ABSTRACT
Caetani,4followingtheArabhistorians,claimsthatBaJ:irainwas aregionstretchingfromthenorth-westerncoastoftheGulftothe heartofArabia,andthenuptotheEuphratesriver,closetoancient Babylon.Probablytheregionwaslessextendedforadministrative purposes,anddidnotincludethepartclosertoal-f.lirahand Babylon.Anywaythislargeandmostlyundefinedprovincewas governedfromal-Mada'in(Ktesiphon),themaincityoftheSasanian empire,whosemetropolitanareaincludedsomeoldercities,and laterBaghdad.Theappointedgovernorfromal-Mada'inwasestablishedinHajar.IfBaJ:irainwasunderSasanianrule,thereisno doubtthat,atleastinthetimeoftheMuslimconquest,theregion hadarelativeautonomy.WealsoknowthatBaJ:irainwasamongthe richestprovincesoftheempire,atleastofthecoastalterritory.In factthecoastwasquitedifferentfromtheinnerpart,thelatterbeing inhabitatedbypoorbedouinpeoplebelongingtothreemaintribes: the'Abdal-Qays,theBakribnWa'il,andtheTamim,whilethe coastalcitieshadanindustriouspeopleenrichedbytradeandfishing, mostlypearl-fishing.Bothactivitiesdevelopedtheseafaringnatureof thecoastalpopulation.TheBaJ:larinah,likethe'Omanites,were famousfortheirmaritimeskill.Herodotus,inawell-knownpassage, wrotethatthePhoeniciansclaimedtobeofBaJ:irainorigin,5andlater onBaJ:irainorganizedthefleetfortheMuslimexpeditionsintheSind in16AHand38AH,whenthecommanderwasal-f.larithibnMurrah ofthe'Abdal-Qaystribe.6TheArabcoastalpopulationalsoimproved theirmaritimeabilitybecausePersiahadneverbeenamaritime power.
