Omrazir: Religion
As part of the Sirdabi Caliphate the official and chief religion of Omrazir is the Azadi faith, but as with most other things the city has its own idiosyncratic approach to this and other religions. While the caliphate as a whole is generally tolerant of other faiths, Omrazir is a place where this tolerance is frequently put to the test on account of the great diversity of religions practiced there. For the most part the cosmopolitan atmosphere of the city results in peaceful and accepting relations among different communities of worshipers, but at the same time religion is a distinct and proud source of identity for most, and occasional squabbles among the various faithful are far from unheard of, if seldom serious. The most pronounced quirk of the city's worship is a general conflation by its Idiri subjects of the goddess Nirzali with the Prophet al-Azad's first wife Adwa, and of the Prophet himself with the Idiri demigod Nthandu. Therefore many worshipers of these two local deities consider themselves equally Azadi, and tend to pay their respects to al-Azad and Adwa as well as Nthandu and Nirzali.
As somewhat under half of the city's residents are of Sirdabi descent, a more orthodox interpretation of Azadi is practiced by at least half the city's residents. Small to medium-sized mosques are scattered throughout the city's many neighborhoods, and are used for daily prayer as well as for secular community meetings. On Nuru's Day, the chief day of prayer, a great number of Omrazir's Azadi faithful come to hear the noon sermon at the Elucidarium Mosque, led by the city's leading imam.
The Temple of Storms, though dedicated to the Idiri goddess Nirzali, also honors Adwa as a mortal incarnation of that goddess. Salesh's Day is considered the chief day of prayer for Adwa, as this is said to be the day of the week on which the Prophet's wife arrived in Omrazir and sought asylum in the temple. Even among the more orthodox Sirdabi Azadi there are a few who come to the Temple of Storms on that day to join in the songs offered by the High Priestess in honor of Adwa. However, most worshipers at the Temple of Storms are native Idiri either practicing a version of Azadi blended with local faiths, or simply worshipping Nirzali herself. Further east, in the Sirdabi heartland and the caliphate's eastern provinces, this synthesis of religions is deplored and frequently censured, to no discernible effect.
Holy Days
Solitary, the chief holy event of the Omrazi calendar, takes place from the spring equinox through the end of Rashani. It consists of at least ten days of self-imposed daily isolation, followed by a grand communal feast on the first of Pavana, the official New Year. Residents and pilgrims alike retreat to the solitude of some inner room, spending each day, from sunup to sundown, in silence and solitude for the space of a week and a half. The wealthiest households have small closet-like rooms for this purpose, while poorer families make do with retreating to a corner and turning their backs to the rest of the room. Pilgrims, for their part, make use of designated chambers surrounding the Elucidarium Mosque or the subterranean cells extending beneath the Temple of Storms.
Due to the existence side by side of distinct Sirdabi and Idiri faiths, Solitary is interpreted slightly differently depending on the religious affiliation of the participant. The holiday is meant to express solidarity either with Adwa, fled alone from Sirdab in the conflicts following al-Azadi's death, or with Nirzali in her exile from the rest of the gods. The practice of mindful solitude allows one to reflect upon the teachings expressed in the Song of God and the example of al-Azadi and Adwa, while teaching compassion for those who are isolated and alone in the world or wronged by others. Among the Idiri who also participate in Solitary, they believe that the wetter and stormier the weather is during this time, the more favor Nirzali is believed to be showing to her devout.