Ayyab was a ruler of Aštartu (present day Tell Ashtara) south of Damascus. According to the Amarna letters, cities/city-states and their kings in the region — just like countries to the north, such as Hatti of the Hittites, fell prey to a wave of attacks by ʿApiru raiders. The Amarna correspondence corpus covers a period from 1350–1335 BC. Another ruler of Aštartu cited in the Amarna letters is Biridašwa. The letters do not clearly indicate their title, leading some scholars to describe them as kings of Damascus (Dimašqu) while others believe they were high Egyptian officials, possibly mayors.

Ayyab's letter EA 364

Ayyab is the author of only one letter to the Egyptian pharaoh, letter EA 364-(EA for 'el Amarna').

Title: Justified war

Ayyab's name is referred to in only one letter of the Amarna letters corpus, one of two letters by Labaya's son: Mutbaal of the city, Pihilu, modern Pella, Jordan. The letter is EA 256, title: "Oaths and denials", (the oaths and denials by Mutbaal). See: "Tenuous identifications with Biblical figures": Labaya-(Mutbaal letter 256).