owned with success in 525. Of the
Christian Abyssinian kings in Arabia tradition tells of four, one only
of whom is mentioned in inscriptions. The famous expedition of Abraha,
the Abyssinian viceroy, against Mecca, took place in 570. Five years
later the Persians, who had been called in by the opponents of
Christianity, succeeded in taking over the rule and in appointing
governors over Yemen. (See further ETHIOPIA: _The Axumite Kingdom_.)

_Hira, Ghassan and Kinda._--Before passing to the time of Mahomet it is
necessary to take account of three other Arabian powers, those of Hira,
Ghassan and Kinda.

Hira.

The kingdom of Hira (Hira) was established in the boundary land between
the Euphrates and the Arabian desert, a district renowned for its good
air and extraordinary fertility. The chief town was Hira, a few miles
south of the site of the later town of Kufa. The inhabitants of this
land are said in Tabari's history to have been of three classes:--(1)
The Tanukh (Tnuhs), who lived in tents and were made up of Arabs from
the Tehama and Nejd, who had united in Bahrein to form a new tribe, and
who migrated from there to Hira, probably at the beginning or middle of
the 3rd century A.D., when the Arsacid power was growing weak. The
Arabian historians relate their conflict with Zenobia. (2) The 'Ibad or
'Ibadites, who dwelt in the town of Hira in houses and so led a settled
life. These were Christians, whose ecclesiastical language was Syriac,
though the language of intercourse was Arabic. A Christian bishop of
Hira is known to have attended a synod in 410. In the 5th century they
became Nestorians. (3) Refugees of various tribes, who came into the
land but did not belong to the Tanukh or the 'Ibad. There is no
trustworthy information as to the earlier chiefs of this people. The
dynasty of the Lakhmids, famed in Arabian history and literature, arose
towards the end of the 3rd century and lasted until about 602. The names
of twenty kings are given by Hisham al-Kalbi in Tabari's history.
Although so many of their subjects were Christian, the Lakhmids remained
heathen until Nu'man, the last of the dynasty. The kingdom of Hira was
never really independent, but always stood in a relation of dependence
on Persia, probably receiving pay from it and employing Persian
soldiers. At the height of its power it was able to render valuable aid
to its suzerain. Much of its time was spent in wars with Rome and
Ghassan. Its revenues w