Aldaar

The Divine Republic of Aldaar جمهورية الدار الالهية
Official Flag of Aldaar
Motto: Mercy above all, at any cost.
Anthem: "Aldaarnu"
Map of Aldaar
Capital	Mukarras
Official languages	Asahri Atasiyaqidu Haqen Uuba
Ethnic groups	51.43% Human 19.97% Orc 18.40% Vulpine 2.12% Tiefling 8.18% Other
Religion	Dawra
Demonym(s)	Aldaari
Government	Theocratic Republic
• Mutadiit	Yufraan Abd'ildarra
Legislature	Kaastas
Establishment	1610
•	2022
Population
• 2020 estimate	9,600,000
GDP (PPP)	2024 estimate
• Total	40.36 Billion KRB
• Per capita	4,339.78 KRB
Gini	39.2 medium
SDI	0.743 high
Currency	Aldaari Muhaara (AMH)
Time zone	UTC-10
Date format	DD/M/YYY (Ashma Calendar) DD/MM/YYYY (International Calendar)
Driving side	left
Calling code	+786
ISO 3166 code	ALD
Internet TLD	.ald

Aldaar (Asahri: الدار), officially The Divine Republic of Aldaar (جمهورية الدارس الالهية [jum-HUUR-ya al-DAAR-su a-laa-la-HII-ya]) is a theocratic republic located in the Anabat Desert of Alaria, a subcontinent of Gondwana. It borders Askaraban to the south and the Pacific Ocean to the west. The Aldaari city of Hasa is the birthplace of the national Dawra religion, and Aldaar's capital and most populous city is the coastal city of Mukarras.

It is unknown exactly how or when people first arrived in Aldaar, but the prevailing belief is that the deserts of Aldaar were originally settled 200,000 years ago by Orcs migrating southwards as a result of desertification who managed to make their home in the vast desert; however, a less-supported theory holds that the desert is actually the homeland of the entire Orcish species long lost to the same desertification process, and the people living there were staying behind and gradually learned to adapt over generations. Eventually, Humans would migrate to the Anabat and, due to having generally longer life expectancies and requiring less caloric intake, would become the dominant species in the area around 50,000 years ago. Meanwhile, the first evidence of Aldaari Vulpines comes about 36,000 years ago. Due to the harsh desert conditions in the area, as well as a broad mountain range to the south, contact between the Aldaari peoples and external governments was virtually non-existent for most of history, with the exception of trade between the southernmost tribes and the Emirate of Sayyed. As these tribes often funneled goods throughout the entire desert, this led to the entire Aldaari language of Asahri having close ties to the Sayqidi languages of Atasiyaqidu and Haqen. However, the Aldaari tribes otherwise developed a unique cultural identity tied strongly to desert life.

Around the beginning of the Middle Ages, the Aldaari tribes began to see a massive influx of new population as several countries began sending their criminals and exiles to the Anabat Desert. The majority of these exiles were taken in and reintegrated into desert society by the Aldaari tribes, which each became extremely diverse, and led to technological advancements which would cause some tribes to become at least partially settled starting in the 12th century. In the early 17th century, the Dawran prophet Suleiman Abd'ildarra would unite the Aldaari tribes into a single nation, which would last until 1844 when disputes over succession caused the country to split into seven separate republics. In the 1920s, foreign multinational corporations would discover vast oil reserves in the desert and begin to supersede local authority, in some cases setting up banana republics and in other cases outright corporatocracies. These were plagued by cultural suppression and popular resistance, and in 2022 a new Dawra prophet Yufraan Abd'ildarra would lead a popular revolution in the Republic of Mukarras, and reform the Divine Republic of Aldaar with the intention of once more uniting the desert.

The Divine Republic of Aldaar is a theocratic republic with seven branches of government and three separate unicameral legislatures. Its current Head of State is Yufraan Abd'ildarra, who also serves as the religious head of Dawra. Aldaar is a relatively lower-income country with a high HDI of 0.743; in addition, it holds a large quantity of the world's oil reserves which are under the control of foreign MNCs. It has a medium Gini score of 39.2, which is on the increase, with many economic theorists pointing to the fact that some Aldaaris have become much richer following the collapse of oppressive economic systems under Golden Oil's rule, while Aldaaris in extremely rural areas still maintain a subsistence lifestyle with generally low personal income. As such, the Gini coefficient is typically not viewed as the most accurate measure of Aldaar's wealth disparity due to the prevalence of bartering. Aldaar is a leading exporter of many unrefined goods, including spices, livestock, fruit, uncommon stones such as obsidian, and handcrafted consumer goods such as textiles. In addition, Aldaar frequently sees massive upticks in tourism during the spring, during the desert bloom which locals call Rajwanii Avaznir (رجوني أفزنر), or Purple Sands. This coincides with the Aldaari New Year which takes place during the vernal equinox and is a time of colorful cultural celebration, which is also a draw for tourists; as a result the Aldaari government sees a massive influx of income around March, which dies down going into the summer. This has also led to a system of pop-up hotels, which operate as office buildings most of the year and shift towards hotels in the spring.

While the culture and beliefs of Aldaar are similar to other historically tribal nations, they developed completely independently from almost any other civilization. Aldaari culture focuses around the Three Tenets, a set of guidelines that most Aldaaris try to live by, including helping those in need, practicing forgiveness, and attempting to cultivate a deeper understanding of the nature of change. Aldaari culture also revolves significantly around spirituality and the most common religion, Dawra, which was founded near the Aldaari city of Hasa. Dawra is a polytheistic religion in which many individual spirits are viewed as part of a larger whole, called Ildarra (إلضرة), who embodies the concept of change and forward movement. In addition, Dawra recognizes two other similar deities, Arzaal (أرزال), embodying remaining at a standstill, and Salahayr (سلحاير), or "The Ancestor Spirit," the embodiment of the past and moving backwards. However, these deities are not worshiped, and in many Dawran myths are portrayed as foolish or in some cases outright villainous. The Aldaari recognize the Mutadiit, Aldaar's head of state, as the voice of Ildarra here on Urth, and as such the Mutadiit is usually considered to be the wisest and most knowledgeable of all Aldaari. The most important Aldaari holiday Alnahda, or the Aldaari New Year, stems from Dawran beliefs, but has always been widely practiced as a secular holiday.

Etymology

The modern name Aldaar was first used to describe the area and corresponding country in the 17th century when Suleiman Abd'ildarra founded the nation. He based the name off of the colloquial term for the area used by its residents, Aldaarnu (الدارن), which in Asahri simply means "Our Home." Suleiman removed the suffix -nu, meaning "our," because he wanted to establish his nation as a safe haven for all people; not just those who already lived in the desert; "Aldaar" simply meaning "Home." Since then, Aldaar has always been used as the name for the area, even for the approximately two centuries that the nation of Aldaar had ceased to exist. When Yufraan Abd'ildarra founded the second divine republic, they chose to keep the name the same, wanting to reemphasize it as their people's home and a home to anyone who wished to be there, as well as establish a connection between their regime and the historical state.

History

Main article: History of Aldaar

Early History

The first sapient species to be present in the Anabat desert were orcs, with the first concrete signs of habitation being in the lower paleolithic era. Throughout the remainder of the paleolithic era, humans and vulpines would also settle in the area. Very little is known about the prehistoric period of Aldaari history, and as such, many competing theories have emerged with more or less support from the broader scientific community - including on the location where orcs first evolved, and at what stage in the desertification process sapient species started migrating into the Anabat. However, archaeological progress has been slow, due to the difficulties of obtaining permits of any kind during the majority of the 20th century. As a result, much of the debate has focused on the analysis of what little evidence is available.

Early Aldaari tribes were mostly nomadic, but some would begin to settle around 2,000 BCE, especially in the western and eastern edges, which were more temperate and closer to the ocean and savanna respectively. In addition, various permanent settlements were established around oases, and in the significantly more hospitable areas of the southern mountains. Along with the establishment of permanent settlements came a wave of technological innovations, including writing, currency, aquaculture, agriculture, and a trade economy focused around the production of complex crafts. In addition, as settlements began to develop in Sayyed, trade routes began to form as both raw and finished goods were exchanged. In the eastern regions of the Anabat, some amount of mining became fairly commonplace, and many cities became important hubs for trade between Aldaar, Sayyed, Marishan peoples, and Crimpateia. Many tribes developed fairly distinct cultures, and would eventually merge into seven major tribes, each with different variations on mainstream Aldaari culture.

In the late 15th and early 16th centuries, global improvements in naval technology made Aldaar accessible to the wider world, and major port cities were built up, heavily strengthening the positions and cultural relevance of the western tribes. In addition, it allowed Aldaari settlements in the west such as Mukarras, Sayaduun, and Hasa to become large, well-established cities in their own right.

First Divine Republic

A modern rendition of Suleiman Abd'ildarra as Mutadiit, painted in 2023.

In 1610, Suleiman Abd'ildarra would establish himself as the first Mutadiit of the newly established Dawrani religion, created when Suleiman went on a spiritual journey and gained the favor of the deity Ildarra in order to stop a massive conflict that had been brewing between the militaristic eastern tribe of Sujabwaal and the rest of the Aldaari tribes. After doing this, Suleiman was able to use his high levels of popular support and extreme reverence by the overwhelming majority of the Aldaari population to, for the first time in the region's history, unite all seven tribes into a single nation - the Divine Republic of Aldaar. Under Suleiman, there was a period of massive development in art, culture, architecture, and religion, as Dawra spread across Aldaar and many maktabat were built. In addition, a strong central government allowed Aldaar to quickly progress in terms of technology and civics, becoming on par with the rest of the world.

In 1671, Suleiman Abd'ildarra died at the age of 77, leaving his chosen successor Yufraan Nuur'ildarra to inherit the title of Mutadiit. This began the period in Aldaari history known as the Divinely Guided Era, named as such because of the line of Mutadiits, believed to hold the favor of Ildarra, who worked to carry out Suleiman's vision and safeguard Aldaar. Yufraan Nuur'ildarra was more conservative than Suleiman had been, opting to leave many institutions unchanged from the time of their predecessor. However, they did establish the official system of advisors and the Three Houses, making Aldaar into a more formal republic and allowing laws to originate somewhere besides the Mutadiit, although the Mutadiit's approval was still required. In 1722, Nuur'ildarra was succeeded by Karyan Ishq'ildarra, who embraced the more spiritualistic sects of Dawra and diverted many resources into religious developments. Ishq'ildarra also made it a point of her speakership to widely print and distribute texts of a religious nature, such as the Journals of Suleiman, as well as encouraging printing and literacy as a whole throughout Aldaar.

In 1759, Ishq'ildarra was succeeded by Ismaat Alhilm, who is wildly considered to have heralded the majority of the Aldaari golden age due to his knowledge and conceptual grasp on trade. Under Alhilm, the Aldaari government subsidised craftsmen and encouraged artisan and agricultural manufacture and massively expanded the ports, as well as sending missions to other, more powerful nations to encourage trade and cultural exchange. The massive expansion of the Aldaari economy allowed the government to channel funds into the arts, as well as massively improving the quality of life of average citizens, especially in the cities. The reign of Alhilm is most notably remembered by the Rauuqaqau (or Rococo) style of art and architecture that symbolised the general opulence of this period of Aldaari history. In 1804, Alhilm would be succeeded by Jadariin Kalim'ildarra, who adopted a more contemplative and reserved style than Alhilm, and the style of Aldaar closely followed. While Aldaar still had considerable wealth, many of the displays of opulence and riches became less and less common, leading many to consider the Aldaari golden age over. Kalim'ildarra was unsatisfied with Aldaar's lackluster position on the global stage, despite its economic position, and dedicated much of her speakership to build Aldaar's international power through diplomacy and realpolitik. However, her sudden death in 1844 with no person set to assume the position of Mutadiit and much of her work left unfinished caused widespread instability in Aldaar, leaving the nation without a leader for the first time in its history. While many suspected some other person would come forth as Mutadiit, chosen by Ildarra, none did, and eventually the First Divine Republic of Aldaar fractured into seven smaller republics in order for each to maintain control of their own regions.

Modern Period

While the Republics continued to have beneficial relationships with each other and engaged in trade, both with each other and the rest of the world, they were largely stagnant - no major developments were made in technology, culture, or civics. For the most part, these republics adopted a form of constitutional democracy based on ideas pioneered in nations such as Tretrid earlier in the century. In the later part of the 19th century, the discovery of oil in Aldaar made the region somewhat relevant again, but ultimately would have no great long-term impact. Similarly, while the changes to international commerce brought on by the Great War saw some small changes, there was no immediate long term impact.

A photograph of Aldaari Volunteer Guardsmen at a training camp, taken in the late 1970s

In 1920, following the great war, the Federation of Mirhaime - looking to regain resources lost in the war and become a regional power in Novaris - established a blockade of the Republics of Mukarras and Sayaduun. After talks with then-president of Mukarras, Takuhii Hatem, Mirhaime assumed full control over the republic. From there, they used it as a staging ground to invade the rest of the region, with only the more militaristic Republic of Fawdaa being able to hold back the exhausted and overextended Mirhaimian forces. As part of their mandate, Mirhaime established the Western Gondwanan Economic Company, or WEGEC, and allowed them almost complete control over the Protectorate of Aldaar. Immediately, WEGEC proved itself to have an authoritarian streak - blatantly influencing elections, changing laws, and even establishing a militaristic wing, the Aldaari Volunteer Guards, to maintain control. While tactics and impacts varied from republic to republic, WEGEC's goal of fully utilizing any possible resource in Aldaar, at any cost, remained the same.

Despite the Guards' Revolution in 1944 and the subsequent period of chaos bringing significant changes to the political landscape of Mirhaime, which many in both Mirhaime and Aldaar expected would lead to reforms in how WEGEC operated, special interests in the Fefsen government were able to not only kill any reforms but maintain complete control over the protectorate for themselves, exchanging power over the dominion for their compliance with the post-Alor regime. Over time, control over all information into and out of Aldaar, combined with effective suppression of any resistance, ensured that intervention by the Lewydh would be costly and unpopular. However, revolutionary groups within the Protectorate of Aldaar, especially in the Republic of Mukarras, maintained a sizeable resistance against the regime that, despite numerous setbacks, were able to persist into the 21st century. In 2022, Yufraan Abd'ildarra would, according to Dawrani teachings, gain the favor of Ildarra and, with massive support from the Mukarrasi people, lead a popular rebellion in the region, pushing WEGEC out of the main populated areas and establishing a competing government. Claiming the title of the Second Divine Republic of Aldaar, Abd'ildarra had the power to prepare the newly reestablished nation for war, gaining support from the Federation of the Southern Coast, as well as Lewydh Alane Kairas in Mirhaime. In March 2023, Protectorate forces and the Second Divine Republic would clash in the Battle of Mukarras, which combined a compelling defeat of the Aldaari Volunteer Guard in Mukarras, a second insurrection staged in the Republic of Sayaduun, and the arrests of many WEGEC conspirators in Ymirodraeth for a compelling victory for Abd'ildarra. On March 20th, 2023, Mirhaime recognized the independence of Aldaar, with Talia Jaziri, newly declared President of Sayaduun, opting to unify with the Second Divine Republic.

Geography

Main article: Geography of Aldaar

Government and Politics

Main article: Politics of Aldaar

Economy

Main article: Economy of Aldaar

Aldaar has a mixed economy focused around the extraction of natural resources such as rare urth elements and oil, novelty agricultural exports, and artisan goods.

Natural Resources

As of 2024, the majority of Aldaar's exports consisted of raw natural resources obtained through large-scale operations. While Aldaar is well known for being one of the world's largest exporters of oil in the modern day, Aldaar also has relatively large reserves of minerals and precious gemstones, as well as other metals. The nation his home to large concentrations of bastnaesite and monazite deposits which are extracted for their concentrations of light lanthanides, including lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, samarium, and europium. In addition, Aldaar's environment boasts fairly large mineral reserves of gypsum, borates, borax, bromine, iodine, sodium carbonate, and calcium, with some smaller reserves of lithium, gold and silver, and uranium. Adding on to the nation's mineral wealth is the high concentrations of gems and precious stones, including diamonds, malachite, turquoise, Aldaar's national gemstone of amethyst, and many more.

Until 2022, the Mirhaimian Protectorate of Aldaar was the world's leading exporter of oil, producing upwards of 10 million barrels of oil per day. However, due to the smaller size of the Second Divine Republic, a focus on a diversified economy, and the implementation of laws protecting workers' rights, that number has dropped considerably. Still, Aldaar consistently ranks among the top three global oil exporters, and since many experts believe that the Aldaari government plans to reintegrate the remaining five republics, there is a large chance that they will soon return to their former status.

Beyond mineral resources, Aldaar has very few natural resources that exist in sufficient quantities for exportation. While dates have become fairly widespread, not enough are exported to constitute a significant portion of the Aldaari economy. The main exception to this is the thriving global tequila industry, based on Aldaari agave; however, agave plantations in other desert countries have outperformed Aldaar on several occasions. Most flora and fauna endemic to Aldaar are frequently not useful enough to be exported, or are too costly to grow on a commercially viable scale. While some native flora are cultivated on a medium scale, and fishing and pastoralism are both commonplace, most of this is for subsistence, not exportation, and largely does not affect Aldaar's economy in a monetary sense.

Agriculture

Main article: Agriculture in Aldaar

The agricultural industry of Aldaar is large, and unlike the mining sector, is controlled mostly by private companies. Many rural Aldaaris in central Mukarras and Sayaduun use agriculture as their main form of income, due to many homesteads having cultivated their own food for centuries before the modernization of regional economic systems in the 1890s, and a combination of modern equipment, wide tracts of land, and fairly decent soil quality significantly lowering the barriers to establishing farms financially viable enough to support a family. Rural farmers often sell their goods to larger agricultural companies or directly to the Aldaari government, which sets competitive prices for agricultural goods. On the western coast of Aldaar, most farming is done on land owned by larger corporations, especially farming of non-native crops.

Aldaar's biggest native agricultural export is agave, which is used for the distillation and production of tequila. Most agave farms are run by the Aldaari brand Darduusta Teqiilyatlaan, the world's oldest continually operating tequila company, which is based in the Aldaari city of Murad. Aldaar is also the primary source of mesquite flour, a relatively popular gluten-free flour that enjoys some commercial success. Other commercially cultivated native species in Aldaar include dates, figs, and prickly pears. On the pacific coast, there is a very high concentration of orchards growing fruits including pomegranates, citrus plants (including lemons, limes, and kumquats), peaches and nectarines, plums, apricots, and apples. Olives and grapes are also grown. In the scrublands and arid plains of Aldaar, most crops grown are grains and vegetables such as nightshades including tomatoes and squash, maize, beans, and sorghum. However, most inland crops are cultivated to fulfill Aldaar's own needs, and are not exported.

In addition to large-scale farms, many smaller farms exist cultivating herbs and spices including cinnamon, coriander, turmeric, ginger, anise, caraway, sumac, cumin, dill, and saffron, which have been exported globally as far back as the 15th century and are very commonly associated with Aldaari styles of cooking. In addition, medicinal plants such as tanshiit and less commercially viable edible plants such as doum palms (for their fruit) are grown for local markets.

Ranching is relatively common in Aldaar but is entirely for domestic consumption, as the country is not self-sufficient with either meat or dairy. While fishing and aquaculture are very widespread, especially in the Sayaduun Governorate, they also mostly supply local markets. Because the majority of the country is arid scrublands and desert, there is no forestry industry to speak of.