Omrazir: Dusk (West City)
The half of Omrazir known as Dusk lies on the west side of the River Tamrasset and is, relatively speaking, the newer half of the city. It is the center of both city and provincial governance, housing not only the palace of the bey but also numerous other administrative and religious functionaries of the caliphate. Having been founded in Ruveran times as an enclave of government physically separate from the often-contentious governed, Dusk still serves its original purpose, besides now being the locus of Omrazir's culture and learning. Unlike Dawn, which is dominated by the local peoples of north Idiri, the population of Dusk leans heavily towards those of Sirdabi heritage, mixed with Irzali, Salawi, and a surprising number of people of foreign extraction drawn from outside the caliphate.
The western half of the city is smaller in area and more limited by its terrain than the eastern Dawn side. This portion of Omrazir has a strong slope in general, not only from north to south but also from east to west, with both the western and southern peripheries made up of nearly sheer cliffs. As a consequence, the city has had to be ingenious in finding ways to house its much-expanded population of civil officials, religious and scholarly luminaries, foreign expatriates, university students, poets, magi, and the many and varied hangers-on inevitably drawn to one of the most opulent courts of the caliphate. The chief response to these limitations had been to build upward rather than outward, so that a large proportion of the architecture of Dusk consists of multistoried brick buildings and soaring stone spires, the latter a wonder in and of themselves as they seem to defy all constraints of gravity and nature.
Given its centrality in the city's cultural and official life, the west side of Omrazir is overall wealthier than the east side. Although many residents are of only middling means and some are quite poor, Dusk does not exhibit the extremes of poverty associated with places such as Dawn's White City. The most famous and admired landmark of the west side is the prestigious Elucidarium, the madrasa complex that includes not only the renowned university and library of Omrazir, but also the city's largest and most beautiful mosque. Perpetually tossed by new currents in politics and philosophy, Dusk is Omrazir's center of civic and intellectual life.
Districts
- Academy District: Home to the renowned Elucidarium madrasa and mosque, as well as the greatest library of the entire caliphate.
- Cursed Quarter: A sprawling cluster of shops, houses, and gardens in the heart of Dusk, abandoned to a shadowy curse.
- Ferenghi Quarter: The quarter where many of the city's foreign-born population have come to reside, encompassing expatriates from across Avaria.
- Palace Precinct: A neighborhood of dizzyingly tall towers and spires built on Omrazir's western ridge, home to many of the city's most influential families as well as diplomats.
- Razmani Enclave: The lofty home of the city's Razmani population, carved directly into the sheer cliffs overlooking the city.
Thoroughfares
- Via Columnis: The Columned Way, which begins at the upper west gate and descends precipitously to the Palace Precinct, eventually joining with the Via Lucis. It was originally the main entry route for the early city of Dusk, but now sees relatively little use beyond strictly local traffic.
- Via Extranea: The Strangers' Way, a short road which twists its way west off the Via Magna and through the Ferenghi Quarter, eventually meeting the Via Lucis. The Via Tenebris also branches off from it.
- Via Lucis: The Way of Light, a broad east-west avenue that originates near the docks, then rises upwards as it curves past the Elucidarium and up to the Palace Plaza. It is one of the most celebrated streets in Omrazir and includes the Stair of Learning.
- Via Petra: The Way of Stone, forming the southernmost east-west route through Dusk. It connects this side of the city to the Bazaar of Nine Winds, and at its west end terminates at the entrance to the Razmani Enclave.
- Via Tenebris: The Shadow Way, a branching road that winds its way through the center of Dusk, linking the Via Extranea with the Via Petra and also the Via Columnis. Shaded by cool enclosed passages that provide relief from the midday sun, its name also suggests the abandoned leg of its route that passes through the Cursed Quarter.