Al-Hira was an ancient city in Mesopotamia located south of what is now Kufa in south-central Iraq. Al-Hirah was a significant city in pre-Islamiā¦Al-Hira was an ancient city in Mesopotamia located south of what is now Kufa in south-central Iraq. Al-Hirah was a significant city in pre-Islamic Arab history. Al-Hirah served as the capital of the Lakhmids, an Arab vassal kingdom of the Sasanian Empire, whom it helped in containing the nomadic Arabs to the south. The Lakhmid rulers of al-Hirah were recognized by Shapur II, the tenth Sasanian emperor.