The Lakhmid Kingdom of al-Hira

The kingdom of al-Hira, the kingdom of the house of Lakhm (the Mundhirids), who were the Persians' governors over the Arabs of Iraq and the desert. Al-Raheeq al-Makhtum counts it, along with the kings of Yemen and the house of Ghassan, among the crowned kings who were not in fact independent ¹.

Ardashir judged that he could not rule the Arabs directly or stop them from raiding his frontiers, unless he made over them a man of their own with a supporting tribal following (asabiyya), whom he could use against the Romans. This would also place the Arabs of Iraq opposite the Arabs of Syria, whom the Romans had cultivated. He kept at the court of the king of al-Hira a unit of Persian troops ^{2 3}.

• Jadhima al-Abrash was governor of al-Hira and of all who lived in the Iraqi desert and the Jazira from Rabi'a and Mudar in the time of Ardashir. He died around 268 CE ².
• Amr ibn Adi ibn Nasr al-Lakhmi was the first of the Lakhmid kings, in the time of Khosrow Shapur ibn Ardashir, and the kings of the Lakhmids followed him ².
• al-Mundhir ibn Ma' al-Sama': Qubadh removed him for refusing the Mazdakite doctrine and appointed al-Harith ibn Amr al-Kindi in his place; then Anushirvan restored him ².
• The line of al-Mundhir continued to al-Nu'man ibn al-Mundhir, with whom Khosrow became angry on the slander of Zayd ibn Adi al-Ibadi, and he imprisoned him until he died ².
• After him came Iyas ibn Qabisa al-Ta'i. In his days came the Battle of Dhu Qar, and the Prophet ﷺ was born eight months into his rule ².
• After Iyas came a Persian governor. Then in 632 CE the kingship returned to the house of Lakhm, and al-Mundhir, known as al-Marur, took it. His rule did not exceed eight months before Khalid ibn al-Walid (may God be pleased with him) came to him with the armies of the Muslims ^{4 3}.

The tribes near al-Hira were subject to the king of the Arabs at al-Hira, but this allegiance was nominal rather than real ⁵. Some of the kings of al-Hira adopted Christianity ⁶.