Nairi is the Assyrian name (KUR.KUR Na-i-ri, also Na-'i-ru) for an Armenian tribe in the Armenian Highlands, roughly corresponding to the modern Van and Hakkâri provinces of Turkey.
Nairi can almost certainly be equated with Nihriya, known from Mesopotamian, Hittite, and Urartean sources.During the Bronze Age collapse (13th to 12th centuries BCE), the Nairi tribes are considered a force strong enough to contend with both Assyria and Hatti.
The Battle of Nihriya, the culminating point of the hostilities between Hittites and Assyrians for control over the remnants of the former empire of Mitanni, takes place here, c 1230.
Nairi is incorporated into Urartu during the 10th century BCE.
