pre-release info New Civ Game Guide: Abbasid

[The Fanatical]

Hmm... appears to show a Songhai rather than Abbasid city at 0:09.

View attachment 707106

Oops, more visual pleasure for us, I guess.

 

[Alexander's Hetaroi]

I think the others can found their religion from the other way - like common civic trees, wonders, or events.

Abbasid can found theirs from the first unique civic tree bonus. I consider they're faster than the others.

You are probably right. We just haven't seen the other ways yet, which is why I was curious.

It’s probably a Abbasid-specific alternative to a generic Temple. The Temple allows for the founding of a Religion, while the Mosque does the same but with added benefits

Did we know that there were generic temples for founding a religion? I know there was the Altar in the Antiquity Age for pantheons, but this is the first that I have seen for anything.

Which is a correct observation, and Sar adds later that the quarter name is indeed "Ulema".

I still feel this is a bit off, though, since neither "Ulema" nor "Alim" (ulema is plural for alim) ever refers to something you can physically construct in a city, unlike "Medina." (Although this is not the first time I feel the naming is off regarding the original language.)

Instead of it being a physical thing you construct, I interpret it as it's more of a social institution you construct, similar to Macedon's Basilikoi Paides which wasn't a physical thing either. As in you would create a quarter of "scholars" by placing a madrasa and mosque together.

 

[SeelingCat]

Translation time (helpfully, I actually studied this language!):

• Medina (Ability(?)) - مدينة - "City" - Also the name of a historically important city in Saudi Arabia; in North Africa, it has the connotation of meaning an old, usually walled section of a city
• Round City (Civic) - مدينة المدورة - The original core of the city of Baghdad, built by the Abbasid Caliph al-Mansur
• Mawla (Civic) - مولى - "patron, protector; lord, master" - Has a variety of meanings in Arabic/Islam, but specifically was also used to refer to the private corps formed under Abbasid Caliph al-Mu'tasim, composed of non-Arabs
• Al-Jabr (Civic) - الجبر - "set, balance" - Root of the word "Algebra," the name of a mathematical treatise written by al-Khwarizmi (whose name is the source of the word "algorithm"!)
• CIty of Peace (Tradition) - مدينة السلام - The official name of Baghdad during the Abbasid period; essentially refers to the same thing as the Round City Civic.
• Sales and Trade (Tradition) - Perhaps a reference to the extensive Abbasid trade network, or Islamic banking and finance in general
• Compendious Book (Tradition) - لكتاب المختصر - The first part of the full title of the Al-Jabr treatise by al-Khwarizmi
• Ulema (Infrastructure(?)) - علماء - "the learned ones" - Scholars of Islamic doctrine and law, including judges, theologians, and scholars
• Madrasa (Infrastructure) - مدرسة - An Islamic center of learning, usually focused on law or theology
• Mosque (Infrastructure) - مسجد - An Islamic house of worship
• Ālim (Civilian) - عَالِم - "learned one; scholar, man of letters, scientist" - Refers to the great number of scientific, theological, and jurisprudential scholars in the Abbasid era
• Mamluk (Military) - مملوك - "slave" - non-Arab warriors and mercenaries that were originally slave-soldiers, but grew to become a knightly military class - or the ruling class in some areas

Alim Units:

• Al-Jāḥiẓ - 8th c. polymath known for writing on literature, zoology, philosophy, and linguistics
• Al-Khwārizmī - 8th c. Persian polymath who was greatly influential in the realms of mathematics and astronomy; father of Algebra
• Ibn Sina - Also known as Avicenna; pre-eminent philosopher and physician in the 10th-11th c.
• Al-Maqdisi - 10th c. geographer know for his descriptions of the Islamic World and Syria in particular
• Al-Farghānī - Also known as Alfraganus; famous 9th c. astronomer who built off of the writings of Ptolemy
• Al-Farabi - Also known as Alpharabius; 10th c. father of Islamic Neoplatonism and Political Philosophy
• Rabia of Basra - 8th c. female poet, Sufi mystic, and influential religious figure
• Al-Shaybani - 8th c. jurist; father of Islamic international law
• Al-Jazari - 12th c. inventor and mechanical engineer and designer of automata;
• Ibn Fadlan - 10th c. traveler who served as an ambassador of the Abbasid caliph to the Volga Bulgarians

 

[gdr_willter]

Guys, did you noticed that there is massive iceberg cliff in the last part of the video? I read it from the YouTube comment, and it looks so good and interesting!

 

[SeelingCat]

Which is a correct observation, and Sar adds later that the quarter name is indeed "Ulema".

I still feel this is a bit off, though, since neither "Ulema" nor "Alim" (ulema is plural for alim) ever refers to something you can physically construct in a city, unlike "Medina." (Although this is not the first time I feel the naming is off regarding the original language.)

I would have gone with a Waqf, personally

 

[8housesofelixir]

Well, I also confused about that... but we can consider about that the Unique Quarter is what actually not be built in the game, but formed from the exact pair of the unique buildings. UBs are definitely the physical architectures with its own functions. But maybe UQ can have a conceptual name inspired from the UBs?

It is reasonable, of course. However, the names of nearly all the other UQs revealed up to this point (Necropolis, Acropolis, Uwaybil K'uh, Matha, Forum) refer to buildings and could be physically constructed IRL. The only exception, Five Hundred Lords of Chola, refers to an establishment, which could still be a building (similar to a UB named "East India Company" or something). The Mauryan example is a good comparison, as both Mauryan UBs are religious and academic buildings, while the Mauryan UQ is "Matha" (college or monastery), rather than a Sanskrit word for scholars like in the case of "Ulema."

 

[Evolena]

until, like the fall of night, the Mongols appeared on the eastern horizon.

Abbasid into Mongolia confirm... wait, no.

 

[Eagle Pursuit]

Guys, did you noticed that there is massive iceberg cliff in the last part of the video? I read it from the YouTube comment, and it looks so good and interesting!

Looks like a cliff in a snow biome. There doesn't appear to be anything speci

 

[Krajzen]

I'm very happy to see "Abbasids" as a civ instead of "Arabia". This also opens the possibility for other separate "Arabic" civs such as Nabateans, Umayyads, Fatimids, Mamluks, Rasulids (Yemen), modern Egypt etc.

It is also once again worth mentioning though, that Abbasids were half Persian dynasty by origins, culture, imperial core territories, institutions etc, unlike Umayyads who were "Arab supremacy" take on the caliphate business - which was precisely one of the main reasons for the Abbasid "revolution" - so it would be great if they weren't always depicted as 100% Arabic civ. And that's even without taking into account all other countless cultures the Abbasid empire consisted of

One other thing which annoys me is that Civ is going to be yet another piece of pophistory which shall teach nonsense that Abbasids were flourishing civilization in the 13th century where "Islamic science" was dealt massive blow by evil Mongols - Jesus Christ, no
- Abbasids were a decaying vassal failed state since late 10th century, after awesome 100-150 years
- Baghdad itself was long past its prime in general and as a center of science, with its major achievements done and copied to other cities centuries earlier
- It wasn't even entirely destroyed, and quickly regained pop to 100 thousand inhabitants (meanwhile the other massive city of Basra wasn't destroyed at all)
- Ilkhanate of Mongols sponsored scientific research on the major scale

etc etc

 

[Mr Jon of Cheam]

Looks like a cliff in a snow biome. There doesn't appear to be anything speci

Dunno, it's got those splintery bits of ice around it that you usually see round the edge of the maps in VI. Looks cool either way!

 

[Jkchart]

Yes, Madīnat was an old name for the quarter but should be Ulema. Updating site!

Yeah I feel like Ulema and Medina should be switched name wise…

A Medina is actually a city/quarter while Ulema refers to people as opposed to a place…so this is really odd terminology to switch around for the ability and district

Otherwise looks great but those two names should definitely be switched

 

[gdr_willter]

Looks like a cliff in a snow biome. There doesn't appear to be anything speci

There are floating ices around it. IDK, will they mean the beautiful end of the map? Or there are the visual decorations for the coast of each biome?

 

[gdr_willter]

One things which annoys me though is that Civ is going to be yet another piece of pophistory which shall teach nonsense

Just take it, it's the common way of this franchise as we all know. I always see the Civ franchise as the 4X empire-building game with sort of historical flavor, rather than the accurate historical simulation game. Gamers want to see and play the Abbasid with its greatest features, not the historically accurate Abbasid with many problems it has.

You know, Korea was not a scientific leader nation, but always a fast follower. However, the Civilization dealt with them as the scientists in the every title in the series anyway.

 

[Alexander's Hetaroi]

It is reasonable, of course. However, nearly all the other UQs revealed up to this point (Necropolis, Acropolis, Uwaybil K'uh, Matha, Forum) refer to buildings and could be physically constructed IRL. The only exception, Five Hundred Lords of Chola, refers to an establishment, which could still be a building. The Mauryan example is a good comparison, as both Mauryan UBs are religious and academic buildings, while the Mauryan UQ is "Matha" (college or monastery), rather than a Sanskrit word for scholars like in the case of "Ulema."

Looking up alternative names it seems like Hawza could work. Though so far, I only have found that Shia use that term, and the Abbasids were Sunni.

 

[The_goggles_do_nothing]

The reference to "Culture Buildings" means buildings with a culture yeild, correct? Or will buildings be categorized?

 

[Zaarin]

The reference to "Culture Buildings" means buildings with a culture yeild, correct? Or will buildings be categorized?

I believe that's correct, a building whose base yield is Culture.

 

[Krikkit1]

The reference to "Culture Buildings" means buildings with a culture yeild, correct? Or will buildings be categorized?

It seems yes to both, Buildings are categorized (the UBs are categorized) but their category= their base yield. (not adjacencies)

 

[Rac]

Speaking of yields... We don't have Faith yield this time around right?

 

[Alexander's Hetaroi]

Speaking of yields... We don't have Faith yield this time around right?

No. I believe they said that Religion will play a big role in Culture during the Exploration Age.

 

[gdr_willter]

Speaking of yields... We don't have Faith yield this time around right?

No we don't. There's no Faith in this game... I guess that the Happiness will work as the religious cost in the Exploration age. Mosque is the Happiness base.