The enmity between Arabs and Persians was not new, but rather had an ancient history. After the Sassanid dynasty replaced the Parthians in (225 AD), the Sassanids followed the same approach of domination and aggression on the western borders of the empire. The Sassanids established sea and river ports to expand their political, commercial and religious influence in the region.

As for their king, Shapur II (310-379 AD), the Greek historian Ammianus Marcellinus described him as a “barbaric Persian king”, especially after he dealt with the Arab tribes in a brutal way of killing and attacked them in eastern Arabia. This was as a result of the expansion of Iyad tribe from Iraq to southern Iran, specifically Ahvaz region overlooking the Arabian Gulf. At that time, the Arab tribes were in control and powerful and began to threaten the Sassanid domination in Persia itself, and this was proven by the classical sources, which confirmed that the Arabs were the pioneers of maritime trade activity and that this negatively affected the Sassanid state and its economy.

Shapur II surprised Iyad tribe in Iraq with a sudden attack, and only those who fled to the land of the Romans survived. This attack had harbingers that the Arabs of Iyad did not notice, as they received a warning from one of the Arab prisoners who were captured by the Persians called “Luqait”, who sent them a poem in which he said:

Shapur II was not satisfied with his attack on Iyad, but decided to attack them in the east of the Arabian Peninsula, where it is indicated that he attacked and killed them in Hajr, which was inhabited by Tamim, Bakr bin Wael and Abd Al-Qais tribes. Some narrations have exaggerated that he penetrated west into the Arabian Peninsula until he reached Al-Yamamah and caused a massacre. However, this contradicts the situation of the Arabian Peninsula at that time. It is illogical that the forces of the ancient world would dare to invade the center of the island, which was like a cemetery for invaders.

One of the well-known things about Shapur II’s campaign on eastern Arabia is that he adopted a malicious military plan by backfilling wells to create a conflict between the Arabs and make it difficult for them to live. After that, he returned to the areas of Bakr and Taghlib between the Kingdom of Persia and the Empire of the Romans in the Levant, so he did to them what he did to others. He caused a change in the geography of the population of the areas he attacked. He settled those who were from Bani Taghlib from Bahrain in “Dareen”. Those who were from Abd Al-Qais and the sects of Bani Tamim were settled in “Hajr”. Those who were from Bakr bin Wael were settled in “Kerman” and they were the ones called “Bakr bin Aban”. Those who were from Bani Handala were settled in “Rumaila” from the land of Ahvaz.

Al-Tabari describes the military campaigns of Shapur II as being wide and encompassing distant lands, beginning with those who descended on the land of Persia from the Arabs who camped on Bushire, the coasts of Ardashir, the coasts of Persia, and then the coasts opposite Iran from the Arab countries. This confirms that the campaign included a demographic change for the Arab tribes by force, tyranny and absolute brutality.