Karamverse Civilizations: Saddle-Arabia

[I am writing this to explain a few things about my MLP universe, Karamverse. Imperator Aetheris and I have been working on this for many months, and today I have finished a cultural outline of Saddle-Arabia, according to my headcanon in Karamverse. I will be writing more blogs about the other nations in Karamverse in the future.]

Saddle-Arabia, the home of the vast desert sands, is also home to a deep culture and history. Here we shall see a general overlook of that history and culture.

Years of unification 1325 BSE to 1000 BSE ~

In the year 1527 Before the Solar Era (BSE), the Zebrican Empire fell, and their cities in the desert began to break apart into smaller nation-states and wandering nomadic tribes, as they had been in the days of old. The vast Zebrican Empire was destroyed by mega-spells in the Night of Fire, which also decimated the Alicorn Empire, hence the Zebras either ignored or forgot their desert cities and allowed them to break up in this manner. Over the centuries, the remnant of the Alicorns spread across the world, and one small group entered the desert sands. One by one they all succumbed to hunger and thirst, until only two were left—a general and his wife. Miraculously these two were taken in by a kind group of nomadic unicorn horses, and were nursed back to health. These unicorns taught the two Alicorns the language of Arabic and how to survive in the desert. Eventually the Alicorns were restored to their full strength, and became the bodyguards of the nomadic group, for there were many other tribes that constantly fought with the unicorns. Seeing how badly the unicorns needed training, the Alicorn general taught them all the ways of war that he learned during his days with the Alicorn Empire, and soon the nomadic tribe conquered their enemies, making them all into one vast tribe. Once this massive tribe was formed, the Alicorn suggested that they elect a ruler for themselves, and seeing no other creature that could handle leading them, the nomads declared the Alicorn to be their leader, and named him Malik Al-Aziz, the Great King, and they named his wife Latifa, meaning Gentle, for she was quite motherly. These were originally titles, but in time they became the only names the pair knew. The Alicorn and Zebra empires were gone, but a new one was beginning.
Malik knew his nation needed a capitol city, and so he and his forces captured the city of Rikhab, which at that time was a small city, but Malik fortified it into an imposing place. Soon other neighboring cities heard what had befallen, and some attempted to declare war on the foreign Alicorn while others submitted to him out of fear. By the year 1325, Malik had united all desert tribes and city-states, naming it Saddle-Arabia in honor of the dominant horses, ponies and camels which inhabited the area. Within the capitol city of Rikhab, Malik ruled his empire alongside his wife.
Over time, Malik organized the nation. He instituted Arabic as the official language of the nation, and refined the written language so it would be easier to learn, as well as established schools of higher education and established a currency for the whole nation. For the next few centuries there was peace, and during this time seven sons were born to Malik and Latifa. Each was strong and healthy, and they would all make their parents very proud. Although Malik organized and protected his nation, he would still have many troubles to face.

During this period however, a population boom occurred in Saddle Arabia. Unable to feed a growing population with scarce resources; Malik was forced to expand his realm. Defeating and annexing the proud ponies of Al-Aseb (Pony!Persia) with their fertile lands, and taking the southeastern regions of the Ippeian Empire to the point of besieging their old capital at Messaline; the Arabian Expansion was only stopped by the Changeling Horde and the Konlyan Principalities at the Battle of Nivask (921 B.S.E) and by the Mahadevi Raj (one of the Pony!Indian Realms) in Kharpat (915 B.S.E)

The Great Famine; Second Ippeian-Arabian War: 780-720 BSE

Nobeast knows why, but around the year 780 BSE, the land in Saddle-Arabia slowed its fruit-bearing. It produced less and less until it became a terrible famine which only grew worse and worse over the years. Coupled with some of the rivers drying up, this famine became one of the most terrible natural disasters in Saddle-Arabian history. Malik saw the devastation coming and ordered food to be stored up, but eventually the food supplies ran out, and they had to trade with other nations to get their food. This drained the economy, and still left many citizens starving. In the end, Malik lost three of his dear sons in the famine, as well as his darling wife. Suddenly, a group of determined unicorns and earth horses discovered what was stopping the rivers, and they managed to get them flowing again. Furthermore, the most intelligent of the camels and the Zarfaim came together and created a formula to make the ground fertile again. This, combined with earth pony and unicorn magic, made the land healthy again, and around the year 750 BSE they began to grow enough food for themselves again. The nation was healing, and bearing fruit.

However, it would still take many years for Saddle-Arabia to fully heal. During this period of recovery, the Ippeian Empire declared war on Saddle-Arabia, intending to reconquer some of the land it had lost to the Arabians some generations earlier during Saddle Arabia’s Expansion. The war was very brutal, for the soldiers of Saddle-Arabia were still not at their full strength, and the army had lost many in the Great Famine. As the war raged, it seemed that Saddle-Arabia was doomed. However, Malik Al-Aziz and his three remaining sons joined the frontlines, pulling together all their strength and strategy to survive, and they managed to beat back the Ippeian forces until the two nations came to a truce. Saddle-Arabia proved her strength. Sadly, it was a bittersweet peace, for Malik had lost two more of his sons, with only his youngest, Khayri, at his side. Over the next few centuries not much happened other than advances in technology such as in 600 BSE when a wise Zarfaim invented a system of drip irrigation which greatly helped the food production of the land, and also stimulated the economy by providing extra food to trade to other nations. Indeed, Saddle-Arabia would heal completely from her Great Famine and war.

The Civil War (The War of the Two Brothers/ The War of The Strong Wind and The Rock) 127—100 BSE:

Khayri Al-Nasim, The Wise, ascended the throne after his father died of old age in the year 400 BSE. He took a wife from the house of a unicorn Sheik, for there were no Alicorns left in the land besides him. Strangely, they had no children together. He was deeply grieved after her death, and became very lonely. After some time, his advisors convinced him to take another wife, to secure an heir to the throne. Khayri agreed, and his advisors selected for him an earth horse to be his wife. This wife bore two sons for him, Daud and Karam, both Alicorns like their father. A few decades later she died of a terrible fever, and after that Khayri became excessively protective of his sons, but he was always loving towards them. Khayri was indeed a wise ruler during his days, and taught his sons many things, from history to battle strategy, for his talent was in planning and wisdom. All his citizens loved him, and for several centuries he watched over his kingdom with his sons, and all was well.
Unfortunately, not everybeast in the nation loved Khayri. One night, a Pegasus pony who lusted after power slew Khayri in his sleep and cast out Daud to the desert. After this he and his comrades placed Karam on the throne as their puppet ruler. Karam obeyed them for a time, but all along he plotted a way to overthrow them and bring back his older brother to take his rightful place on the throne. When the time was right, Karam killed the assassin, and banished the assassin’s wicked followers, then quickly sent messengers to find Daud and bring him back home. However, when Daud returned, he returned with an army he assembled from the far reaches of the nation, for he believed that Karam had planned Khayri’s death, and Daud wanted revenge. Karam pleaded with his brother, but Daud refused to listen, and a civil war broke out between the two as Karam defended his honor while Daud tried to destroy Karam and his army. If Khayri were alive, he surely would have mourned and raged over both his sons, for he never wanted them to war against each other, and always did his best to teach them ways of harmony and peace. Indeed, it was a dark time in Saddle-Arabian history. Daud had the power to harden his skin until he was tougher than stone, earning him the title Al-Butrus, meaning The Rock while Karam could control sandstorms, earning him the title Al-Asif, The Strong Wind. With such strong powers, the brothers were at a standstill day after day, for more than two decades. Eventually Karam won the war, but didn’t wish to execute his brother. Sending Daud to the high court of Saddle-Arabia, Karam ensured that Daud received a fair trial. In the end, the judge did not wish to kill the son of Khayri Al-Nasim, and instead of executing him, ordered that half of Daud’s magic be taken from him and given to Karam, and after this was done, Daud was banished into the desert. Ever since then Karam has ruled alone, doing his best to be an honorable malik, and to bring honor to his beloved father.

Third Ippeian-Arabian War (781-802 S.E)

After centuries of peace, the situation at the Ippeian Border became tense. Unknown to everybeast Daud was at the moment hiding in the Ippeian Court. Rousing the Emperor to war against Saddle- Arabia. In hopes of taking over, he engineered a series of border incidents where “Camel and Horse bands”, hired by him, would sack Ippeian border towns. As tensions escalated it was a Saddle Arabian force that in pursuit of a renegade band ended up crossing into Ippeian territory. being mistaken by a band, they soon were attacked by the Ippeians.

At the beginning of the war, the Ippeian forces dominated the field, their superior navy allowing them to reach behind the frontlines and briefly threaten Rikhab itself. However the empire, still beset by Hippogriff raiders on its north was unable to exploit this chance, and a slow and bloody retreat began.

As the Arabian Armies began pushing into Ippeian Territory, a series of disgruntled Ippeian generals noticed that the Army and most of the population of the empire had never been too supportive of the war. Imprisoning the Ippeian Emperor and his heir, a pegasus by the name of Atreus soon took over. Knowing that the Ippeian Cities were impossible to take without very heavy losses by the Arabians, and also knowing that the Ippeian Army was not ready for a counter offensive, he offered a peace that avoided any territorial annexion. Tired of the war, Karam accepted the deal, as Saddle Arabia also needed to recover.

It is believed that late-model Ippeian Steam Automatoi ended up in Saddle Arabia as a result of this war. Some say that they were captured in raids, while the official version is that several of those were a gift of Emperor Atreus as part of the peace negotiations. Whatever the truth is, the trade between both nations in the following years allowed large amounts of Ippeian Steam Automatoi reaching Saddle Arabia… Of course, soon enough the Ippeians would replace them with Electrical ones, but kept giving the steam ones to the Arabians.

Modern Culture
Today Saddle-Arabia is a very stable nation known for its supplies of food, oil, and the invention of the steam-powered Guardian Automotoi Ponies, which were based off the Ippeian Workforce Automotoi Ponies. It is populated mainly by horses, ponies, mules, donkeys and camels, but also has karkadanns living in the far reaches of the mountains, and nomadic tribes wandering throughout the land. The wealthy often live in grand cities while the poor often live in small villages or beg on the streets. Those in poverty often are homeless or live in small huts with only a bed or one piece of furniture. Indeed, Saddle-Arabia is very diverse, and each species has its own customs and tastes in food, yet they all band together under one flag, and one branching, protecting culture. As long as they obey the laws they are permitted to live in whatever tradition they wish.

Destiny Marks and Titles

In Saddle-Arabia, Cutie Marks are commonly referred to as Destiny Marks, although some still call them Cutie Marks. They only come to ponies, not horses or camels or anything else. When a pony receives his or her Destiny Mark, they are given a title based on it. Karam was given the title Al-Asif because his Destiny Mark was a sandy tornado and his newfound talent was controlling sandstorms. However, titles can be given to anybeast for doing anything of extraordinary value. Even a pony who has already earned a Destiny Mark Title can earn another title for doing something fantastic.

Furthermore names in Saddle-Arabia often follow this system:

Name + title + son/daughter of + father’s name + father’s title + son of + grandfather’s name + grandfather’s title + from + hometown.

Families and Species
Families in Saddle-Arabia vary depending on the species, but for the most part there is a husband and wife raising their children. Since it is legal to marry more than one wife, some males do have several wives, and many children, but not all males do this.
For the most part, equines stay with one spouse for their whole lives while Karkadann and camels are known for having more than one spouse at a time.
Although the numbers of family members varies, the family always fills its house with honor. Honor is extremely important in Saddle-Arabia. If somebeast makes a promise, they MUST keep it at all costs, because of honor. If somebeast has an ailing mother, he MUST care for her, because of honor. If somebeast lets his daughter go for a walk, all the neighbors MUST NOT harm her, because of their honor. Honor is almost everything.

Marriages are often arranged by the parents, but if a male wishes to find his own wife, that is acceptable, and he will court the female he desires until he is certain he wishes her to be his wife, and then the female’s family will present a dowry, and the marriage will be set for a suitable day.

Furthermore, in Saddle-Arabia the wives are considered subordinate to the husbands, and are expected to be submissive and quiet, as well as helpful. However, the husbands are expected to be kind to their wives, regarding them as the most valuable creature in their household.

The children are expected to conduct themselves in a manner which brings honor to their parents, and are trained in various tasks from a young age so that they will be good mothers and fathers when they are grown. No matter how rowdy a child is, that child is always considered a blessing, however. In fact, all children are counted as blessings and parents try to have as many as possible.

Horses, ponies, mules, donkeys, et cetera:

All Equines have similar lives in Saddle-Arabia. They all seem to prefer one wife to one male, and enjoy homes with furniture and many comforts. They keep to the laws, send their children to schools, and have lives very similar to the Equines in Equestria.

Karkadann:

The Karkadann are distant relatives of the Rhinoceros, and have a similar body structure, but are quite different in many aspects. They have black skin, golden-yellow hooves, short tails, low-set eyes, and very long horns on the ends of their noses. Unlike the rhino, they have some minor magical powers in healing through their horns, and are known for their herbal discoveries. However, they are very territorial and are often hermits or live with small family groups. They are known for their terrible tempers, ferocity in battle, and their extreme respect towards virgins.

Camels:

Camels tend to live in communities, helping each other in whatever tasks they have. They are also known for preferring to sit on the ground instead of on furniture, and are very resistant to high temperatures and can survive great treks through the desert without needing refreshment. Overall they are quite even-tempered, and even when angered the worst they do is spit in their enemies’s eyes. Because of this they are known in battle for their ability to think clearly under high stress, as well as their fighting abilities and strength.

Oryx:

The Oryx are generally nomadic, although some do live in villages or cities. They may have only one wife or multiple wives. They raise their children together in their nomadic groups and villages, each Oryx teaching in what he or she is most knowledgeable. They can sense when rain is coming and where it is going, and are known for their speed and endurance, and for their extremely strong senses. Those who predict the weather are often Oryx in Saddle-Arabia. Many Oryx are also astronomers and scientists because of their heightened senses and awareness of the world around them, but most prefer the life of a nomad to the life of a city-dweller. Sadly, many died out during the Great Famine, and today they are still a minority.

Gazelles:

The Gazelles are also nomadic, and have similar lives to the Oryx, although they usually only have one wife per male. They tend to live in the mountains where they love running, exploring, and studying nature.

Zarfaim:

Zarfaim are not a species of animal, but a certain bloodline of ponies, which after their homeland was destroyed were scattered all over the world. However, Zarfaim also refers to creatures following the Zarfaim monotheistic faith. Hence, there are Zarfaim in Saddle-Arabia which are ponies, horses, oryx, and even some camels. However, they are mainly ponies. Zarfaim have a very complex belief system and history, so I shall not speak much of them today. Suffice it to say that they are known for their humility, modest way of dressing, deep faith, excellent economic advice, profound wisdom, and intelligence. Indeed, many inventors around the world were Zarfaim, and many of Karam’s most trusted advisors are Zarfaim.

Sawscale Dragons:

The Sawscale Dragons live in the desert, and are hostile towards other creatures, protecting their territory fiercely. They live underground in complex tunnel systems, but they have such good senses that they can tell when somebeast is walking on the surface of their homes, and they swiftly dig their way upwards and burst to the surface to chase away the intruders. Because their scales are angled a certain way, they can create a unique saw-like sound by rubbing their tails against themselves, hence the name Sawscale Dragons. Little is known about their culture because they live underground and avoid contact with the surface except to chase away intruders.

There are other, various animals living in Saddle-Arabia which are not as sentient as these, similar to the animals Fluttershy cares for in Equestria. There are also the terrifying antlions, which are enormous insect-like creatures living underground which dig pits to trap and capture other creatures to eat.

Topography
Although Saddle-Arabia is known for its deserts, she also has mountains, valleys, rivers and even some forests. However, the capitol city is in one of the desert parts, hence many who visit the capitol would assume the entire nation to be a desert. Furthermore, the weather in Saddle-Arabia is not controlled by any pegasus or other creature. The only creature who frequently controls the weather is Malik Karam, who often stops sandstorms threatening major cities or desert areas. Each year they have four seasons, but there is no snow in winter. In the daytime temperatures can go very high and at night they can become extremely cold.

Music
The music varies between the species playing the songs, but there are certain instruments that are traditional to Saddle-Arabia:
The Zither, a stringed instrument similar to an autoharp
The drums
The oud, a string instrument similar to a lute,
The tambourine,
The Zuma, a double-reeded woodwind,
And Cymbals

In Modern times, Saddle-Arabia has also adopted instruments from other “Western” nations, such as Equestria’s harp, cello, guitar, and many others. In fact, some towns are so populated with Western music that one would think it was a city in Equestria—there are even some cafes in large cities with modern Jazz and electric music. Although many may picture Saddle-Arabia as an ancient-looking land, it does feature some very advanced technology in some of its grander cities, making it a place where some creatures dream to go to learn about the latest devices.

Technology:
In the smaller towns and outlying villages everything has a very ancient feel to it—no indoor plumbing, no paved roads, and no electricity, yet the citizens still enjoy their homes. In fact, some descendants of nomadic tribes prefer the simpler life, and there are still a few nomadic tribes left wandering around in the desert. It seems that old habits die hard and traditions live on forever. However, in the larger cities—such as the capitol, Rikhab, there can be seen much advancement, from paved roads and steam cars to indoor plumbing with electricity powered by dams and all sorts of things. The architectural style still has an old-fashioned feel to it, such as the way the windows are shaped with iron lattices holding the glass, or the overall look of the city. Nevertheless, there is quite some advanced technology in Saddle-Arabia.
However, the most well-known tech must be the Guardian Automotoi. Only the richest citizens and the most important places can afford these fantastic robots! They are steam-powered with clockwork brains which look like ponies made of metal. They come in three types: soldier, healer and messenger. Healers are often in large hospitals, helping the nurses by providing assistance and herbs for healing, while soldiers are often guarding something with their built-in weapons and advanced programmed reflexes. Messengers can be seen in the advanced cities carrying messages wherever they need to go, and everybeast knows they are as valuable in battle as the soldiers. However, during times of peace the soldiers and messengers mainly help out in large cities. The Guardian Automotoi are so valued that several of the richer nations have requested a few, but so far Malik Karam does not wish to trade them openly, for fear other nations could manufacture them and use them against Saddle-Arabia. So far the only nation with such an advanced robot is Basileia Ippeios, who currently own the Electrick (“Teslapunk) Automotoi. Historians dispute why and how the steam automotoi came to Saddle-Arabia, but they all agree that they originated in Basileia Ippeios.

Education

Saddle-Arabia does have many schools, but in the outlying villages the children are taught by their parents at home. Nevertheless, Saddle-Arabia has a 80% literacy rate, showing how devoted the citizens are to honoring their families through learning and excelling. In the larger cities are excellent universities which are renowned throughout the world, and some can even rival those in Canterlot. The main thing Saddle-Arabia’s education system is known for is its knowledge in steam and clockwork power, as well as macroeconomics.

Clothing:

If there is one thing Saddle-Arabia is known for, it is her unique clothing style. Instead of dresses or shirts, Saddle-Arabians wear various types of tack. This is partially because it is tradition and partially because it is so hot there that they need to wear something loose enough to let the air cool them off during the hot days. The style of tack varies depending on the preference and species of the wearer, but it always has a distinct Arabian look to it. For example, the Zarfaim are known for tack that completely covers the hindquarters as well as the front legs, while the camels are known for simpler tack that covers their backs and humps, and not much else.

Entertainment

Saddle-Arabians enjoy art, reading, gathering together, racing, and many other activities. However, they are mainly known for their many endurance races across deserts, valleys, and even sometimes mountains. Some of these races can last for days or even weeks, and many contestants have died in honor while trying to beat these races. However, most races in modern times are in closed tracks and are not longer than a few kilometers at most. There are also mock fighting arenas where many males display their strength in various ways, as well as obstacle courses with various puzzles that contestants have to beat within a certain time limit. Overall, if somebeast wishes to earn great honor by doing something physical, he should go to the games in Saddle-Arabia. Although this was traditionally for the males, in recent decades some games have been specifically designed for females to participate in as well, allowing them to show off what they have learned from their strong families.

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See Karamverse Flags on Deviant Art for more details.

View of their Malik

The Saddle-Arabians hold their Malik in high esteem, and always regard him with the highest honor. They hold all leaders in high esteem and honor, in fact. They understand that alicorns are merely creatures that live longer than they do, hence they do not see Karam or his forefathers are gods, but as aged, wise rulers, and indeed Karam and his forefathers were very excellent leaders. Karam, however, has been held with even higher honor than his forefathers, because he was willing to be separated from his brother, the only family he had left, in order to protect his citizens.

Overall, Saddle-Arabia is a diverse land filled with a rich culture and history, and they have stood strong against many forces from horrid famine to terrible wars, and their latest Malik, Karam Al-Asif, promises to be the most memorable leader in their history so far.