# Shapur II's Arab campaign

The Shapur II's Arab campaign took place in 325, against numerous Arab tribes, due to the Arab incursions into the Sasanian Empire. Shapur II defeated all the Arab tribes during his first campaign

## Arab incursions

During the childhood of Shapur II, Arab nomads made several incursions into the Sasanian homeland of Pars, where they raided Gor and its surroundings. Furthermore, they also made incursions into Meshan and Mazun.

## Shapur II's campaign

At the age of 16, Shapur II led an expedition against the Arabs. According to al-Tabari, he hand-picked 1,000 cavalrymen for the campaign, a possible reference to the pushtigban unit. He primarily campaigned against the Iyad tribe in Asoristan and thereafter he crossed the Persian Gulf, reaching al-Khatt, a region between present-day Bahrain and Qatar. He then attacked the Banu Tamim in Hajar mountains.
After having dealt with the Arabs of eastern Arabia, he continued his expedition into western Arabia and Syrian Desert, Furthermore, he also deported some Arab tribes by force; the Taghlib to Bahrain and al-Khatt; the Banu Abdul Qays and Banu Tamim to Hajar; the Banu Bakr to Kirman, and the Banu Hanzalah to a place near Hormizd-Ardashir.
The Zoroastrian scripture Bundahishn also mentions the Arabian campaign of Shapur II, where it says the following: "During the rulership of Shapur (II), the son of Hormizd, the Arabs came; they took Khorig Rūdbār; for many years with contempt (they) rushed until Shapur came to rulership.
Colonies of Persian officials and soldiers were settled in new garrisons along the Arabian coastlands of the Persian Gulf, especially in Oman's strategic coast in Al Batinah Region, including the tip of the Musandam Peninsula, Sohar, and Rustaq.
In order to prevent the Arabs to make more raids into his country, Shapur II ordered the construction of a defensive line near al-Hira, which became known as Wall of the Arabs (Middle Persian: war ī tāzīgān, in Arabic: خندق سابور khandaq Sābūr, "Ditch of Shapur").
In the accounts of the historians regarding Shapur's campaign against the Arab lands and his approach near the city, as well as his mistreatment of the Arabs, the burning of cities, and the flooding of water sources, there are undoubtedly significant exaggerations. These embellishments stem from Persian sources that have been greatly overstated. However, the "Roman historians" narratives about this event do not support this claim.
Then comes Ferdowsi, who presents a different account of the entire incident, placing it during the reign of Shapur II . As for the claim that Hormizd II defeated the Arabs, this is highly questionable . Eastern sources mention that Shapur II was a staunch enemy of the Arabs. However, the story of his campaign reaching Al-Yamama and near Medina, and his being called "Dhū al-Aktāf" as "he who pierces shoulders" due to his mistreatment of captives, is considered a fabrication of myth. The Arab kings of Al-Hira, specifically the Lakhmids, were allies of the Sassanids, and their hostility toward the Ghassanids, who served the Romans, was a significant factor, as seen in the wars of Khosrow I with Byzantium. These Lakhmid kings also had their own political role
The historians mention that Shapur was given the title "Dhū al-Aktāf" because he supposedly dislocated the shoulders of the Arabs. However, Theodor Nöldeke believed that this explanation was fabricated. According to him, the title originally had a different meaning in Sasanian culture, unrelated to shoulder dislocation. Instead, "Dhū al-Aktāf" meant "the one with shoulders," symbolizing strength and power. He argued that later historians reinterpreted the title to fit the narrative of Shapur’s harsh treatment of the Arabs