now south-central Iraq. It was the capital city of the Lakhmid kingdom, the major Arab client kingdom of the Sasanian Empire in pre-Islamic times, between the fourth and the seventh centuries. In Islamic times, it remained inhabited until the tenth century. Despite its major role in the history of late antiquity, little is known about its society and culture. Most histories of the city come from early Abbasid times in Islamic sources. While earlier sources are sometimes incorpora