The Province of Iganar (Packilvanian: LuDominimne aluIganar) is a high-level subnational administrative division of Packilvania. It is bordered by Jumhurikesh to the north and east, Fidakar to the southeast, Ashura to the northwest, Mekedesh to the southwest and Rigaryat to the south.

Iganar
LuDominmne aluIganar
Province of Iganar
Ishak I Memorial Temple
Ishak I Memorial Temple
Location of Iganar

The Meked and Jumhur Rivers flow through its territory and the Abaxahad River originates within its territory. It belongs to the Central West Packilvanian Timezone (CWPT) which is at +5 UTC. It has dry summer and grassland climates in the centre, semi arid and hot desert climates to the west and east, and savanna to the south. Its major cities include its capital and largest city, Zukaril, Qadash Kebir, Amhoudshtar, Eden, Akhastar, Qayeer, and Yahavat. The city of Akas Akil in Ashura is located less than 100km from its border, thus it often acts as a resting point on the journey of pilgrims going to the Memorial of the Jovian Gate.

Like the rest of Packilvania, its official and most widely spoken language is Packilvanian and its official and most widely practiced religion is Paxism. Its largest species are the Feline. It has the second largest population of any province in Packilvania with 145,370,700, making it one of the top 10 most populated subnational divisions on Urth (more than Caltharus in Great Morstaybishlia and nearly double the country of Norgsveldet). It has the highest nominal GDP of any subnational division in Packilvania at 1,130,984,046,000 KRB. It has a nominal GDP per capita of 7,780 KRB. Its capital Zukaril has a city-proper population of 10,560,345 people, making it the 6th most heavily populated city in Packilvania. Iganar's economy is driven by financial services, minerals, oil and natural gas, steel refining, chemicals, heavy manufacturing, and wine-making. Despite being one of the biggest hydrocarbon producers in the world, a large part of its energy comes from hydroelectric power, which has been a source of disputes with Rigaryat and Fidakar over water usage.

Its current Governor is Prince Harim a-Amhoud Bedon, the father of the incumbent Prime Minister of Packilvania, Prince Luwadeen a-Harim Bedon. The Judge-President of the Iganar High Court is Marquis Shahad Wadeeq of Kijal. It does not have a Religious Appeals Court. Seated in the Temple of Right Hand in Zukaril, Akhamast Gurunda is the Great Magister of Iganar and represents the province in the Magisterium of Paxism. It is the second most religiously repressive place in Packilvania after Ashura and among the most politically repressive and one of the most resistant to the reforms put in place by Prince Thumim a-Namdun Bedon as the Regent.

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. In the early 1st millenium CE, the Kingdom of Bakil again from the Central Ufrata River Basin invaded and 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. 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 late 13th 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 thousands of years 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.

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 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.

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

The Zukaril National Film Festival is hosted every year. The Iganarian Film and Media Association unites actors, broadcasters and related media. The highest provincial award for music is the Iganar Music Awards.

Museums and Libraries

The Iganarian Imperial Museum Association comprises over 98 museums of which the largest is the Zukaril Imperial Museum of Paleontology which houses over 12,000 fossilised remains including the 0.9 tonne skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus rex and 1.4 tonne skeleton of a Brachiosaurus.

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