Hiram was the name of a line of kings of Tyre, the Phoenician port north of Palestine. The most famous King Hiram was a friend and ally of King David and supplied him with carpenters and masons and with timber to build his palace in Jerusalem. In the time of Solomon, Hiram provided cedar and other building materials, skilled workmen and an architect to build the Temple and palace. He also sent sailors to man Solomon’s fleet of trading ships.