Al-Zeir Salim

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Al-Zeir Salim (Arabic,الزير سالم), whose real name was Adi bin Rabi'a also known as Abu Laila Al-Muhalhil, was a poet and warrior in pre-Islamic Arabia. He died in 531 AD. He was the maternal uncle of Imru' al-Qais.

He is the Hero and main character of the famous 6th Century Epic of Salim, revolving around the murder of his Brother Kulaib Bin Wael.

Further to Wael's defeat of the Tuba`a of Yemen and his establishment of an independent Northern State in Arabia and Syria, Salim became King, though less concerned with the affairs of state and more with getting vengeance from his cousin Tribe of Banu Bakr (Bakreyeen).

The Epic of Salim primarily revolves around his trauma as a result of his brother's loss, and the ensuing war of attrition known as Albasoos.

The story is well known through Arabian, Syrian, and Bedouin vocal folklore, and was documented and continues to be read in the Coffee Houses of Damascus and Aleppo by the Hakawaties (story-tellers).