Aldaar
Aldaar (Asahri: الدار), officially The Divine Republic of Aldaar (جمهورية الدار الالهية [jum-HUUR-yat al-DAAR 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.
The Divine Republic of Aldaar جمهورية الدار الالهية | |
|---|---|
 Official Flag of Aldaar | |
Motto: Mercy above all, at any cost. | |
| Capital | Mukarras |
| Official languages | Asahri
Atasiyaqidu Haqen |
| Ethnic groups | |
| Religion | Dawra |
| Demonym(s) | Aldaari |
| Government | Theocratic Republic |
• Mutadiit | Yufraan Abd'ildarra |
| Legislature | Kaastas |
| Establishment | 1610 |
• | 2022 |
| Population | |
• 2020 estimate | 6,400,000 |
| GDP (PPP) | 2023 estimate |
• Total | $25.70 Billion |
• Per capita | $4,015.84 |
| Currency | Aldaari Muhaara |
| Time zone | UTC-10 |
| Driving side | left |
| Calling code | +786 |
| ISO 3166 code | ALD |
| Internet TLD | .ald |
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. 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 only sparse 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 1930s, 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 successful uprising 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 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 Aldaari 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 is now widely practiced as a secular holiday.