There are several explanations for the reference to “Iram – who had lofty pillars”. Some see this as a geographic location, either a city or an area, others as the name of a tribe. Those identifying it as a city have made various suggestions as to where or what city it was, ranging from Alexandria or Damascus to a city which actually moved or a city called Ubar.[4] As an area it has been identified with the biblical Aram, son of Shem and the biblical region known as Aram.[5] It has also been identified as a tribe, possibly the tribe of ʿĀd, with the pillars referring to tent pillars.[1]
Source: Iram of the Pillars – Wikipedia
Tim B.
“According to some Islamic beliefs,[7] King Shaddad[citation needed] defied the warnings of the prophet Hud and Allah smote the city, driving it into the sands, never to be seen again. The ruins of the city are thought to lie buried somewhere in the sands of Al-Rub’ al Khali (The Empty Quarter). Iram became known to Western literature with the translation of the story “The City of Many-Columned Iram and Abdullah Son of Abi Kilabah” in The Book of One Thousand and One Nights. “