The Democratic Caliphate.

[Manuss]

They never said anything about commas in english here. I use them as I use them in Italian.

 

[CaterpillarKing]

@Spirictum, well in a series there should be a conjunction before the last item in the series. The Oxford comma is kind of new, some adults I know didn't learn it, but now everyone learns it.

 

[Spirictum]

A quick update on this:


My winter break has finally started and to celebrate that I have finished playing the term 1309 - 1369.




60 years have passed and the Caliphate has never been so strong. This term wasn't as eventful as the last one, but it has seen the economic reforms most of the provinces undertook to develop the nation.

Dar ash-Sham, the Provincial Counselor of Syria, has proposed a financial plan this term that was an incredible success. Sham's Budget Plan, as it is known, helped enduring these harsh times of economic reform. It also made all the acts done by Nidham al-Adl possible, which will be better detailed on the Story Update, coming soon by the hand of the Caliph himself.


I'm already working on the report to be presented on the Shura, while the Caliph works on the story. Meanwhile, as Matthias I (Dar al-Yu'Qataan) is missing for a very long time, he will have this time to show up here and become prepared for the Council of 1369 A.D.
However, if he doesn't show up until the Council is started, as decided before, PatriotNorwood will temporarily take his place until the following Council.

 

[jackelgull]

In celebration, let me post an idea that's been banging around my head for a while.

It is said that poetry is the soul of the Caliphate. Dating back to pre- Islamic times when spoken word poetry was the Arab past time, it soon spread to conquered people's and acted as a tool of both cultural assimilation and cultural preservation. Poets both reflected the mood of their times and shaped it. To celebrate this important aspect of the Caliphate's heritage, I will list notable poetic movements circa 1300 AD and some notable poets from that era.

1. The Political Poets: During the era when the Caliph ruled supreme, and had to be elected, candidates for the position would often pay poets to praise them and blast their opponents. These were the first media campaigns and they were vicious. However, not limiting themselves to simply campaigning for their candidates, these poets blasted government corruption and shady practices. The most famous of these is Abd al Aziz who traveled 3000 miles to campaign for Abd al-Rashid Muhammad, helping to result in one of the first clear cut victories in ages. He said of Abd al-Jalil Senbi thus- "The man is as treacherous as the Black Sea. He is a whore for the devil! There is nothing he will not do for the right price."

2. The Nationalist Poets: These can be split into three groups
Persians- Persians trickled in to the Caliphate beginning circa 800 AD. While they were a significant minority within Iraq and immigrants generally had a strong sense of national pride, they still suffered from the fact that they were a minority and needed to assimilate with the majority. Many Persian males joining the army under in mixed units and the tribal register which bound Persians even more tightly to Arabs. The Persians managed to assimilate to an astonishing degree, almost losing their own culture in the process. Into this scene stepped the great Farsi poets. Often tied to the Khodades, the old Persian dynasty in exile, these poets proudly proclaimed their Persian identity, helped propagate and firmly establish the new mire Arabized version of Farsi that was becoming popular, and solved the identity crisis many Persians felt was happening between being a part of the Caliphate and being Persian. What these poets established was thus
1. Our shared history of suffering makes Persia unique and binds Persian together.
2. We can be both Persian and a part of the Caliphate
The most famous of these poets was Ibn Farouq, whose most famous line goes, "We persians are the roof of the House of Islam. When there is rain, we shall bear it without complaint."
Turkish- Much has been made of Turkish nationalism, but little study has been done on the poetry surrounding the development. In the wake of Arab tactics to aid the urban centers of el Anadol at the expense of its farmers and hunter gatherers, a poetic school developed. However, the poetry of el Anadol was radically different from what the Caliphate had heard before. Thanks in large part to a musical tradition inherited from the Byzantines, and a bitterness towards the Arabs and their version of Islam, a stigma that was attached to music by the Islamic elite in Arab land never took hold in Anadol. As such, el Anadol often had poetry performed over music. The poetry of Anadol was rarely pretty or soft either, it was often music to load ammo to.
Famous lines: Let us raise our cries of protest to the heaven and may we drag Allah from his throne. Surely he will intercede on our behalf."
Yu'Qataan- There is no way that Arabs or Islam could be transplanted into a different climate without radical changes to either. Many Arabs who came to the New World adopted local customs and some local beliefs. This radical change lead to a feeling of alienation from traditional Arab society that pervades the works of poetry from the area.
Famous lines: These strangers
They call themselves my brothers.
Do we even pray to the same God?

Maybe I'll have more coming soon.

 

[Spirictum]

Very nice!

 

[Spirictum]

I'm working on the new release of the Caliphate's Master Map, and I already have the new land areas of all provinces. Dar al Arab (Arabia), Dar ash-Sham (Syria), Dar al-Zanj (Zanzibar) and Dar al-Yu'Qataan (Yucatan) didn't change a bit. The only one to decrease in size was Dar al-Anadol (Anatolia) because of the Ukrainian Khanate's cultural pressure. Dar Misr (Egypt), Dar al-Iraq (Iraq) and Dar al-Abyssinia (Ethiopia) were the ones that increased in size, especially the latter two. Here is the list in order from larger to smaller.


The full map will be available soon, and then its link will come here

Dar al-Iraq:
adhiraj.bose
1,234,012 square miles

Dar al-Abyssinia:
CaterpillarKing
1,089,194 square miles

Dar Misr:
Spirictum
1,076,343 square miles

Dar al Arab:
TheNoob
1,014,189 square miles

Dar al-Zanj:
Manuss
454,852 square miles

Dar al-Yu'Qataan:
Matthias I
345,489 square miles

Dar al-Anadol:
GreekAnalyzer
267,071 square miles

Dar ash-Sham:
Imp. Knoedel
133,862 square miles



Notes:

1 - The previous order was: Misr > Arab > Iraq > Zanj > Abyssinia > Yu'Qataan > Anadol > Sham;
2 - Abyssinia had the best increase rate, it is now 2.5 times larger then before;
3 - Iraq is accounting both original Iraq and its Persian domains;
4 - Yu'Qataan's flag isn't official yet.

 

[adhiraj.bose]

La IlahaIll AllahMuhammadurRasool Allah


It has been both my honor and my greatest burden to have been called upon for this task. I, Ayan Golzar, have been appointed as the court chronicler by the esteemed and honorable Caliph at Mecca.

While it had been a tradition within dar-al-islam for the caliph himself to write the chronicles of his reign, the present caliph, who is the 12th to be seated as the guardian and leader of the caliphate, fell ill before being able to conduct this task. It thus fell upon my humble hand to write these chronicles.

The past six decades have been a time of great achievement for the caliphate, and great changes have occurred across the world. Ancient civilizations have fallen to barbarians, revolts have gripped the Almohad domains, and the nations of Persia and Aksum has been fully incorporated into our glorious Caliphate.


712 AH –

Afrikiya –

Since the time of the last caliph, the mujahid of Al-Misr and of the newly formed sultanate of Abyssinia , have been locked in war with the kafir kingdoms to the South and West of Aksum.

The kingdoms of Bonga on the Nile, the kingdom of Moyale on the coast of the Indian ocean and the kingdom of Kobbe along the desert of Sahara, all fell in quick succession. The camel corpse of the caliphate has time and again proven its great prowess at rapid warfare traversing great lengths in a very short span of time. The campaign in Afrikiya would be no different.

The insidious infidels who oppressed the peoples of these kingdoms were destroyed, those who did not come to the pious way of Islam were put to the sword. The reign of corrupt warlords and petty tyrants who stood against us were ended and the grateful people of this land embraced the way of Islam. The future would see an era of peace and prosperity across this land.

Bonga was the first city to fall to our troops. Two thousand camel riders took their arms to ride for the battle. The city was on a hill surrounded by mountains to the South East, a plentiful lake to the North East, and marshes to the west. There was only one open route to taking the city, and it led across hilly lands between the mountains and lakes of Abyssinia .
Two thousand riders were set off on the short but hard journey to storm the citadel of Bonga. The riders known for their speed and skill, had proven time and again that they could catch the enemy unawares and storm their bastions before they would have a chance to prepare a defense. The army of the old kingdom of Ethiopia had many archers equipped with advanced mechanical bows, known as crossbows. Their aim was surer than that of bowmen, but the machines made firing slow and cumbersome. They were perfect targets for our riders.

The battle of Bonga saw the near total execution of its defenders, but the loss of only three hundred of our mujahid. It was a stellar example that would be repeated once more in the battle of Kobbe, but there was something far more extraordinary that happened Kobbe.

Along the Upper Nile, on the fringes of the Sahara, there is a legend. A legend of a brave woman warrior whose courage and tenacity had made her the scourge of the berber. This woman had fought alongside our troops. ‘Tis an old legend but it is one that has persisted till our time. When the mujahid went up to the walls of Kobbe and camped beside it, they saw the city in flames. A rider went closer to see what had happened. There, he saw the silhouette of a woman warrior looking fiercely at him before she made her escape. When morning came, Kobbe was a smouldering ruin. The fire that had been started the night before had consumed the city and reduced it to ash. Was this the work of the heroine ? Was it her spirit that came upon the earth for vengeance ? Or was it sabotage or perhaps a fortunate accident ? Till today no one knows, but the soldier who saw the silhouette of the woman warrior swears till this day it was Gamarra that burnt Kobbe.

In the distant South of Abyssinia , is a land rich in diamonds and sugar. In earlier times, sailors would sail along these shores to travel to rich ports in Al-Hind and Al-Arab. The sultan of Abyssinia thought it expedient then, to incorporate the land into his domain. The city of Moyale had been built and inhabited by the indigenous tribes of Afrikiya whose being and origins remain a mystery. Their ways were dark and blasphemous, but none could deny their skill in war. The empire of Aksum had held this domain at the peak of its power, but now it had fallen back to warlords of the realm. The mujahid of Somali was mobilized to take it for the glory of the Caliphate. Moyale was overwhelmed by our forces, but when the sultan went to examine his conquest, he felt disgusted. The native people and their primitive barbarous ways filled him with contempt for their race, when he returned he left an order to his men, “I shall not tolerate the existence of these kafirs, let Allah judge them. Burn the city and kill everyone.”

The men followed the order to the letter, what followed was a glorious slaughter. Moyale was burnt to the ground and every infidel was murdered.

Now, Al-Abyssinia was a sultanate that stretched from the hills of Aksum to the depths of Afrikiya. Now would come the more arduous task of building a prosperous domain.

Spoiler :

Persia –

For ages, the house of Khodadad had held the governorship of Dar-al-Iraq. For near three centuries the family lead the refugees from Persia to seek shelter and rebuild their lives in the fertile plains of Iraq. For this time, the descendants of these people had looked on in horror as the hordes of Seljuks laid waste to their ancestral lands. In the three centuries that passed barbarian hordes from the steppes invaded and ravaged the plains of Persia. After the Seljuks came the Mongols, then their empire collapsed. The once united Persian nation was now splintered among three warlords, each controlled an independent kingdom

In the 712th year of the Hijri calendar, the governor of Al-Iraq and Al-Misr combined the mujahid of these two dominions into a vast attacking force. The sons of Persia had three centuries to prepare for this great jihad against the barbarian heretics. Gwadar was the first liberated nation of the erstwhile Persian domains. Here the vast army was stationed in wait for its next glorious triumph. That would be the final triumph of Persia and the name of the Khodadad family would be forever enshrined into memory.

In the morning of the 10th day of Spring, the mujahid of Misr and Iraq assembled on the South East of Takht-i-Jamshid. It was planned that the assault would take place the next day when all preparations were ready for the strike and siege engineers could make easy the path to the city. Governor Khodadad and the sultan of Al-misr had himself drawn the battle plans for the taking of Takht-i-Jamshid, but history would not have it this way. By the will of Allah it would seem our battle would be hastened, scouts came from the West with reports of an army of nearly 50,000 Germans equipped with great trebuchets built from the arsenals of Europe, ready to besiege and take Takht-i-jamshid for themselves.

The news came as a lightning bolt upon the heads of the commanders of the mujahid. The leaders wasted not a second after receiving the report, they begun rallying the troops before night fell. The sun was beginning its descent on the western sky when the bugles of war were sounded. I was there, a soldier in the mujahid of Al-Iraq along with thousands of brave Persian riders. The enemy had not expected us to pounce so soon, perhaps it was the will of Allah that we should win so.

Two divisions of riders stormed the gates of Takht-i-Jamshid, while several others lay in wait. The battle was intense, on the one side were sons of Persians rallying under the banner of the Takbir with their brothers from Misr, on the other side were men who fought with the desperation and ferocity of a wounded Lion. The battle which began with the sun’s setting would end only with its rise and everywhere in Persepolis, lay the corpses of slain braves. In the intermingling of Persian, Arab and Turkic blood, all differences seemed to wither away and we were given a cruel reminder that Allah had not distinguished between men when he created humanity.

Spoiler :

The journeys to far off lands –

While the mujahid were mobilizing for war from Persia to Afrikiya, the office of Al-Nidham saw to the caliphate’s diplomatic affairs.

The guild had spies spread across far off lands to hear of their affairs and make known their secrets to us, they were our eyes in far off lands, a thousand eyes upon the world. One of Nidham’s thousand eyes saw the unraveling of developments in the land of Chin. This was once a great land, the greatest of all nations in the world. That old ancient glory has faded like the setting sun on the western sky, barbarians now rule where the most articulate and civilized people roamed.

For over a hundred years, the tribe of the Mongols had reigned over Chin, enslaving the people and ravaging the land. All their best achievements in technology had failed before the barbarous ferocity of the Mongol hordes. When Al-Nidham sent his spies to Chin, the Northern lands had long been taken by the barbarians, the Southern lands still held. The Emperor of Chin, who made his capital in the hills to the South had held cordial relations with the Caliphate. In a very short time, the Caliphate had acquired great technological progress allowing us to outpace the scientific Chin. The emperor was desirous of knowing about our technology. In exchange, we would learn of the Chinese engineering marvel of mass printing.

Al-Nidham favored this exchange and put his minion to work on formulating and executing this exchange. A block printing machine was imported from Chin and taken across the vast expanse of the Mongol Khanate to the Caliphate’s Persian domain. From there it traveled to Baghdad where the first printing shop was established. From our lands journeyed three wise men, a sailor, a merchant and a musician. Each of these three wise men carried with them the knowledge of oceanic sailing, banking and musical theory. Thus, the exchange was completed. The faltering empire of Chin, and its once great society was given knowledge of science, economy and culture and the Caliphate achieved the knowledge of mass printing.

It was not known at the time how much this device would impact social life in the Caliphate, but when the first printing shop was established the impact was soon known throughout the corners of our realm. Scholars used the devise to propagate their ideas, artisans used the superior technique to create fine works of art. The common folk for the first time in the history of the caliphate achieved access to superior forms of knowledge. The 1001 tales were among the first stories to be printed and circulated en masse. It dawned upon our wise men, that the Caliphate had entered a new age of enlightenment, they called it the age of ‘rebirth’, or renaissance.

From the pedestal of advancement the Caliphate looked upon the rest of the world, as a mentor would look upon his disciples. The backward but powerful empire of Aleman and the maritime empire of the Chola both came forward to trade with us. The former came to sell fine furs from the cold lands of Europe in exchange for our coffee, and the latter to trade 3 maunds of gold annually for a supply of fine Arabian steeds. I recall the look of the emissaries who had for the first time witnessed the grandeur and refinement of the cities of the Caliphate, it was a look of wonder. They conducted their dealings with utmost humility, admitting that there was only one greatest empire in the world, the empire of the Caliphate.

Spoiler :

The fall of the Chin

Not long after the honorable exchange with the emperor of Chin, their realm descended into chaos. It dawned on the people of that realm, that their empire needed not a man of letters, whose prowess dwelled in philosophy and science, but a man of war. Only such a ruler could withstand against the barbarian hordes of the Mongols, but alas the fate of the great Chin, for their emperor did not possess such strength. Soon, the peasants of the land rose in revolt, the generals committed their intrigues, and the barbarians swooped down from the North. Everywhere, there was chaos and killing. China had fallen.

Spoiler :

715 AH

Persia :

Takht-i-Jamshid was still a battlefield. There were still those who were loyal to the fallen warlords, and those of Turkic blood who refused the enlightened rule of the Caliph. Upon taking the city, these factions launched a reign of terror, sabotaging infrastructure and causing much chaos in the city. Our troops continued to smite them every day, but such surreptitious rebellions are never easily won.

Farther to the West, the troops of Aleman who had taken the long journey from Anadol to Persia, made their return with their heads bowed in shame and sorrow. They had been defeated by the quick wit and strong will of the leaders of Al-Iraq and Al-Misr. The esteemed governor of Al-Iraq, a son of Persia had liberated his homeland, before another foreign enemy could enjoy the fruits of conquest.

Spoiler :

Vistors from afar -

With the fall of the empire of the Han, the Caliphate stood supreme among the nations of the world. It held the best technologies, held the best cultural feats, the mujahid of the caliphate was the greatest army in the world, the treasury was among the greatest in the world. In the year 715 AH, the kings of far off worlds sent their emissaries to treat with us.

The first to recognize our supremacy were the adroit people of Al-Hind, of the Chola empire. The emissary visited the newly liberated lands of Persia, over there he found musical instruments and traditions which left an indelible mark upon his mind. On his way back to his homeland he brought with him a musician and an artisan from Gwadar, one who was skilled with playing and making various Persian string instruments.

The musician was given an audience in the hall of the Chola king. It was said that the king was so enthralled by his music, that he would be willing to lend his entire treasury to win over the musician to his court. The emissary travelled back to Persia. That was when, he learnt that the pious islamic caliphate had no use for music, he was shocked to learn of this. Immediately, the emperor came forth to procure all instruments of music and the services of all musicians in Persia. The Cholas were wealthy but backward, they were idol worshipers and hence, infidels, but over the years, our nations traded with them and found them as useful business partners. The Caliphate agreed to the exchange proposed by the Cholan emperor. Our treasuries were thus enriched by 250 maunds of gold, while the lives of the Cholas would be enriched by the musical brilliance of Persia.

After the Chola, came the people of Rus. Here was an empire hostile to our own, the nobility of this empire who had long since embraced the heathen idolatrous religion of Buddhism, had nothing but animosity towards the Caliphate. It was not anything our people had not known, what surprised us though was that even this hostile entity could send its emissary to our court. Their's was a land locked nation, but they depended on navigating their vast rivers to travel across great lengths. The compass was thus, a much desired equipment. In exchange for teaching their sailors the use of a compass, they would fund our caliphate 330 maunds of gold. The resolution was brought before the council of the caliphate, and passed without much debate.

Spoiler :

718 AH

Afrikiya -

Three years had passed since the Sultan of Abyssinia had launched his conquest of the kingdoms in Nubia and Habes, for the glory of the Caliphate. Since then the fallen cities of Afrikiya had been incorporated fully into the sultanate of Al-Abyssinia.

The city of Muqdisho had enriched its culture, her merchants and fishermen travelled farther South and West along the coasts and hills of Eastern Afrikiya. The town of Bonga too had come to peace after years of strife, yet the Sultanate was still poor.

It would be ages before this fine land and its strength would be harnessed to its greatest potential, and when that age comes would the vision of the Sultan for Abyssinia be truly fulfilled. For now, there were still many battles to be fought, in this dark continent enemies were all around.

In the deep South beyond the boundaries of Moyale, over hills and lakes of Aksum, lived a vicious tribe of blood drinking warriors. It was learnt later, that this tribe was a sister tribe of those who ruled Moyale. Angered by the destruction of their kin, the warriors known as 'impi' sent raiders over the hills near Moyale. To counter them, Sultan al-Abyssinia requested the governor of Al-Zanj to defend against these tribes. Seeing the armored pikemen defending the border hills had defeated their ploy to ambush us, they did not move from their positions, for now there was peace.

Spoiler :

Persia -

Governor Khodadad of Al-Iraq reported the last of the insurgents in Takht-i-Jamshid have been exterminated. Peace has returned to this parched and torn land, at long last, the reconstruction of Persia can begin.

It had been a long wish of the Khodadad family, which has governed Al-Iraq for nearly 250 years, that they would return to their homeland with those sons of Persia who had been forced to seek refuge in a foreign land. That wish has come near fulfillment, but as always happens when wishes are fulfilled, a new complex challenge emerges.

The Khodadad family never saw themselves as sons of Iraq, they considered themselves simply as visitors. Over the two centuries of their administration of the province, they had won the hearts and minds of its people, but now their homeland had beckoned. It was decided by council long ago, that the Khodadad family would be exclusively appointed as councilor of Persia.

The Caliph and the governor sat for long hours contemplating on the transfer. “New blood must come forth” the governor said,
The Caliph replied, “But there is none in the land as capable to take the reins of Al-Iraq. It is you and your family who had led the province to where it is now. The Caliphate would be weaker without you as the leader of Iraq.”
“We were but visitors, refugees fleeing from the carnage the Turks brought upon our land. We are forever in debt of Al-Iraq and her people for accepting us, but now Persia is liberated. We must return to our homeland, my family must return to the place of their birth.”
“Persia had given birth to you, but it is Al-Iraq which has nurtured your family and your people in the most difficult of times. Will you abandon her ?”
“Persia is parched and in ruin, and you want me to abandon my motherland to this fate ?”

The argument I recall, lasted for a full day. Neither the caliph nor the governor moved from their tent. The governor of Dar-Al-Misr then came to mediate between the three. At last, an agreement was reached. The province of Persia would for the time being, be governed under Al-Iraq, when the province had developed and a new candidate could come forth to take over the administration of Al-Iraq, then the transfer will be completed.

As I walked through Takht-i-Jamshid those days, I recall the sorry state of a once great city, that had been a center of culture for many ages, the capital of great empires, now could barely stand worthy of being called a town.

Spoiler :

The fall of the Viking

For many centuries, the empire of Aleman had been devouring the lands of the Viking. Long ago, we had made contact with this strange race of men, who bore perfect physique yet had filthy barbarous habits.

Since then, our relations had persisted only through trade links along the lands of the Rus. It was no surprise to us, that this primitive race should fall to the erudite and industrious Aleman who possessed both the skill of war and the knowledge of civilizations.

Not much as a tear shall be shed on their going.

Spoiler :

The king of Iberia -

The enemies of Islam are not few. The Rus in the North with their idolatrous ways, the Frenks in the West with their zealotry and the nation of Iberia, ruled from Castile, with their fanaticism, all sought to challenge the harmony of the Caliphate. Foremost among these, was the Christian kingdom of Castile.

Since the very beginning of their existence they were locked in a pitch battle for supremacy over the Iberian peninsula. Their enemy, were our brethren, the Moorish emirate.

Now, this hostile enemy of Islam sent their emissary to our court. While we had known of them, they had not known of us. It was the splendor and power of the Caliphate, and the respect our achievements had won the world over, that forced the war mongering Hispanic king to treat with us.

We are not a warlike people, though we know the ways of war. The Caliph being the wise man that he was, promised peace in exchange for peace. Perhaps some day there will be a second meeting with them, much will depend on providence on whether that meeting will be peaceful or in war.

Spoiler :

718-721 AH

Adal-i-mujahid

In the years of peace that had existed for these years, it was easy to forget of the great changes that had been shaping under the surface. The great council of the Caliphate, had not been ignorant of these changes.

For long the mujahideen of the Caliphate had fought under a warrior's code. This code was founded among the first ansar warriors that fought beside the prophet Mohammed (pbuh) . For seven centuries, the code of the ansar had shaped the military of the caliphate. Where our enemies fielded hordes of untrained peasants and corrupt conscripts we fielded warriors, trained under a warrior's code.

For this time, the mujahideen of the caliphate had fought off some of the most powerful forces in the known world. We humbled the armies of Byzantium, we thwarted the Turkic hordes, we challenged the might of the Mongol and till today lord over the barbarian warriors of Afrikiya. The code of the ansar had empowered the mujahids of the caliphate, but after seven centuries the once mighty foundations of the warrior code had begun to falter.

The warrior elite of the caliphate had started to become a burden to the exchequer. In the early age of the caliphate, under the wise guidance of the prophet Muhammad (pbuh), all the military necessities of the caliphate could be provided by the ansar warrior. Now, the caliphate spans far and wide even beyond known worlds. The old ansar elite had started to fashion themselves into an exclusive and elite section of the ruling class. It would not be long before this burdensome legacy would cripple the caliphate. Thus, it dawned upon the governors and sultans of the caliphate, that a new order must be instituted.

The proposal first came from the sultan of Abyssinia. In Afrikiya there were only a handful of Arab soldiers to recruit from, but the campaign needed men to be recruited. Here, the sultan resorted to a western solution. One son from every family in the realm was chosen, he would be offered for military service every year. In return for his service the family would be exempt from payment of the annual zakat. The system worked wonders to increase the strength of the mujahid of Al-Abyssinia, but the sultan could not yet gather the resources to properly train or equip this new army with superior weaponry. The old guard of Ansars too were envious of the rise of humble peasantry to the rank of warriors.

The sultan brought before the great council of the caliphate, the proposal to institute the reforms of Al-Abyssinia across the realm. The council was unanimous in its agreement, the governor of Dar Al-Misr and Dar al-Iraq were foremost in supporting the feudal levies. Despite initial doubts, governor Khodadad agreed for in the long run the levy would indeed strengthen rather than weaken the power of the caliphate. Though the council had agreed, the Caliph preferred caution. The old guard had been well entrenched into the power structure of the Caliphate's military.

There were wars to be won, battles to fight, trades to be made and discoveries to unravel. At least for a time, peace was needed before reforms could be initiated. Nine years had passed during which the caliphate had consolidated itself. We had entered a period of a new resurgence. There would be no better a time than now for instituting the military reforms.

The caliph was a wise man but not bereft of cunning. The old guard of the Ansar were known for their skills at war as well as for their piety. The caliph had withheld his firman from the knowledge of his own clique, for he had prepared the time and place for its announcement. On the 2nd day of Muharram, the firman was issued which would shake the old guard to its very core. The new system of recruitment institutionalized the levy army, whereby each family in the caliphate on all its realms, would grant one member in lieu of exemptions from taxation. The Caliph knew, that this would be the most apt time for reforms, for the Ansar would not raise arms in defiance. The reforms can be implemented without fear of rebellion or coup.

The Ansar did not take kindly to this deception. The commanders of the various divisions sought an audience with the Caliph, the warrior code was threatened as was their way of life. The Caliph would simply ignore their pleas. Frustrated, the ansar resorted to a tactic of non-cooperation. Hundreds of thousands lay down their arms and rescinded their duty to the caliphate, this was their means of peaceful protest.

The Caliphate was stunned, a crisis had ensued, but the Caliph was nothing if not resourceful.

Spoiler :

718-727 AH

The years of change

The sudden departure of the Ansar posed a dire crisis before the Caliph. As long as the month of Muharram would last, the old guard would abstain from confrontation, but what would happen at the month's end was anybody's guess. Suffice it to say, that the clique of warriors who for generations have fought against the most vicious foes of the Caliphate would not quietly fade into the sunset of history.

The Caliph called for an emergency council of provincial leaders. Therein, it was decided that before the month ends, the levy would be imposed on all provinces of the caliphate, and a contingent army be made ready to fill all posts left vacant by the Ansar. The plan required the total mobilization of all the caliphate's resources, it was not an easy task to perform. The governor of Anadol spoke out, “O Caliph, while our empire is bountiful, powerful and prosperous, a task of such magnitude cannot be borne on our own. In the midst of this crisis what would happen if any foe were to invade us ? What would happen if barbarians descend upon our lands ? How would we defend ourselves ?”

From this question, an ingenious solution placed itself before the caliphate's council. The caliph sent emissaries across the known world in diplomatic missions, even as the realm was in turmoil. Each visit would bring back with it, wealth and knowledge, but very importantly, each of the friendly nations the emissary would visit, would give as tribute a contingent of warriors. Of those nations that were hostile, the caliphate had secured through diplomacy a lasting peace.

In the far East, our emissary went to visit the sultan of Mataram, to whom he would exchange a valuable golden compass created by the best of our scientists. In the same vein, the caliphate sent emissaries to the Mongol empire, and Russian Tsardom and the sultanate of Delhi. In each of these visits, the caliph had secured for the realm the goodwill of these nations, wealth for our people and stability.

The attempts of the old guard had failed to gain any traction, and it became quite evident that the protest would not succeed. Nonetheless, they fought on. Over the course of nine years, the transition from warrior code to a system of levy armies was completed.

The caliph had lead the realm through the time of crisis unscathed. In the year 727 of the Hijri calendar, the last of the old guard had been retired.

 

[Manuss]

All hail to Adiraj, savior of the Democratic Caliphate.

 

[Spirictum]

Great update adhiraj! This update shows our progress on its fullest. I'm eager to see what comes next.


To the other counselors not involved in the storytelling/gameplaying it must be funny to have seasons of hot and intense discussions in the group and then a great moment of serenity. To me, adhiraj and jackelgull it isn't like this, for we have been discussing the update quite oftenly .


To the readers it must be even more strange. Maybe similar to those epics stories of the past, like the Celestial Bureaucracy and the now refreshed Legacy of Byzance, that have updates without a regular schedule.


But we must move on. This is a story, but this is also a game, and the players need to play it to keep it alive. The Report of 1369 A.D is almost finished, and it'll come in sync with the rest of this update. I only have to work with adhiraj to release the stuff that won't hurt the surprise aspects of this Term. I think I'll start releasing the awards first, one at a time.


EDIT: I have updated the index with all the chapters I had forgotten to put previously, and this new one. For those unsure how to check the indexes, just click on the first page of this thread. There Sanguiv has his own old Index with all the chapters before he had to leave us. For the second index, created by us to keep the story without Sanguiv, just click on the first link posted in Sanguivorant's Opening Post (OP) with the message: READ THIS POST BEFORE YOU GO ANY FURTHER

I plan to merge his index into ours, but I need time to do this, and I'm struggling to find it.

 

[CaterpillarKing]

I have a request, can we please change Muslim Leader to Caliph as the leader's name? It makes more sense that way.

 

[adhiraj.bose]

I have a request, can we please change Muslim Leader to Caliph as the leader's name? It makes more sense that way.

That would definitely be a good idea, but we need to discuss that. I don't actually know his name

 

[CaterpillarKing]

Just Caliph is what I meant, since names change so frequently. Sort of like making it Mr. President for America if you just were too lazy and forgetful in an American story

 

[Spirictum]

A new update on the Caliphate. Here we may see how big our provinces are in 771 AH (1369 AD), still several years after the last story update by Ayan Golzar (adhiraj.bose). We will be referring to this date quite oftenly, as it is the date of the next council, which will start as soon as the story update is finished. The game is paused on that date, waiting for the orders of the counselors.

Dar ash-Sham:
Imp. Knoedel
Population: 2,755,000

Dar al-Anadol:
GreekAnalyzer
Population: 2,240,000

Dar al Arab:
TheNoob
Population: 1,216,000

Dar Misr:
Spirictum
Population: 1,027,000

Dar al-Iraq:
adhiraj.bose
Population: 484,000

Dar al-Zanj:
Manuss
Population: 343,000

Dar al-Yu'Qataan:
Matthias I
Population: 258,000

Dar al-Abyssinia:
CaterpillarKing
Population: 36,000



Notes (all comparisons are done with the values of the last council):

1 - The previous order was: Sham > Arab > Misr > Anadol > Iraq > Zanj > Yu'Qataan > Abyssinia;
2 - Zanj, Misr, and Iraq had a great loss of population due to extensive use of slaves under precarious conditions, while Arab on the other hand had to deal with an uprising in Makkah, which decreased its population as well. More on this will be on the story update;
3 - Anadol had the highest total increase, by adding 897,000 people to the Caliphate;
4 - Yu'Qataan had the best increase rate, by becoming almost 3 times more populous then before;
5 - Yu'Qataan's flag isn't official yet.

 

[Spirictum]

Adhiraj has been taking his time to write the next entries of the update. Meanwhile, I'll show you guys the 2 new positions I wish to give credit on the Award System. I've added the Largest Province Award, based on the Land Area comparison I did a few posts back, and also the most Populous Province Award, based on the population list of the above post. These are more tied to roleplaying then to the game, because the Land Area one uses Google Earth measures, and the most Populous Province has no gameplay meaning (the most Populated province OTOH, which already exists since the beginning of the Awards system, is the one that is tied to pop-points), as it is tied to the population number which appear when you hover the city's name on the city screen.

With these 2 new additions I thought I could give another 2 awards, these 2 being just a complementary status to the Award System: The Most Awarded and the Best Awarded.

The Most Awarded is the Counselor that acquired the most awards on the term (just a simple sum of all its awards, no matter what they are). This counselor shall be praised for his efforts, being the most versatile of the Counselors in achieving the Caliphate's Progress.

The Best Awarded follows a similar idea, but it uses weights to measure the awards. Here we can see the most effective contributor to the development of the Caliphate, but this isn't as important as the Most Awarded because its concept is still being polished and may not reflect exactly what I wanted to show you guys (and also, IMO I think the most versatile is to be praised more then the most effective). Currently this is the point system to discover who is the Best Awarded:

Spoiler :

For each Award with a position:

1st Place: 4 Points
2nd Place: 3 Points
3rd Place: 2 Points
4th Place: 1 Point​

Special Awards: 1 Point each
Top 5 Award: ( 6 - [top5 position]; E.g. Top 2 Place = 4 Points, Top 4 Place = 2 Points)
Any Awarded Place on Extra Maintenance and/or Periphery Population Score: -1 Point

If you have any suggestions please share them here in the thread, and I'll gladly consider them

Without further ado, here comes the Most and the Best Awarded of the term 1309AD - 1369AD




Most Awarded: Dar al-Iraq

Strength Camel Archers Raw Gold Income Population Espionage Culture Science Production
Dar al-Iraq 6% 0% 82% -12% 43% 48% 28% -24%

Awards

1st in Most Cultural Province

3rd in Strongest Army
3rd in Best Defender
3rd in Camel Archer Force
3rd in Most Periphery Population Score
3rd in Highest Contributor to Espionage
3rd in Most Scientific Province

4th in Most Income
4th in Best Financial Supplier
4th in Most Populated Province
4th in Most Core Population
4th in Most Productive Province

Special Awards:

City with Most Accomplished Tasks: Baghdad
Province with Most Accomplished Tasks
Most Influential City: Ninawa
Most Cultural City: Baghdad
Largest Province​

Best Awarded: Dar Misr

Strength Camel Archers Raw Gold Income Population Espionage Culture Science Production
Dar Misr 17% 20% 13% -4% 45% 14% 21% 22%

Awards:

1st in Best Defender
1st in Camel Archer Force
1st in Most Populated Province
1st in Most Core Population
1st in Highest Contributor to Espionage
1st in Most Scientific Province

2nd in Strongest Army
2nd in Most Cultural Province

3rd in Most Productive Province

Special Awards:

Most Commercial City: Al-Uqsur​

 

[CaterpillarKing]

I just figured out the purpose of all these awards. To make me feel small

 

[Spirictum]

Don't feel like that!

You're actually the 2nd largest Province of the Caliphate

Also, it's unfair to compare your province with the others at this stage. Abyssinia has been finally liberated on the term that the Story is progressing right now. Your cities are still small and damaged. But I'm pretty sure your province will grow quite fast and compete with us on the Awards.

Abyssinia, for its recent liberation, Yu'Qataan, for the same reason plus its lack of connection with the mainland, and Zanj, for its size and ages both disconnected from the mainland and being raided by furious natives, make these provinces still in development stage. Not long from now they will become far stronger just because the Caliphate sees no limits . We have enough resources to sustain double the size of our most populated city in any city without or penalties, so we can whip a lot and still not suffer from any problem at all. This will mean accelerated growth in developing provinces (the slower the gamespeed, the more effective whipping becomes, and we are playing on epic, so it's quite effective). Ideally, a city should whip freely if it can still work all its 2+ tiles after the whip (3+ tiles if you want a faster approach), and the unhappiness doesn't start to become a burden (which in our case is our reality, unhappiness is almost meaningless to us ).

By freely it doesn't mean always, but at anytime that nothing more important requires it to be bigger.

And then Abyssinia, along with Yu'Qataan and Zanj, will remove our (Anadol, Arab, Iraq, Misr and Sham) prevalence on the dispute.

 

[adhiraj.bose]

Don't feel like that!



(the slower the gamespeed, the more effective whipping becomes, and we are playing on epic, so it's quite effective). Ideally, a city should whip freely if it can still work all its 2+ tiles after the whip (3+ tiles if you want a faster approach), and the unhappiness doesn't start to become a burden (which in our case is our reality, unhappiness is almost meaningless to us ).

By freely it doesn't mean always, but at anytime that nothing more important requires it to be bigger.

I've learnt something new , I have always whipped in a manner that allows for the city to grow in the long term, so I never whip more than 3-4 population points in maximum and prefer to whip with only 1 expendable population point. You may have noticed this style for me. I'm not very good at micromanaging, but I'm perfecting new strategies with my games I'm playing now outside of the story ones.

 

[Spirictum]

I've learnt something new , I have always whipped in a manner that allows for the city to grow in the long term, so I never whip more than 3-4 population points in maximum and prefer to whip with only 1 expendable population point. You may have noticed this style for me. I'm not very good at micromanaging, but I'm perfecting new strategies with my games I'm playing now outside of the story ones.

That's great adhiraj!

To become good at micromanaging you either have to be a mathematical genius, or do as the other dedicated non-genius people like me: play a lot and study your turns

Also, this strategy worked for my last test of Digital and Electronic Circuits too, which made my mood soar yesterday when I got my grade


Your strategy of whipping is good, as is Knoedel's on the Caliphate, Big Sparce Periodic whips, as is the frenetic whipping I described on Greek's Let's Play game on the Off-Topic Thread (which is a mad whipping idea to avoid the associated Random Event, and get a lot done with only small cities). But each has its time on a match, and it's up to your strategy and the other stuff happening that you should choose which whipping strategy fits better each city at each moment. That's really hard.

 

[adhiraj.bose]

721 AH

The Karimi

The wealth of the caliphate is known to the world, but not as many would know of those who hold the reins of the empire's economy. For two hundred years, the class of merchants have conducted the commerce from the ports and trading centers of the Caliphate. Alexandria, Jeddah, Baghdad, Sam, Anqarah, Qustuntanaiyah, Sana'a, all were united into one great network of trade by the Karimi merchants. In Baghdad and Qustuntanaiyah these merchants have built magnificent funduqs where all the wonderful produce of the realm are sold in a massive complex.

Silks, cotton, incense, and spices were among the most precious goods in the markets. Over the long period that the Karimi merchants have operated along the silk route, they have accumulated vast fortunes, but new developments in the East open the promise of more wealth than ever imagined. The Delhi sultan with whom our Caliphate has enjoyed cordial relations for years, had expanded their realm by embarking upon a conquest of the Southern lands of Al-Hind. The Sultan-i-hind, desirous of enriching his realm approached the Caliphate with an offer for trade. He proposed a free entry of the karimi merchants, for whom the sultan had high regard, to purchase raw cotton and cotton textiles in return for a supply of Persian wine to the noble houses of Hind, who had great thirst for this wine.

Before long, the Karimi merchants expanded their networks, many more funduqs were created to trade with these new found textiles from Al-Hind. The most magnificent of these new funduqs were to be found in Baghdad, there the wealthiest of the Karimi merchants lived and traded. The Karimi did not just strengthen the economy of the Caliphate, during this period of chaos when the Caliph was reforming the Mujahid, it was the Karimi merchants who played the dual role of diplomat and financier to the realm. They kept the trade with all the allies of the Caliphate intact during this time and lent money to the coffers of the Caliph.

The wealth of the Karimi had made the Caliph's reforms possible, and in time they would add to the wealth and thus to the science of the Caliphate. The lands of the East were now more valuable than every before.

Spoiler :

727 AH

When the dust settled

Over the course of nine years, the Caliph focussed on bringing back stability and normalcy to the realm. In the final years of the crisis, the caliph ordered the spies of Nidham to conduct one last espionage mission in the land of Chin. The spies of Nidham who had stayed for over many decades, had found ways into the vaults of the Mongol provincial capital of Eastern Mongolia, Kalipo. One night, when the moon would not shine, the spies stealthily penetrated into the chambers of the provincial treasury. Before the night was ended, forty five maunds of gold was taken away from the treasury, the spies returned to Mecca with a vast treasury which now belonged to the Caliphate. The emperor of the Mongol could not believe that such a treasury was taken under his watch, incensed, he sentenced the governor of Kalipo to death.

The stolen treasury helped further the cause of the reforms in the mujahideen. While the struggle for reform proceeded, the emirate of Al-Zanj was threatened by natives from the jungles of Afriqiya. A raiding party of impis was met with armored pikemen from the hills of Zanj. The warrior races of Afriqiya fight with cloth as their armor, fashioned from hunted animals and spears decorated with feathers from birds, before them stood men in gleaming armor and chain mail bearing shields and metal spears forged in the way of the Damascene. The victory of the mujahideen of Zanj was thus only obvious. This victory saw the end of the time of crisis.

After espionage, the caliph turned his attention to diplomacy, for the support of allies was indispensable for the betterment of the Caliphate. It was anticipated that the Mongol would grow weary of the strength and influence of the Caliphate, then there were the actions of the spies of Al-Nidham to consider. A trade was proposed with the Mongol empire which was sought to keep relations with our Caliphate cordial. The Caliph thus issued the edict that all the copper of the realm be mined for export to the Mongol empire, in return they would give five maunds of gold every three years. In the same vein, relations with the Rus were sought to be improved through the export of fishes such as Basa and Catla in exchange for gold of five maunds every three years.

These were the last acts in the time of crisis, once the old guard had surrendered the reform process had come to a conclusion. The Mujahideen of the caliphate was now a levy army. As fate would have it, the very year the new army was proclaimed, our old adversary, the Spaniards came to treat with us. The King of Spain demanded that the Caliphate join in their war against the Franks. The Caliph spoke in all honesty that our realm would have no interest in the squabbles of Europe, “What benefit would war bring to anyone ? What honor is there in a war that has no meaning ? Our people have been in peace for generations, and we wish to remain so, if your kings find joy in war, then there is little and less for civilized men to comment.”

The emissaries returned disappointed and ashamed, yet humbled. The king of Spain felt the greatest anger.


733 AH

The storehouse of wisdom

The scientific knowledge of the caliphate was the envy of the world. All nations of the world sought the knowledge that the Caliphate possessed. Long years ago, we had sent emissaries across the world with a golden compass, this has since become the symbol of our scientific prowess. The Sultanate of Mataram was one of two nations who received these models, in return the Sultan of Mataram paid to us sixty maunds of gold along with a gift of a map of East Asia, showing their own skills of cartography. The Caliph received these gifts with honor and gratitude.

Whilst the Caliphate progressed in the realm of science, it was not without its contenders. The Cordoban emirate was the only other nation who could stake claim to be of the same standard in scientific and social progress. Among the achievements of the Moors, the most sought after was their philosophical treatise. The treatise of Cordoba, as it is known throughout Din-i-Islam, is a compilation of all past knowledge held by the scholars of Islam since the time of the Prophet Muhammed (pbuh). The great library of Cordoba had the honor of preserving this text, but with the emirate besieged by internal crisis, there was fear that the treatise would be imperiled.

The berber revolt of 550 AH had placed a native of Marrakus in power on the Cordoban throne, since then the Almohad dynasty rule the realm of the Cordobans. The dynasty has survived through one crisis of succession after another, and challenged day in and day out by fierce tribes from the deserts of Afriqiya. The present Almohad Sultan Abu Hafs, the second of his name, has initiated a policy of unision with dhimmis, in utter disrespect for the proselytizing traditions of his ancestors. This has angered the pious muslims of the realm, the imams and Sufis, while failing to appease the dhimmis.

Being besieged from within by rebels and from without by the Spaniards, the wealth of Cordoba was imperiled. The caliph was concerned by this state of affairs, and feared of what would come to pass if the Cordoban’s knowledge fell to the wrong hands. An emissary was thus sent with the Caliph’s earnest request that the treatise be sent to the library of Alexandria for safe-keeping, a reasonable fee or an exchange of knowledge may be agreed upon for such transfer.

In response, Sultan Abu Hafs imposed such arrogant demands that insulted the goodwill that existed between our peoples. The Sultan demanded, in return of the treatise that we give to him half of our entire treasury and stores of gunpowder weapons, which he would use to suppress his own subjects ! When this reply was brought before the Caliph, he took the scroll and shred it to pieces. The Caliph asserted, “The gratitude and magnanimity of the Caliphate is not lightly thrown away. We will not take this insulting offer by the Sultan Abu Hafs. Let him know this.”

The Sultan was infamous through the world for his indolence and arrogance. It won him many enemies and left him very few friends, among them was the Caliph of Mecca, a friend he would have not lost but for his arrogance. The Caliph for his part, had not lost sight of the importance of the treatise, and he was convinced now more than ever that it would not be safe in the hands of the incapable ruler that Sultan Abu Hafs was. Events would confirm this apprehension further.

For many years since the Almohad dynasty had established itself, it saw the natives of the desert lands to the South where the emirate of Timbuktu held its domains, as inferiors. While Cordoba’s domains progressed, the domains of Mali decayed in impoverishment. The governor of Timbuktu decided that the Malian people have had enough. The very next year after the Caliph’s emissary had come to Cordoba, the emirate of Timbuktu seceded from the Cordoban emirate. The Caliph saw these developments and in his mind, he framed a scheme.

The spies of Nidham who were veterans of the missions of China, had long since returned to the Caliphate and settled in Alexandria. Four teams of spies were prepared for another grand project, the Caliph would see to it that the treatise of Cordoba is brought to the Caliphate and the spies of Nidham would see to it that his will be done.

Spoiler :

736 AH - 739 AH


Sultant al Arbunia


It was not known to us for how long the Spaniards and the Frenks have been at war, but the rivalry of these two kingdoms had become the stuff of legend. The enlightened king of Arbunia had reverted to the righteous path of Islam and seeks to convert the people of his realm to the faith as well. He swore to upheld relations with the caliphate, for the sultan of Arbunia believed in the vision of the house of Islam. The Caliphate and his own sultanate would be parts of this house of islam.

As is with a household, each of its members must defend their brethren, so it was with the house of Islam. In the year 736 AH, an emissary was sent by the Sultan of Arbunia who came to the court of the Caliph with the pleas of his sovereign. “O wise Caliph” he spoke, “The infidel Spaniards have no honor. They attack our villages, enslave our people, and steal our livestock. The people of the Sultanat have struggled against their depredations for long but without victory in sight. In their own realm, the fate of our brethren are worse than pitiable, they live their life with shackles on their ankles and are forced to remain bowed before the Christian overlord. The Spaniards are the vilest enemy of Islam anywhere in the world, their existence is akin to the hungry wolf among us who attacks at will to kill whatever it can.” The emissary then knelt before the caliph with his arms spread as if to beg, “We are begging for your help at this time of need, would the house of Islam not stand united against this foe? Will you not help your brethren in this time of need?”

The words of the emissary had swayed the entire court, and they convinced the Caliph. He swore to go to war in the aid of the sultanat al Arbunia. Though the lands were far from the Caliphate, the suspension of trade and assistance in the form of monetary aid were well within our reach.

To bolster the coffers of the caliphate, the caliph once more turned to diplomacy. Trade was brokered with the kingdom of Poland and the Sultan of Delhi. The latter allowed even greater access to the Karimi merchants to trade in the textile goods and the incense of Al-Hind, bringing yet more wealth to them, and to the Caliphate.


The Emirate of Cordoba –

The Almohad dynasty was not well loved by the people of the Emirate. The Moors in Iberia disliked his vanity, the tribes of Afriqiya felt they were mistreated by him, the Imams of the realm detested his tolerance of kafir customs. They were surrounded by enemies within and without, for the realm bled even as the war mongering Spaniards knocked on their doors with an ever more threatening stance.

In the year of 736 AH, in the month of Rajab, the Imams of Qartaj revolted. Thousands fled the city and headed East to calmer lands in the Emirate Al-Misr, there they met with the spies of Al-Nidham and told the tale of the revolt. This was a tale later told to us by the spies upon their return, “Qartaj is a city in war with itself. The imams have occupied all exists of the city and turned every mosque into a fortress. They fight with the beleaguered defenders in every street. The people of Qartaj have joined in the fight as well, the city is as good as fallen to the Almohads. The imams rule Qartaj now.” News was also spreading of revolts in other cities of the Emirate, Qart Hadasht had been engulfed by the fires of the Imam’s rebellion.

It was proof then, that we had made the wisest decision to rescue the philosophical treatise from the hands of the Almohads.


The Gold of the Nile -

The crowning jewel of the Caliphate was Al-Misr. This was among the wealthiest of provinces and within it, Al-uqsur was the wealthiest of cities and source of this great wealth, is the gold of the Nile. Traders and robbers alike journey to these shores with gold in their eyes and greed in their minds, to make as much of this wealth their own. But the wealth of the Nile shall forever stay firmly within the Caliphate, and the gold of the Nile shall remain forever secure in the realm of Al-Misr.

The Counselor of Misr, who also has the honor of being the Wazir-i-azam of the Caliphate, has sworn his life to the defense and betterment of the realm as did his ancestors who have governed this land for centuries. The Rashidun family have been known to be capable administrators and wily politicians, over the years a wide network of spies and enforcers have been employed throughout the realm to secure the province from conspirators and rebels. While the military might of the Mujahideen-i-Afriqiya have kept the violent tribes of Sudan at bay, it was the enforcers who kept the integrity of the province intact.

Their skill and prowess was displayed the day when a large group of foreign spies were caught and executed at the order of the Counselor. They like many before them, came to plunder the gold of the Nile. Before their execution, they revealed to us hidden knowledge of the mines of Al-Uqsur, using this knowledge our own miners found hidden caverns which revealed to us a store of gold never before seen. The miners wasted no time in hauling the mother lode.

Spoiler :

742 – 748 AH


These years of the Caliphate were peaceful and yet somewhat uneventful. Scholars and traders from foreign lands came to engage with the wise men of the caliphate. The first among these visitors were the Polish traders, who sought an open borders agreement. The kingdom of the Polish was small but possessed of much fertile land. To its East was the vast kafir empire of the Rus, and to its West was the righteous empire of Aleman. The Polish kingdom was surrounded between these two behemoths, such as a calf would be between two large oxen.

The Caliph saw little benefit in opening trade with such a small nation, moreover doing so, may anger our brethren in Aleman and alienate further the kafir empire of Rus.

Several years later, the Caliphate embarked on a mission to enrich our knowledge of cartography. The Mughals were the first to come for the trade. They would share their knowledge of the world with us for a modest fee of five maunds in gold. While the Mughal maps did not reveal much in the way of new lands in the East, they made the political situation of Al-Hind clearer to us.

The same year, we were approached by the Sultan of Alemania, sent their scholars who were well versed in cartography. They revealed to us their skills in cartography, which by our own standards were crude as they did not know of how to make paper. Our scholars thus offered to the Aleman our knowledge of paper making to which the Sultan of Aleman offered a collection of maps along with 310 maunds of gold.



Afriqiya –

The zulu tribes and their ilk roam the heartland of Afriqiya with impunity. The jungles are their home, but they have been wary of the overwhelming influence that the Caliphate has over the continent. No other nation threatened these tribes as much as the Caliphate. For long suicidal raids were organized by fanatical barbarians from across impassable jungles.

The forces of the Mujahideen had for long fought against their ilk with success. The Mujahideen Al-Misr, possessed many armored infantry, both spearmen and sword fighters. Since the last three years, a raiding party had been threatening the borders of Al-Misr, when they charged on our troops across the Upper Nile, our swordsmen disposed off them with great skill. Those that survived the battle were enslaved and sent to work on the many plantations of the Caliphate.


Persia –

Enriched by the supplies of cotton textiles goods from Al-Hind, the karimi merchants spread their enterprise across the Caliphate. After the liberation of Persia, the city of Takht-i-Jamshid saw the re-opening of old trade routes. These roads connected Persia with the rest of the classical world bringing great prosperity to the city.

A vast network of trade has existed for centuries, even before the time of the flight of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), that traded with goods of silk, incense and cotton. The great trade route spread from the land of Chin in the East through Al-Hind to its South and Persia, on to Europe and Afriqiya in the far West.

The Caliphate’s trade agreements with the Delhi Sultan had opened trade in textiles to the Karimi merchants. The funduqs were filled with precious textiles and stores of fragrant incense, the Karimi merchants had nearly doubled their profits from trading with them. It was only natural then, that they would expand their network near what had hitherto been the most profitable foreign market. Takht-i-jamshid was positioned perfectly as the junction between the most prosperous trade routes. Here the trade routes of the Mongol empire met with the trade routes from Al-Hind and the Levant. Here the Karimi merchants opened a large funduq where goods were traded from across realms and exported to markets in the West and North.

Spoiler :

751 AH

The revolt of the Ansar

For twenty four years since the Adal-i-Mujahid, there was peace within the Caliphate. The Ansars had been defeated and the new Mujahid had been established throughout the Caliphate. The Caliph had successfully struggled against this old guard and emerged victorious.

That month of Muharram, had become a month of sorrow for those who had lost the battle. It was twice the humiliation since, from their understanding of the events, the Caliph had deceived them. Though the old guard had ultimately surrendered, there were those whose hearts still had hate for the Caliph.

Aside from the Ansar, there were those among the scholars of Mecca who questioned the sanctity of the Caliph’s strategy against during the Adal-i-Mujahid. They reasoned that the action of the Caliph amounted to war, and that the deception of the Caliph was against the tenets of Islam. Most of the scholars however, did not agree with this reasoning, for them, the Caliph had done no wrong, on the contrary it was due to his cunning and good thinking that the reforms could take place without much bloodshed and destruction.

The debate went on, and the resentment of the old guard, now unemployed, grew over the years. Whilst the Caliph had set his sights on improving the Caliphate and strengthening its standing in the world, there were those with envious minds who prepared their nefarious schemes.

Inspired by the rebellion in Qartaj and Qart-Hadasht, the enemies of the Caliph plotted their revolt in Mecca. Unbeknownst to the Caliph, the resentful remnants of the Ansar had associated themselves into a clan. They decreed the Caliph had offended the sanctity of Islam and no longer fit to rule.

For twenty years they built their numbers and grew in strength. The Caliph never knew the threat that would face him, but when the time came the Caliph had little choice but to face the challenge.

The Jihad-i-Ansar, as they called themselves, chose the first day of Muharram to stage their rebellion. It was a deliberate decision on their part, meant to spite the Caliph. They had decided to strike in the manner against the Caliph in the same manner that the Caliph had struck against them. In this month, it was forbidden to go to war, so the Caliph would be handicapped for action, should the Jihad-i-Ansar strike at this time.

On the day of the rebellion, the conspirators gathered their followers who numbered in the thousands and they congregated with weapons in hand. The imam of Al Aqsa had been an opponent of the Caliph, despite which the Caliph had appointed him the head imam of the most important mosque of Din-i-Islam. His scholarly ways and piety which had been the subject of inspiration to many, was now put to the service of the rebellion. He used his prestige to give weight to the rebel cause, thousands more would come to their aid at his call.

At the Al-Aqsa mosque, he called for Jihad against the ‘unrighteous caliph’. The frenzied crowds chanted ‘Jihad’ in unison when they walked out and began storming the city. They made their way through the markets to the palace of the caliph brandishing scimitars and spears, chanting as they went. The Caliph’s palace had an outer walled defense, when the rebels came to the palace, they found the gates defended by a hundred guards, each fiercely loyal to the Caliph.

When it became obvious that the Caliph’s guards would fight the rebels decided instead to retreat from the palace, now they made their way to the city’s outer defenses. Before long the Southern and Eastern defenses had been overwhelmed, but the Northern gates remained under the garrison’s control. The Caliph called for reinforcements, but did not wish for bloodshed.

Through the day, the Caliph worked hard to pacify the rebels through dialogue, but to no avail. The Caliph had given up hope for a peaceful resolution to this conflict, he now thought of ways to end this by war, even though it would be against the spirit of Islam to do so. It is said, that when he gave the order for suppressing the revolt, the caliph’s hands shook and there were tears in his eyes. He feared for the consequences this would bring, and the bloodshed that would plague this most sacred of cities. Yet, it was a deed that had to be done.

Spoiler :

 

[TheNoob]

Oh dear, rebellion is never fun.

I apologize for any and all lives lost and destruction within the city during the course of these riots.