This dramatic historical account brings life to the often stale accounts of the period of Middle East history leading up to the birth of Islam. The first Lakhmids are thought to have emigrated from Yemen in the second century. Establishing their empire across what is now Iraq and Syria, and bordering the lands of the Persians and the Ottomans, the Lakhmids were a major force among the great pre-Islamic Arab peoples. Lakhmid culture and learning spread widely, and carried much influence. Hira, the centre of the Lakhmid kingdom, was where the early Arabic alphabet was standardised. In The Lakhmids of Hira, Yasmine Zahran brings her lively yet informed style to bear on a hitherto unjustly neglected dynasty of Arabia's history. Introduced by Dr Robert Hoyland, with a chronology and a detailed bibliography, The Lakhmids of Hira is a required addition to the shelves of any Arabist or Middle East historian.
Available now. Buy your copy direct from the publishers and receive 20% discount from the cover price of £14.95, plus p&p.
