The aqir (Azj'Aqir, the name of the empire, is sometimes used as the name of the race) are an old race. The races of the nerubians , the qiraji and the mantid were once one people, the aqir, until the qiraji warred with the Gurubashi and Amani troll empires, and after their culture was shattered, the nerubians had to flee north. The Nerubians reminded Sylvanas Windrunner of tales of the thought-vanished aqir, giving some hints as to what they were like.