Iganar
Iganar
luDominmne aIganar (Packilvanian) | |
|---|---|
Province | |
| Province of Iganar | |
Clockwise: Ishak I Memorial Temple in Zukaril, Cheetah in Shalmad Nature Reserve, Skyline of Qadash Kebir, Oil well in Qayeer with the Humdikan Highlands in the background | |
| Motto(s): "Ashamiliya" (Packilvanian) "Assimilate" | |
| Anthem: luHimaan luDominmnishme aIganar (Packilvanian) Provincial Anthem of Iganar | |
 | |
| Iktanite dynasty | 7th century CE |
| Magisterial Rule | 12th century |
| Zubraynite dynasty | 13th century CE |
| Demirite dynasty | 17th century CE |
| Named for | Unknown |
| Seat | Zukaril |
| Government | |
| • Type | Unitary provincial structure |
| • Body | Legislature of Iganar |
| • Governor | Prince Harim |
| • Premier | Luhad Wamdan |
| Area | |
| • Total | 603,000 km2 (233,000 sq mi) |
| • Water | 0.1 km2 (0.04 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 540 m (1,770 ft) |
| Highest elevation | 1,100 m (3,600 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 345 m (1,132 ft) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 146 million |
| • Rank | 1st |
| Demonym | Iganarian |
| Time zone | UTC+5 (Central West Packilvanian Time) |
| GDP (nominal) | 2 trillion KRB |
| GDP per capita (nominal) | 14,400 KRB |
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Iganar, formally known as the Province of Iganar (Packilvanian: luDommne aIganar) is a province of Packilvania the borders Ashura to the west, Jumhurikesh to the east and north, Mekedesh to the southwest, Rigaryat to the south and Fidakar to the south east, lying in the Central West Packilvanian Timezone of +5 UTC whose climatic zones consists of dry summer, semi arid and hot desert. With the Jumhur, Meked and Ufrata Rivers flowing through it, it has a high level of biodiversity but faces ecological challenges such as habitat destruction and pollution, being among the largest emitters on the planet.
It has been inhabited for thousands of years, being among the first areas to be converted to Paxism approximately 4 thousand years ago by the disciples and acolytes of Prophet Besmali who brought some of the oldest copies of the Writings of Paxism. It's western parts were brought under the suzerainty of the Kingdom of Yehudah. It was inhabited by the Iron age Thalmanite civilisation and then the bronze age Marionite civilisation, both of which were known for their monumental architecture and the latter actually invaded and many of its people settled in northern Fidakar. It was then conquered by the Kingdom of Bakil and became part of Packilvania when Iktan the Devout declared himself the High King. It was then brought under the rule of the Magisterium of Paxism when the Iktanite dynasty collapsed in the 12th century, but came under Zubraynite dynasty rule a century or two later. It then invaded and conquered northern Fidakar, came under the Fidakarian Demirite dynasty, the Packilvanian Communist Party, was liberated by the Carriers of Mercy and came under the Bedonite dynasty.
The Province is administered by the Governor, who is appointed by the Sultan, and appoints the rest of the executive branch and promulgates laws alongside the Khanoniyat, a position currently held by Prince Harim, brother to former Sultan Namdun III. The government is seated in Zukaril and is characterised by a pro-business economic policy, giving rise to the richest province by GDP and GDP per capita. It is arguably home the biggest reserves of fossil fuels in the world and is one of if not the largest producer. It further benefits from large petrochemical industries, tourism, property development and modest manufacturing industries.
History
The area that comprises Iganar has been inhabited by modern Felines for tens of thousands of years. The first inhabitants used stone and bone tools and wore loin cloths made from animal skins. They were hunters and gatherers who relied on the meat of fish and the herds of migratory antelopes, and foraged edible plants. A few thousand years ago, Felines began to domesticate animals such as cattle, sheep, horses, camels and goats for their meat and secondary products such as fur, pelts and milk. Additionally they also domesticated chickens and consumed their eggs. They also began to cultivate and selectively breed various grains and tubers so that they could increase their food consumption. This resulted in the formation of sedentary settlements built from wood, mud, grass and stone.
The people then began to use tools made from metals by being able to use wood and furnaces to create hot fires that enabled them to smelt and refine ores. The civilisations in the area were largely small tribes and city states that were often engaged in warfare against each other. With the advent of writing from the nations in Ashura and the codification of mythologies and laws by prominent writers and scholars such as Prophet Besmali and Lord Tiraz Mahal that today form the Writings of Paxism, systems of government were established that led to the formation of larger Kingdoms that encompassed large areas.
In the area that makes up Zukaril, was ruled by the Kingdom of Turhadek in the 2nd millenium BCE, arguably the oldest of the ancient kingdoms which was destroyed a few centuries later. The Sorceriocracy of Exkhanad was established some centuries later based on mystical traditions that incorporated Paxism with native traditions, astrology and sorcery. Parts of the western nations were absorbed by the Kingdom of Yehudah. Some eventually became independent of the Central Ufrata River Basin kingdoms such as a matriarchal polity called the Queendom of Zukaril. A large group of people existed here called the Thalmanites who also lived in southern Jumhurikesh. In the early 1st millenium CE, there existed the Marionites in the interior and south of Iganar who migrated and conquered central Fidakar. They were superceded by the Kingdom of Bakil again from the Central Ufrata River Basin invaded who subsumed the Kingdoms in the Iganar area, especially to the west and interior.
Kingdoms further to the east were absorbed into the expanded Kingdom of Bakil which is now known as Packilvania by the Iktan dynasty following attempts by Iktan the Devout to suppress the proliferation of a religious text known as the Haagemar which was commissioned by the Warmadite dynasty King Obed II of Bingol. Iganar remained an integral part of Packilvania for centuries until the Iktanite dynasty fell in the 12th century which gave rise to petty kingdoms that remained under the suzerainty of the Magisterium of Paxism which managed to remain in power based out of the city of Adrien and exercised control over the historic territories of the old Kingdom of Bakil.
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In the area comprising modern day Mekedesh, the Ruler of Tashkar, Ishak I, defeated and conquered Bingol and began an expansion that saw Iganar become part of the reestablished Packilvania under the Zubraynite dynasty. In the 13th century, vassal of the Zubraynites, Prince Turkheem led an army from Iganar that invaded and incorporated many parts of Fidakar into Packilvania more broadly and Iganar more specifically. In the late 17th century, the Zubraynite dynasty faced financial and political issues that gave rise to instability and resistance including from the feudal lords of Iganar who switched their allegiance to the more prosperous and militarily powerful Kingdom of Fidakar under the Demirite dynasty whose head, Saidun the Conqueror became the first Sultan of Packilvania.
Iganar became a province that was increasingly governed by representatives of the central government in Bingol. It was one of the last parts of Packilvania to fall to the rule of the Packilvanian Communist Party during the First Packilvanian Civil War. Attempts to suppress religion by the government led by Gideon Muktan and its successors were largely unsuccessful. Despite the role of religion being circumscribed for decades and the systemic termination and displacement of minority species and religious groups. Massive oil and gas deposits were discovered in the 20th century in addition to existing oil, gas and coal reserves that fuelled the Packilvanian economy. Around halfway through the Second Packilvanian Civil War, Iganar switched allegiance to the Carriers of Mercy which by that time ruled over Ashura, Shakar and Jumhurikesh and claimed to be the sole government of the country. It was the site of heavy fighting between the Communists and the Carriers, such that a nuclear attack on the town of Ashmayira prompted the collapse of the Communist government and the establishment of a theocratic absolute monarchy under the Bedonite dynasty.
Geography
Iganar is a mid-sized province by Packilvanian standards. The Ufrata River runs through here before going to Ashura. The river is deep and wide, and lacks rapids. Thus, it is highly navigable. Along its banks, especially during Summer in Vekaiyu, swell and much of the area is waterlogged for most of the year. Thus, a rich ecosystem of wetlands has emerged. Portions of the Jumhur River also flow into Iganar. The eastern portions of the province has a more moderate climate where it rains in winter (which is fairly cool) and summers are hot and dry. The interior is arid, being largely hot and dry for most of the year except for a few months of rain. The east is very dry save for rivers and oases. Iganar has some mountain ranges, the highest point being luShumet aSadhil (Mount Sadhil) at 1,100 metres above sea level.
Iganar is home to animals such as elephants, cheetahs, leopards, lions, zebra, giraffe, meerkats, mongoose, aardvarks, porcupines, hedgehogs, anteaters, pangolins, and various antelope. Iganar is home to a large population of fresh water fish for its size and aridity. It has large migratory populations. The province suffers from various environmental challenges such as carbon emissions, light pollution from its cities, eutrophication and sedimentation of its rivers and streams due to excessive fertiliser use, soil degradation, poaching and destruction of wetlands for housing and agriculture. As other desert facing provinces, Iganar is undertaking a tree and shrub replanting initiative that has planted millions of trees. Despite commitments to cut carbon emissions, there is no evidence of concrete government action. The area is susceptible to sandstorms which can cause respiratory issues, severe discomfort and property damage.
Politics
As with other provinces in Packilvania, Iganar is nominally subservient to the Imperial Government, but in reality has been devolved considerable autonomy over its internal affairs. Its government is helmed by the Meer who is appointed by the Sultan for as long as he pleases. The Meer in turn appoints the Premier and the Provincial Council of Ministers who run the provincial government on a daily level. The Khanoniyat makes the laws. Its upper house, the Legislative Council consists of representatives from religious, minority, professional, business, and local government bodies while the less powerful Representative Assembly is selected by a lottery. In both bodies, there are minimum quotas for the representation of women, youth and minorities. The Meer in turn promulgates the laws which are applied and interpreted by the judiciary which is appointed and accountable to the Imperial Government.
As the richest and most populous province in the country, Iganar exercises considerable independence from the Imperial Government and has in the past diverged significantly on areas of policy. Although the Meer is a Prince of the Bedonite dynasty, Iganar's political elite consists largely of former members and descendants of the Carriers of Mercy, people part of and affiliated with the Magisterium of Paxism, and lobbyists for government and privately owned corporations. Iganar's government has highly competitive taxes partly because part of its annual budget is independent of grants from the national budget and taxes (to which it is the largest net contributor along with Ashura and Fidakar) due to royalties from fossil fuel exploration and extraction. This has lead its budget to fluctuate, causing it to be reluctant to dispense widespread social welfare services such as income grants for the poor or universal health insurance. The government has focused its efforts on creating an environment conducive for businesses to flourish including through lax regulations and an effective system for resolving disputes.
Iganar is highly religious. The strand of religious ideology that permeates this province is slightly different from Ashura which ascribes to a highly ascetic and formal religious tradition. In contrast, a culture of celebrity style Magisters and Priests leading congregations that focus more on outbursts of spiritual fervour has taken root that has influenced politics by enabling their involvement in political decision-making and influence. Iganar also has a very urbanized population, so in spite of the general restrictions on public discourse that pervade Packilvanian society, at local and regional level, the is a surprisingly high amount of media outlets such as radio stations and newspapers that have asserted surprisingly robust criticism of state institutions, policies and public norms compared to provinces such as Ashura.
Additionally, despite the formal illegality of protests, people in Iganar are notorious for public demonstrations and participation in public fora. Iganar struggles with the presence of militant and well-organised groups of young men whose obsession with the cult of martyrdom creates a difficult and influential political constituency whose most fundamentalist members have often resisted state authority through civil disobedience and public violence. Despite the modern veneer, tribal rulers also exercise considerable authority of state decisions at local level especially because of how lucrative auctions for long term leases of communal land have proven to be which has undermined the land rights of pastoralists and families with small holdings. Furthermore, Iganar has maintained political rivalries with other provinces namely Jumhurikesh over control of water and supply of electricity and disputes with Fidakar over its liberal attitudes to religion and its annexation of Tasselvalta.
Economy
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Iganar has a GDP of over 2 trillion KRB making it the richest province in the country by total annual economic output. It has a GDP per capita, making it the highest in the country outside of a special economic zone or autonomous city. The province benefits from a highly business friendly environment, abundance of natural resources, world class communications and transport infrastructure, navigable rivers, an educated, urbanized and low labour cost population, and laissez-faire attitude to business regulation that has enabled it to cultivate domestic industries and attract foreign investment. Iganar has a highly export oriented economy that has leveraged the oil and gas industry as a base for decades since the Demirite dynasty's rule in the 19th century.
The province has some of the largest oil reserves and gas reserves of any place in the world. Iganar often competes with Ashura for the top spot of the biggest gas and oil producer. Iganar benefits not only from the size of its reserves but from the ease with which they can be extracted from the ground and the large scale technical capability and infrastructure to ramp up or curtail production based on economic and political circumstances and goals. It has some of the lowest prices of natural gas and oil, enabling it to produce enough electricity for itself and to export to other provinces. Coupled with its high consumption of petrol and diesel powered cars and dense concentration of factories, Iganar is one of the worst emitters of greenhouse gasses in the world.
Iganar has a very high rate of employment and labour participation. It has been experiencing considerable growth over the past three decades that has been driven by the rapid move of millions of people from rural areas to the cities. Thus, a massive construction and property development industry has arisen that is one of the largest employers and contributors to the economy. Nevertheless, the overallocation of capital to this sector, tendency of middle and upper class buyers to pay upfront for unbuilt homes and lax regulations by the government has led to ghost cities and fears of a property price bubble driven by real estate speculation and excessive building.
Iganar has a massive tourism industry due to having some of the largest concentrations of dinosaur fossils in the world with the Zukaril Museum for Natural History have a collection of 400,000 dinosaur skeletons and attracting over 3 million visitors annually. Iganar also has highly respected religious sites and charismatic celebrity priests and magisters who host huge conferences and festivals that attract millions of people, making Iganar one of the most visited places in the country. The province has highly developed infrastructure including thousands of kilometers of electric cables and pylons, canals, roads and railway tracks including high speed rail within and between major cities.
Iganar has vertically integrated much of the supply chain enabled by its fossil fuel reserves, namely having a large electricity sector, large refining industry, huge pipelines for transportng the fuels to the rest of the country, production of ammonia for agriculture and a massive petrochemical centre. Despite having low rainfall and facing an encroaching desert, Iganar is able to supply about three quarters of its food needs based on its heavy exploitation of the fertile soil and waters of its wetlands and heavy damming of rivers and use of irrigation and use of fertilisers, genetically modified organisms resistant to the heat and lack of water and mechanised farming. The Iganarian agricultural sector has been accused of excessive water use and causing eutrophication due to run-off from its farms.
Culture
Sports
Iganar has 5 teams in the Soccer Super League: the Zukaril Warriors S.C., the Akhastar Tigers S.C., the Qadash Kebir Eagles S.C., the Amhoudshtar Titans S.C., and the Edhen Buffaloes S.C. Iganar has won the league 7 times, in 1976, 1981, 1989, 1992, 2004, and 2008. In the Soccer University League, it currently has 4 teams, the University of Zukaril Sabers S.C., the University of Akhastar Literocrats S.C., and the University of Qadash Kebir Fighters S.C.
Iganar has hosted the annual Imperial Sports Convention (previously known as the People's Sports Convention) 12 times, 6 in Zukaril, 4 in Akhastar and 2 in Qadash Kebir. The Province sends 6 teams to the Imperial Rugby Union Cup, 7 teams to the Imperial Basketball League, 5 teams to the Imperial Table Tennis Tournament and 4 teams to the Cricket Premier League.
Art and Music
Iganar is a major destination and producer of music in Packilvania. It is home to the largest music and art festival in the country, the luJublafiya aluOstiqa aluKhayas (the Desert Fire Celebration) which attracts over 2 million people annually with several days of camping, playing of music, dancing, and displays of art especially a monumental sculpture made of wood that us burnt to mark the end of the festival. By Packilvanian standards, festivals in Iganar have been criticised by conservative commentators as places of "excess, modernity and debauchery" while being lauded by the youth and international critics as enabling a "rare outlet for self expression and ecstasy". Iganar is the home of prolific musicians such as Nawahad, Bajhar Akhnoud, Ladween Yuber and others who composed for royalty and whose hymns still comprise the Paxist liturgy centuries after they were written. The province is also home to the prestigious Princess Jabraya Conservatory of Classical Art and Calligraphy at the University of Qayeer which preserve the art forms of calligraphy and traditional painting that have been invented in Iganar and spread throughout the country.
Museums and Libraries
Iganar houses some of the largest collections of antiquities and fossils on the planet. The government and privately owned galleries and collection contain individual samples of fossils and of sentient artefacts. Iganar is a major site for archeology due to the ancient civilisations that inhabited it. Furthermore, during the Ice Age, when it was more lush and cool, it was home to massive populations of modern and pre-modern sentient beings enable huge finds that have helped sapient kind trace its archeological roots. With the invention of writing such as on stone tablets, clay slabs and eventually paper, the province has a rich collection of written artefacts including manuscripts and steles. Iganar has carefully excavated, studied and preserved these ancient treasures and established one of the largest systems of museums and galleries in the world including the Zukaril Museum of Natural History, the largest collection of skeletons in the country, so vast that many are not on display and many are sent on long term exhibitions around the country and the world. Iganar has a massive library system that is arguably the largest in the country and includes the Qadash Kebir Imperial Library, a collection that was created by the Demirite dynasty, and added to over time.
Tourism
Iganar is visited by 28 million people every year. Major attractions include the Mekhabar Ruins, the ruins of a 3,000 year old civilisation, the Shalmidan Caves, a 56 kilometre underground labyrinth of naturally formed chambers that are a major source of fossils, the Khidan Falls, a massive waterfall of the Khidan River that feeds into the Jumhur River, Subayeel Quarter, a trendy neighbourhood in Zukaril known for shopping and the Besoon Tomad Nature Park which is famous for its massive populations of elephants, rhinoes, crocodiles, hippopotamuses, lions, and leopards.
Architecture
The greatest examples of Iganar Ian architecture include