Pre-Islamic recent period

The Recent Pre-Islamic Period (PIR) in southeastern Arabia refers to the period between 300 BCE, the end of the Iron Age III period, through to the Islamic era which effectively commenced with the culmination of the 7th-century Ridda Wars.

Previously referred to as the Mleiha or Hellenistic era, the period was dominated in the region by the rise of the cities of Ed-Dur, currently located in Umm Al Quwain, UAE and Mleiha in Sharjah. It follows on from the dissolution of Darius III's Persian empire. Although the era has been called Hellenistic, Alexander the Great's conquests went no further than Persia and he left Arabia untouched.