Zalawi
| Allegiance | Sirdabi Caliphate |
| Capital | Zaloudri |
| Demonym | Salawi |
| Official Language | Sirdabi |
| Official Religion | Azadi |
| Currency | fals/dirham/nour |
| Native Heritages | Salawi, Sirdabi, Xhalantu, Kiliku |
Zalawi is a province of the Sirdabi Caliphate, its only Idiri possession lying south of the Great Hazari Desert. With a hospitable sandy coastline along the Gulf of Adwa and Sea of Sala'ah, rich iron mines in its interior, and trade connections with peoples of both land and sea, Zalawi is a vital contributor to the caliphate's prosperity. Sailors, shipbuilders, and daring entrepreneurs, the Salawi people's thriving trade with the land of Jalanjhur predates even that of the Sirdabi themselves.
Geography & Climate
Zalawi is relatively temperate and wet compared to the desert provinces of the north Idiri coast. It has two rainy seasons produced by the warm wet monsoon winds coming off the Sea of Sala'ah: the primary and very intense rains of Rashani through Ashbat, and a second period of lighter but frequent rains in the fall months of Kholabi and Oniris. That being said, Zalawi is still a hot and often sweltering land, with a particularly debilitating damp heat that settles in during the month of Jinniyah.
Zalawi converges on its north side with the neighboring province of Raziya, where the Great Thirsty Mountains form the border between the two. Its southern border is less clear, as Zalawi territory dissolves into the Opone Grasslands where Salawi and Xhalantu tribal boundaries tend to shift fluidly over time. Most of the province's population is concentrated in large cities strung out along the coast, despite this area receiving less rain than the interior. In the interior, life in small villages to medium-sized towns is the norm, especially in the Daoui N'douri Hills where the province's iron and copper mines are found and the climate is slightly less torrid. Few people reside in the north of Zalawi, where the stony terrain is more stark and less suited for agriculture.
The elevation of the province rises from east to west, progressing from the low and sandy coast to the central hill country, and then still more dramatically ascending towards the Izendi Highlands that lie beyond the province's western border. The swift flow of the upper Ulembeke River is driven by this difference in elevation, emerging from Nirzali's Mirror and plunging down in a torrent of rapids and waterfalls into the broad Kibu Valley. From this point the river is much more navigable and supports a ready trade within the interior, aided by thriving river towns such as Olangiri. Coming off the gentle decline of the Kibu, the Ulembeke enters a large flat basin between the Daoui N'douri Hills and Ragged Rock Bluff, where the river abandons all pretense of having banks and flows out in an immense maze of channels called the Vast Salt Marsh. Eventually some of these channels converge once again on the southeast side of the marsh, becoming the Halesi Outflow, where it passes through the town of the same name before eventually pouring out into the Sea of Sala'ah.
People
The Salawi are the native people of the province, inhabiting not only the long coastline but also much of the interior. Coastal Salawi typically occupy towns and cities built directly upon the shore, even in places where the natural harborage is poor. Those of the interior dwell chiefly among the hills, where the province's famed iron mines are located, and along major overland trade routes. Many Sirdabi also make their homes in the cities of the coast, and numerous families in these towns are the product of intermarriage between Salawi and Sirdabi in generations past.
In addition to these more common peoples, pastoral Xhalantu of the Bhalanga and Dria'a tribes inhabit the Opone Grasslands, herding their cattle and growing a variety of crops in their tightly-knit village communities. Within the mazy depths of the Vast Salt Marsh, scattered bands of Kiliku also make their home, where these resourceful people live off the natural bounty of the wetlands and sometimes serve as guides for Salawi boats traveling from the Ulembeke River to the coast.
Economy
Most of Zalawi's flourishing economy stems from maritime trade with the lands around the Sea of Sala'ah, especially with Jalanjhur. Most important to this trade is the export of the province's superb quality iron ore, which is mined from the Daoui N'douri Hills and often shipped to Jalanjhur to be forged into steel by that land's equally superb smiths. Some of this steel may be made into weapons, which are in turn sent back across the sea to the lands of the caliphate, or the steel itself may be shipped back out in ingots. The most exalted blade of the caliphate, the famed Suurmiyyan scimitar, is crafted of Jalanit steel forged from Zalawi iron. More prosaically, the ore is used domestically to produce a wide range of quality iron goods.
Besides iron, Zalawi exports numerous materials that come to it from the Idiri interior, including ivory, tropical hardwoods, leopard skins and other fine hides, salt, copper, and semiprecious gems.
The Salawi also craft a type of pottery known as filaware from the Fila tribe that first produced it. This pottery is a distinctive bright red from the iron-rich clay it is shaped with, and is painted with contrasting white designs. The clay used to produce filaware is also highly durable when fired properly, and it can be made into urns and pots for shipping, besides its popular decorative uses.
Religion
As in all lands of the Sirdabi Caliphate, Azadi is the official and primary religion of Zalawi's inhabitants. Although in its early days as part of the caliphate only the elites of the larger coastal towns tended to be Azadi, now most of the population belong to the faith and the daily prayers and visits to local mosques are part of nearly everyone's ordinary life. Zaloudri in particular boasts two very fine mosques well known throughout the caliphate, and the al-Dagur shrine near the village of Maleah is a modest but respected pilgrimage site.
At the same time, numerous earlier religious traditions have survived in Zalawi and continue to color the rhythms of daily life. Respect and homage to one's ancestors remains important to the Salawi, whether these are one's personal ancestors or the forebears of the leading families of the province who are responsible for overseeing the continued prosperity of all Zalawi. The appeasement of nature spirits likewise is viewed as essential even among those who consider themselves orthodox Azadi, and various rituals to ensure fruitful harvests, good catches of fish, or smooth trade winds are commonly performed. Sometimes local imams, particularly in smaller communities, may lead prayers at the mosque and perform these more ancient rituals. In other cases both male and female shamans may carry out such duties.
Cities & Towns
- Zaloudri, called "the White Dove of Sala'ah", the provincial capital and a thriving hub of commerce and shipbuilding.
- Dour, a down-to-earth mining town.
- Esianka, home of the ancient Ganajh copper mine and the age-old rival of Dour.
- Halesi, the crossroads of Zalawi and a haggler's paradise.
- Laascana, a vibrant island port often called "Jalanjhur's west gate".
- Olangiri, a river town known for its daring pilots and colorful houseboats.
- Maleah, a remote mountain village in a beautifully desolate land.