The Battle of Hira (Arabic: معركة الحيرة) was fought between the Sasanian Empire and the Rashidun Caliphate in 633. It was one of the early battles of the Muslim conquest of Persia, and the loss of the frontier city on the Euphrates River opened the way to the Sasanian capital at Ctesiphon on the Tigris River.
| Battle of Hira | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Islamic conquest of Persia and Campaigns of Khalid ibn al-Walid | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| Rashidun Caliphate | Sasanian Empire | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Khalid ibn al-Walid | Iyas ibn Qabisah al-Ta'i,[2] Abd al-Masih | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| ~10,000-15,000[3][4] | 40,000[dubious – discuss](Muslim sources) | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Few | heavy | ||||||
Context
The city of Al-Hirah, widely known for its size and wealth, had been capital of the Lakhmid kingdom for centuries. It was annexed as a Sasanian frontier province in 602. During the expansion of the Caliphate in 633, Caliph Abu Bakr, sent Khalid ibn al-Walid to capture the lands south of the Euphrates (the as-Sawad).
After taking Ullais in May, the Muslim army under Khalid ibn al-Walid attacked the city of Hira in the last week of that month. The defenders briefly sequestered themselves in the city's fortresses, but after brief fighting, the city quickly surrendered.[5][6] The inhabitants paid a large tribute[7] to spare the city, and agreed to act as spies against the Sasanians, just as the inhabitants of Ullais had.[8]
References
Citations
Sources
- Morony, Michael G. (2005). Iraq After the Muslim Conquest. Piscataway, New Jersey: Gorgias Press. ISBN 978-15-93333-15-7.