Al-Sabiyyah

Al-Sabiyyah is the capital of the Sirdabi province of Tessere, situated along the Adelantean coastline. It is the chief maritime outlet for the trans-Hazari gold trade that connects the gold mines of west Idiri with the Adelantean world, via Koumbasi and Tessere itself. As a result it is a very prosperous and prestigious city, rivaling Koumbasat for the reputation of greatest city of the western caliphate.

History

Al-Sabiyyah was founded following the Great Dark and the Deluge which destroyed many coastal cities around the Adelantean Basin. Formerly the area was dominated by the Yehani city-state of Druth, which occupied a promontory east of the present site of al-Sabiyyah. When Druth was drowned in the Deluge, its survivors took refuge upon what had once been a cluster of low hills which now formed an island in the middle of the floodwaters. When the floodwaters departed, little of Druth's promontory still remained and the city itself was entirely gone, while the sea had taken up residence in the deep depression that had formerly been Lake Zegoura. This being the case, the remaining Yehani joined the local Tessouare to found a new city around the tallest hill in their refuge, which eventually came to be known as al-Sabiyyah.

In the year 24 N.D. an army of the recently formed Sirdabi Caliphate arrived in the area, augmented by numerous Tessouare converts to the Azadi faith. They discovered a small yet thriving port town whose residents welcomed the newcomers rather than putting up a fight. The Sirdabi found the little town much to their liking, and many soldiers settled permanently into the new army quarters there, in addition to those who decided to remain as merchants after their term of service ended. The locals for their part were accepting of the new faith and its followers, and many Tessouare in particular adopted Azadi as their own religion. As the town grew and improved its harbor it also strengthened its links with the caliphate, as many of the new Sirdabi residents retained strong ties to family back in Ruleska. The town thus developed a reputation as one of the best-connected commercial centers and well developed ports in north Idiri, so it was little surprise that with the rise of the Koumbasi gold monopoly it became the chief maritime outlet for the gold trade. With its natural advantages and the driving enterprise of its citizenry, al-Sabiyyah has grown into one of the great cities not just of the caliphate but of the Adelantean world.

Present Day

Al-Sabiyyah remains a great port and a thriving city, situated on the gently rolling land around Zegoura Bay. Most of its central core dates to its period of greatest expansion during the 2nd century N.D., but many spectacular newer buildings are the result of its wealth from the gold trade, steadily accumulated over the last two centuries. At the center of the city lies the Ark, the tallest hill in the area and the source of its plentifully flowing freshwater springs. Much of this area has been left undeveloped, except for expansive gardens and the beautiful Shrine of the Well, which is a site of prayer and meditation for all the faiths of al-Sabiyyah.

The population of al-Sabiyyah is a diverse one in accordance with its nature and history. Tessouare, Sirdabi, and Yehani make up the bulk of the citizenry, but Bissenke are present in strong numbers as well. Unlike in other cities of the caliphate the different peoples are well mixed, without distinct enclaves, and many identify more strongly as al-Sabiyyan than as a member of any one heritage group. Azadi is the chief religion in the city, but various pagan belief systems are also common among certain groups of Tessouare and Bissenke. Most unusual of all is the Yehani community, which technically is not Yehani at all but Yemelite, being followers of the old gods instead of Elu Hani exclusively.

Although the city is best known for its role in the gold trade, al-Sabiyyah has several other thriving commercial ventures as well. Most notable of these, and not unrelated, is its goldsmithing and jewelry crafting industry, which together produce a variety of luxury goods including figurines and amulets, caskets and vials, furnishings and tableware, and a huge variety of high-end personal adornments. Al-Sabiyyah is also known for its music boxes, as well as other clockwork devices of great ingenuity. Besides these prestigious trades, the city and its hinterlands also produce a great amount of olive oil and grain, much of which goes to Koumbasi and even the Cloud Kingdoms. Overall the populace is prosperous, as wealth from the gold trade is well spread throughout the city and the local government is at least erratically generous in its support of the poor.

Despite these positive aspects, al-Sabiyyah has a rather clouded reputation in the Sirdabi Caliphate. Doubtless also related to the great flow of wealth through the province is the local government's reputation for corruption, and it is generally known that bribes, pay-offs, and general greasing of palms is widespread, besides the judicious siphoning off of public revenues into private pockets. The city is also renowned for its schemes and intrigues, which most recently culminated in the al-Sabiyyan Conspiracy of 780-782 N.D, which pitted Sirdabi loyalists against various factions favoring closer ties with Koumbasi or outright secession from the caliphate. Due to this dubious renown, the word "sabiyyan" has come widely into currency to refer to anything particularly devious and labyrinthine in complexity.