The Battle of Hira () 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. The loss of the frontier city on the Euphrates River opened the way to the Sasanian capital, Ctesiphon, on the Tigris River.
Context The city of Al-Hirah, widely known for its size and wealth, had been the 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 the month. The defenders briefly sequestered themselves in the city's fortresses, but after brief fighting, the city quickly surrendered.Hitti, Origins of the Islamic State (translation of Kitab Futuh Al-Buldan); It is reported that Yazid ibn-Nubaishah-l-'Armiri said "... We then came to al-Hirah whose people had fortified themselves in al-Kasr al-Abyad, Kasr ibn-Bukailah and Kasr al'Adasiyin. We went around on horseback in the open spaces among their buildings, after which they made terms with us.", p. 391Muir, The Caliphate, Its Rise, Decline, and Fall. From Original Sources, p. 56 The inhabitants paid a large tributeHitti, Origins of the Islamic State (translation of Kitab Futuh Al-Buldan); Al Husain ibn-al-Aswad from Yahya ibn-Adam: "I heard it said that the people of al-Hirah were 6000 men, on each one of whom 14 dirhams ... were assessed, making 84000 dirhams in all.", p. 391 to spare the city and agreed to act as spies against the Sasanians, just as the inhabitants of Ullais had.
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