Araby and beyond...
by Leif U. Schrader

Part 5: Tekheran

Tekheran together with Marraket is the centre of the world and believe. Around twohundredthousand people live in this city and many come every day to trade here. The streets are filled with the odour of all places of the world. We could see linen from the western empire [the Empire], gold from the desert, spices from Ind, silk from Cathay and steel from Nippon. All these wares are transported to Tekheran through one of the major trading routes. To the west the route reaches as far as the town of Marienburg, to the east the silk street stretches to the coast of Cathay and eventually to Nippon. To the south the route reaches the most southern part of Ind and to the north it reaches deep into the territory of the Ungol raiders that bring precious furs to Tekheran.

Tekheran is often called the city of two hearts. The one heart is the palace of the caliph with the Al Azhared university and the library. The second heart is pulsing much faster and is the bazaar. After we had entered the city I said farewell to by companions and looked for a inn. This task was more difficult than expected because merchants and traders occupied most beds. Therefore it took me until the beginning of sunset before I found a bed in an inn called "The Black Swan". After I had paid for the room I hired a young boy to bring a message to the palace with the greetings from the mayor of Tambulis and a brief description of what has happened.

Afterwards I went to a tavern to get something to eat. Then I went to bed. In the next morning I awoke with the signal for prayer. I went to the next mosque that I could find, since Tekheran alone has thirty mosques. Even when I prayed in a smaller mosque, that one could rival all mosques in Tanfar, both from size and beauty. During my breakfast a servant arrived from the palace and told me that I should come to the Chancellor's office the next day. Since I had no business to do this day I spend it to walk through the city and enjoy the beauty of its building. Tekheran is the seat of the caliph now for more than eleven generations. It is was founded and constructed by the first Caliph Kalihli. He has build the temple and layed the foundation for the future wealth - the bazaar. His son Aram constructed the big mosque of Tekheran which today is part of the university. The mosque is second only to the mosque in Marraket. It is build of green marble which is very rare and can only be found deep in the mountains. To get this marble Caliph Aram, blessed be his name and he shall find peace in heaven, had to forge an alliance with the tribe of the shiites, that are also known as the Assassin and of whom we will speak later. This alliance also helped to secure the mountain passes against the horrors of the mountains and the ongoing attacks of greenskins. The fourth caliph, Haran, praised be his name and he shall be blessed by Allah, founded the university. He gathered the wisest men from his realm and collected all books he could find to establish the best place of learning in the world. When the people of the west empire relied on the dwarves to introduce gunpowder the university of Tekheran has already begun to advance this new technology. The realm of the caliph of Tekheran may be the only realm in the world that does not rely on alliance to advance its knowledge. Therefore my next stop was at the university. Although I could not enter it, this is a privilege of the students and those that are invited by the dean of the university, I was enthralled by the beauty of the building. It consists of a main structure where the learning takes places in a central hall and another building were the practical work is taught. Next to these two buildings stands the mosque of the university, which is also the facility for the theological course, since every student not only has to study his subject, but also learn theology, grammar and history. The library is a short walk from the university. Although it can be access by anyone, I did not enter it for fear that I may forget the time when inside. My next stop was at the famous fountain. This fountain was used for ages, long before Tekheran was founded. After the first houses were constructed, Caliph Kalihli build a construction above the fountain.

The bazaar is crowded place, where goods from all parts of the world are traded. The air is heavy with the scent of cinnamon, pepper, muscat and other spices. Many people could be seen on the market. They came from all parts of the glorious realm of the Caliph and some came from places far away. I saw merchants from Ind, who wore a turban of silk, dark people from the Southlands, traders from the western empire and the land called Brettonia, but to which the people of Tekheran only refer to as Shallasta, for that means strong smell in their own dialect. The statues of the market that were laid down by Caliph Kalihli state that every man shall have free access to the market and all shall be treated irrespective of their belief and origin. Therefore it became a centre for trade in the world. However the statutes require everyone to respect the laws and traditions of Tekheran. Therefore I saw that a man who had the yellow skin of the people of Cathay was taken away by the guards. I asked a nearby trader why the man is taken away. He told me that the man has spit upon on the ground for that is a custom in his land but not in ours and that the punishment for such a thing is that his tongue is torn out.

I then heard the signal for prayer and I knew that the day came to an end. After my prayer in the mosque I had dinner and went to bed, my mind still full of the new impression I have seen.

The following day I went to the chancellor's office, which is inside the palace. The chancellor, whose name was Harash was a young and friendly man. He told me that he has finished the university just three years ago and became chancellor just seven months ago. He told me that the Caliph was very interested in the event with the sand people. He also told me that Sultan Choteimin, blessed be his name, and Sultan Tabas, blessed be his name, both mentioned my name in letters to the Caliph. Therefore he want to speak with me tomorrow. I spend most the day together with the chancellor who showed me the outer parts of the palace. The inner part of the palace is only accessible to people with a special allowance. Since I was not allowed into the inner parts until tomorrow I could not see them that day.
The outer part of the palace consists of the barracks of the personal bodyguards of the Caliph and of the offices of the officials of the Caliph. Beyond the outer buildings that also form the wall of the palace is the big garden. This is, so the chancellor told me, one of two gardens. The other garden is the centre of the inner part of the palace and only accessible for the Caliph, his household and his guests. The big garden is full of trees and flowers of all parts of the world. I could see hyacinths from the mountains, rhododendron, box tree, tulips, roses, cedar, teak, chrysanthemum and trees full of oranges and lemons. Birds sang between the trees and the scenery was engulfed in the sun. Small waterways have been constructed between the trees. The garden was almost closed of from the rest of the palace with its bustle. The garden is guarded by soldiers called the "tulip guards", for their armours show the picture of a tulip, which is the caliphs favourite flower. These guards are few in number, probably not more than fifty, but belong to the best fighters in the world. They have special weapons, which are called "two lilies". These resemble long staffs with blades on both ends. After the chancellor has shown me the garden we had food and he told me that I would be picked up by an escort the next morning and that I would meet him before we both went to the Caliph.

To be continued...