In the later parts of the Bible, where this kingdom is frequently mentioned (Books of Esther, Daniel, Ezra and Nehemiah), it is called Paras (Biblical Hebrew: פרס‎), or sometimes Paras u Madai (פרס ומדי), i.e. "Persia and Media". The Arabs used to likewise refer to Iran and the Persian (Sassanian) Empire as Al-Fāris (Arabic: الفارس‎), which would become the popular name for the region in Muslim literature.