The army of the Kingdom of Al-Hirah, its organization and tasks

Abstract

The Kingdom of Al-Hirah is one of the important Arab kingdoms in the pre-Islamic era. It lived with the Sasanian state and had political dependence. Its life continued for more than four centuries, during which the kingdom supported its ally, the Sasanian state, in its struggle against the Byzantines and their allies, the Ghassanids.

The Kingdom’s long life, in an area of ​​constant conflict, shows that it has an organized and efficient army that helped it to do so. The Al-Hira Army includes four battalions (Al-Shahba, Al-Sana’i, Dawsir, and Al-Raha’in) that performed great tasks, whether collectively or individually, such as supporting the Sassanids against the Byzantines or against the Ghassanids and securing the borders He contributed to establishing the influence of al-Hirah over the Arab tribes in the north and east of the Arabian Peninsula, and he also participated in the internal conflict of the Sasanian state during the reign of Bahram Gur.