The Historical Roots of Arabism in Ahwaz before Islam: The Kingdom of Maysan – A Study Confirming Ahwaz’s Arab Identity
The book The Historical Roots of Arabism in Ahwaz before Islam: The Kingdom of Maysan by Iraqi researcher Munther Abdulkarim Al-Bakr, published by the Basra and Arabian Gulf Studies Center, delves into the Arab identity of Ahwaz prior to Islam, focusing on the ancient Kingdom of Maysan.
Maysan, also known as “Charax,” was established by Alexander the Great in 324 B.C. as a strategic trading port between the East and West.
The study highlights that Maysan’s indigenous population were Arameans, identified in modern studies as Arabs originating from the Arabian Peninsula.
These Arab inhabitants managed to establish an independent state during the Achaemenid period, showing that the area’s governance by the Achaemenids was only nominal.
The first ruler of the Kingdom of Maysan was Hyspaosines, appointed by Antiochus IV (175-164 B.C.), who later founded an independent Arab kingdom.
Historians, including DeVoeux and Altaym, confirm Hyspaosines’ Arab origin, dispelling claims of any Iranian descent. The book emphasizes that Ahwaz was historically an Arab state, not a Persian city or province, backed by historical evidence of pre-Islamic Arab kingdoms in the region.
