[Map Mod] Ibn Battuta's Legacy - map improvement for CK2 (Middle East, Africa, Central Europe)

[elvain]

The mod is named after one of the greatest medieval travellers Ibn Battutah, the one who travelled across almost all the regions I want to improve here.


The recommended version is now the one, which doesn't move provinces from regions, but instead adds cca 18 provinces mainly to Central Africa.
Version Ibn Battuta's Legacy(+):

Steam workshop - Ibn Battuta's Legacy(+)
​

But there also is the original version of this mod, which does not add a single province:
Alpha version (0,903) was released:

Link to Steam Workshop
Download (Dropbox)

Important note on Jade Dragon update:​

I'm currently having a long awaited and necessary vacation and I am not with my CK2 installed laptop and won't be with it for at least yet another week.
And even when I come back home, I'm affraid I won't have time to update the mod. I cenrtainly won't touch it until the end of november, most probably I won't be able to do anything until mid december and there is high chance I won't have enough time for the mod's update until the end of this year with further future very unclear since I'm now in quite important crossroad

So if there is anyone who has the time, will and skill, you can take over the mod with my full aproval. Just please contact me either here or via PM (or both).

The goal is in general to improve the look and the immersion we can have when playing the vast territory from West Africa all the way to Central Asia (it's also continuation of this thread, which can now be closed). I have always found the vanilla provinces look too random to ever play it, hence I have always preferred SomeWhatMoreHistorical mod, the SWMH part of HIP Historical Immersion Project, which is the second heritage I would like to praise here.
Yet, this mod aims to keep the original vanilla number of provinces as well as to keep the basic map projection with all its advantages and disadvantages.

Keeping the province count the same, however, does not mean that all regions will have the same amount of provinces as in vanilla. Some regions, which desperately need something more (namely West Africa), will receive a little boost and the mod also includes little expansion into the center of Africa - the Kanem-Bornu region around the Lake Chad, so West Africans have more ground where to play.
The negative of this approach is that some other places will need to be cut of some of their provinces and some other would be entirely removed.

Praising the legacy of SWMH also means I will take the same approach in dealing with uninhabited areas which historicaly were never crossed by big armies, or it happened very rarely.
Thus the Syrian desert, the deserts in Iran etc. will be kept empty. Not only it makes the map look prettier and makes the map little more accurate, but it also enables me to move some provinces from wastelands into regions where people lived and CK2 players could play.

The mod also has submod Ibn Battuta's World. Its goal is to improve gameplay and prevent things such as regular early colonization of North Africa by the French and Italians, inevitable Egyptian blobing, be it by the Fatimids or Tulunids.

There has been enough text for now, let's show you what is done and how it will all look:

--------------------------------
Current status:
playable Aplha version

Features:
Mod includes:
- changed borders and names of provinces in Middle East, Africa, Persia and Central Asia
- expanded West Africa with one more connection to the Mediterrean world through Hausaland, Kanem-Bornu region, Kawar and Fezzan
- Silk route adapted to changed provinces
- new trade routes from West and central Africa to the Mediterrean coast
- changed de jure structure od Africa, Middle East, Persia and Central Asia
- new historical characters for newly added areas (Kanem-Bornu, Fezzan)
- new CoAs - most of them done by SWMH team
- fixed flow of Danube
- changed borders in Hungary, Bohemia and Poland

---------------
Known issues:
- ID map is not done yet. Is planned though
- not converter compatible yet. It is also planned, but not high on to-do list.

--------------------------------
Future plans:
- edit also borders in Germany, Spain, Anatolia, Armenia, Anatolia and the Balkans
Possible future plans
- borders/province overhaul of the rest of Europe (Italy, Scandinavia, Britain) as well as Russia and the Steppe.
- adding few cultures, particulary in West Africa, Maghreb and Persia
- overhaul of cultural retinues

--------------------------------
Credits:
The SWMH team - namely @Aasmul - for the CoAs as well as for great cooperation, help, inspiration and guidance to modding.
- the HIP team in general, namely @zijistark for passion and knowledge and great help in modding.
- Zeress for help with dealing the positions.
- Talvos for fixing Danube and other help with rivers
- @CrackdToothGrin for his amazing map which I used for research, his mod and other help
- cybrxkhan, ekorovin, Numahr, Gwyn ap Nud, Teutonic_Thrash, and many other members of these forums who helped me to sort things out while working on map overhauls of Africa and Persia for SWMH.
--------------------------------

Terms of usage in other mods:
- some parts of this mod (CoAs) are used with kind agreement of SWMH mod team, so before you plan to use them, contact me if they are my work or if you need to ask SWMH team for permission
- before using any content from this mod, I would like to be notified ahead, mainly for the purpouse of adjusting it to your special needs
- as a matter of courtesy, I would always appreciate to be informed in advance that you plan to use some part of this mod in other mods. It would also help us both to customize the changes so they would fit your mod the best.
- The mod is is based on research of this part of world in 9th-13th century, it doesn't really fit neither to time before Abbasid takeover of power in 750 and after 14th century and I will be very reulctant to permit the map's usage outside this time period. For these purpouses (before 750 and after 1300) this map is no better than the vanilla map.

Edit: There might be a chance that I won't be able to continue modding. In that case and if I appear to be inactive on these forums for 2 months, if anyone wants to maintain the mod, take it and run it as you wish.

 

[elvain]

Screenshot gallery:

de jure duchies:

de jure kingdoms:

Arabia:

Spoiler

de jure kingdoms WIP

de jure duchies WIP

detail of south-centre of the peninsula:

Egypt:

Spoiler

Province setup:

The Fertile Crescent - Syria, Palestine Iraq and Al-Jazira (Mesopotamia)

Spoiler

detail - provinces setup

West Africa:

Spoiler

detail of provinces:

de jure duchies:

 

[Zobertus]

Happy to see some attention given to the greatest medieval traveller! Marco Polo was nothing compared with Ibn Battutah!

 

[richvh]

Is the area east of the Aral Sea really that desolate, even along the Amu Darya and Syr Darya valleys?

 

[starwarsfan541]

Is the area east of the Aral Sea really that desolate, even along the Amu Darya and Syr Darya valleys?

This is my question as well

 

[Tintiam]

The tiny wastelands in SWMH are the worst part of that mod. A shame you are adding it to your map as well

 

[Isinfier]

Any chance you'll replace Iqta' with a different form of government in the earlier start dates? It wasn't really a common practice until the 10th Century.

That aside, looking great!

 

[cldcrst]

Is the area east of the Aral Sea really that desolate, even along the Amu Darya and Syr Darya valleys?

You can only find people living near the valleys even today.

 

[elvain]

Is the area east of the Aral Sea really that desolate, even along the Amu Darya and Syr Darya valleys?

Pretty much so. The Kara Kum and Kizil Kum are called deserts for some reason.
Almost all maps which try to depict the area propperly keep them empty.

As you could see, the map of that region isn't finnished, but, like I did for SWMH, I will make corridors arounf the rivers and the Aral sea itself, as these were used by armies.
Just like @cldcrst wrote, even the nomads did live mostly around the river valleys.

The tiny wastelands in SWMH are the worst part of that mod. A shame you are adding it to your map as well

That's your opinion, many would disagree. Anyway, if people didn't live there, not even the nomads, and armies didn't march there, there would be nothing to put there, so it would only distort both the reality and the shape of provinces. And the provinces would then look awfull again.

Any chance you'll replace Iqta' with a different form of government in the earlier start dates? It wasn't really a common practice until the 10th Century.

I would like to, some time in future, but that's not going to happen any time soon.

 

[elvain]

so, if you disagree with deserts being deserts, would you be so kind and provide me with some historical sources, which prove that there was something worth notice in the Kara Kum and Kyzyl Kum deserts?

or do me a favour and paint it for me so we could compare what looks more reasonable.
Frankly, I will rather put more provinces into areas which were inhabited and keep deserts empty than to waste provinces for wastelands and then not have enough for inhabited areas

 

[Roguedemon]

so, if you disagree with deserts being deserts, would you be so kind and provide me with some historical sources, which prove that there was something worth notice in the Kara Kum and Kyzyl Kum deserts?

TBH I think most peoples issue with wasteland has less to do with historical reasons and more to do with how it makes the map look. If CK2 had EU4s 'owned' wastelands option, then I imagine a hell of a lot less people would be bothered by wasteland because it wouldn't create these gaping holes in your empire when you entirely surround a wasteland.

 

[richvh]

I was just misremembering the course of the Amu and Syr Darya. Having looked at a map, I see you have a corridor of provinces along the one, and the other seems to be outside the area under consideration.

 

[starwarsfan541]

TBH I think most peoples issue with wasteland has less to do with historical reasons and more to do with how it makes the map look. If CK2 had EU4s 'owned' wastelands option, then I imagine a hell of a lot less people would be bothered by wasteland because it wouldn't create these gaping holes in your empire when you entirely surround a wasteland.

This is my general issue with larger wastelands, they just look really ugly, the EUIV feature is really needed.

 

[Isinfier]

I would like to, some time in future, but that's not going to happen any time soon.

Fair enough. As far as I remember, kharaj would be the appropriate name under the Abbasid Empire up until Iqta' was implemented in the 930s. Whilst it was originally synonymous with jizyah, it ultimately became a levy upon all land without any real heed being paid to the religion of those responsible for cultivating it. Umar II solidified that with his reforms in the early 700s. Funnily enough, jizyah went a long way to converting many Christians and Zoroastrians in the region.

Anything before that would be split between ushr, zakat and jizyah. Disagreements over zakat would make for interesting, event-spawned rebellions.

Anyhow, I'm getting off topic. xD

 

[elvain]

TBH I think most peoples issue with wasteland has less to do with historical reasons and more to do with how it makes the map look. If CK2 had EU4s 'owned' wastelands option, then I imagine a hell of a lot less people would be bothered by wasteland because it wouldn't create these gaping holes in your empire when you entirely surround a wasteland.

This is my general issue with larger wastelands, they just look really ugly, the EUIV feature is really needed.

That explains everything and that can actually be understandable. And frankly, I would welcome it too.
OTOH I still find it these wastelands less of a hassle than having borders being painted in the middle of nowhere and causing provinces stretch dozens or hundreds of kilometers far into wasteland causing them to doubble or tripple their size.

Syrian desert is no-go, as well as the deserts around the Aral lake. I can, however talk and try something about Dasht-e-Kevir, and perhaps also Dasht-e-Lut.

I was just misremembering the course of the Amu and Syr Darya. Having looked at a map, I see you have a corridor of provinces along the one, and the other seems to be outside the area under consideration.

No problem. Anyway, it isn't your fault, I just haven't finnished that pert of the sketch. The mod is planned to stretch all the way to the Altay mountains.

Fair enough. As far as I remember, kharaj would be the appropriate name under the Abbasid Empire up until Iqta' was implemented in the 930s. Whilst it was originally synonymous with jizyah, it ultimately became a levy upon all land without any real heed being paid to the religion of those responsible for cultivating it. Umar II solidified that with his reforms in the early 700s. Funnily enough, jizyah went a long way to converting many Christians and Zoroastrians in the region.

Anything before that would be split between ushr, zakat and jizyah. Disagreements over zakat would make for interesting, event-spawned rebellions.

Anyhow, I'm getting off topic. xD

I would like to edit the whole system of muslim military system once. But you know, that is little far from a map mod.

 

[Keizer Harm]

I don't mind larger wastelands. But wastelands the size of a single province, the same size and shape as the counties around it, they look very bad; you have made this proud sultanate covering half of Persia, but it always looks like the Teutonic Order (or aliens) still hold on to two provinces in the middle of your realm, and there's nothing you can do about it.
Perhaps make them small impassible sections, like mountain ranges but one province long? As long as they don't look like a regular province that you somehow haven't captured yet, it's fine with me.

 

[JGBeagle]

As long as you don't have single provinces in the middle of the wastelands I'm fine with it.

 

[elvain]

Perhaps make them small impassible sections, like mountain ranges but one province long? As long as they don't look like a regular province that you somehow haven't captured yet, it's fine with me.

With the part before this I can only agree.
And so I do also with this part, except for the specifics of each province in its location. For instance Dasht-e-Kevir in SWMH wouldn't be a problem in its old times when nobldy really cared about province count. But in this mod I might - in the end - be forced to nerge Yazd and Mafaza provinces into one and in that case of reducing tbe desert into impassable line Yazd would have to stretch way too far north... so it all depends on what will be possible regarding province count.

Even in the current setup I still have some 5-6 provinces more than I need and something will have to be removed in order to add Fezzan-Kanem-Hausaland corridor.

I can either take them from my ideal setup of Iran and CentralAsia, lr somewhere in Europe (the possibilities of Africa and the Near East are already employed.

As long as you don't have single provinces in the middle of the wastelands I'm fine with it.

well, there will actually be one. Taghaza, whose closest settlements were week of a ride without water sources (to Arawan) and then another 2 weeks (to Timbuktu or Walat or Sijilmasa). But I hope this one is forgiveable.

 

[elvain]

here are some first screenshots:
Syria-Palestine and Mesopotamia:

Egypt and northwest Arabia:

and central part of Arabia:

 

[omega20056]

Amazing work.