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Whooa! That was really great read. Interesting that Poland still keeps it`s Piast borders - with Polabian Slavs more or less alive, I can`t wait for further development 
. Maybe with more west-focused Poland, it can avoid being foe-to-the-death status with Russia? Not sure if it`s result of CK, or your AH godly intervention, but this alternative Europe is damn interesting (and non cliche ). I can`t help but wonder, how it`ll look in XX century, just please - don`t make Russia communist again.
Also, great improvement in GFX department.
PS
Branibór sounds much better than Brandenburg.
. Maybe with more west-focused Poland, it can avoid being foe-to-the-death status with Russia? Not sure if it`s result of CK, or your AH godly intervention, but this alternative Europe is damn interesting (and non cliche ). I can`t help but wonder, how it`ll look in XX century, just please - don`t make Russia communist again. Also, great improvement in GFX department.
PS
Branibór sounds much better than Brandenburg.
Last edited:
Finally you moved on to what I anticipated the most, the HRE.
Seems very well thought of and believable, although I feel bad for the Danes, being under Swedish rule et all
Hopefully a new Valdemar Atterdag will emerge in the future.
Also I have to echo tm here. Great progress on the GFX!
Seems very well thought of and believable, although I feel bad for the Danes, being under Swedish rule et all
Hopefully a new Valdemar Atterdag will emerge in the future.
Also I have to echo tm here. Great progress on the GFX!
Great update. Deliciously succinct and informative. I'm looking forward to seeing these various powers in action. I trust the modding proceeds with pace?
Oh no... now I want to buy CK. As if I didn't spend enough time on EUIII already. Damn you and your brilliant AAR!
Enewald: I am as impatient as you are. Soon.
asd21593: Thank you. There's five or six left to go at most.
thrashing mad:
- Piast western borders are a CK result (strong Poland, weak Germany), but if the eastern border (i.e with Volhyn and Lithuania) looks like the USSR, that's largely me playing in the 1180s. I stopped where orthodox and pagan provinces stopped.
- I planned to let Russia go communist for convergent storytelling reasons but I have some new ideas about it now. But it's a long way away.
- Branibór does sound better than Brandenburg. As do Drežďan, Lipsk and Wrocław. But the Danzig is cooler in German.
- Nice to see you again, and the graphics comment means a lot coming from you.
Milites: Haha, Sweden-hate.
Yeah, they were third-fiddle in the Baltic (after Novgorod and Norway) all through CK and then emerged as somewhat of a powerhouse. Poor Denmark never got a break, though, and threatening to rob Visby won't help much at this point.
And as I told TM, compliments on graphics from you is very encouraging. It isn't my strongest point. Actually, I don't know what that would be anyway.
ComradeOm: I hope my setup will allow at least the European powers to stick around and not get eaten by blob-monsters. I might have to mess with hard_ai a little.
Salik: CK is fun. It's not as serious or plausible as HoI/EU, but I and everyone else seem to love the crazy personality-related shenanigans even if historical plausibility is busy setting itself on fire all around you.
---------
Update status:
1. A Turk-centered focus update will be upcoming in part I when I remember to do it.
2. Part I is now a proud winner of the SilvAAR Goblet. phargle was too awesome, as expected.
3. I remember I told you all that the map-mod will be saved for future versions. Well, I lied. I basically learned how to do it and yeah...that's what I've been doing the last three days.
My map isn't very pretty, and it doesn't cover the whole world. What it does do is:
1. Allow you to go the Mangazeya route if you play as Novgorod (or one of the Nordic countries, or maybe Lithuania), and bypass the Steppes if you want to colonise Siberia that way. The rest of Novgorod's lands now make sense. And you can actually form a good-looking Kazan Khanate in historic borders. And the silly Kama Reservoir is gone!
2. Make the Levant and Iraq worthwhile! There's lots of good provinces there now and Muslim/Eastern Orthodox/ex-Mongol powers are now actually fun to play without the need to expand ahistorically. Iran got some love too, and Arabia a little.
3. The Caspian is now navigable and has 4 sea zones. Ciscaspian areas have gotten some love, and North Caucasus and Central Asia are my particular pets. I nearly gave the map all ten of the historical North Caucasus provinces, but then thought better of it. Still, the Caucasus is now a major area that's tough to take and can support a fairly strong kingdom (Georgia, Black Sheep, Azeri Mongols...whoever manages to grab five provinces in the centre) without going outside historical borders.
4. Russia's potential colonization areas now make sense. Alaska and Chukotka are almost as close as they are in real life (no more ten-sea-zone crossings, thank you!). The Far Eastern Siberia has only a few provinces, but the Urals and Central Siberian Plateau have been given more provinces, based on cities that later rose to prominence historically. The Amur border has a few more provinces too, in case you want to play with China a little but still need to sometimes scorch some earth.
5. Africa's Sahara desert is now not a dead zone, but a dangerous sea with possible shipping lanes. Kanem links to Tripoli and to Darfur, and to Timbuktu. Touaregs drive their salt caravans onward, camels grunt and keep going. If you're Morocco, the Mamluks, or maybe later-era Carthage, you will appreciate these. Egypt and East Africa got a slight re-working too. The Nile's importance is reflected on the map. Rejoice!
6. Minor alterations and additions have been done to Italy, Britain, Java, Tunisia, Poland and the Balkans too, mostly for gameplay reasons, and to reduce Cornwall to its proper size. Hawaii now has several islands and a country for hands-off games. To make some space for these, North America got a little trim and a lot of provinces that weren't really colonized by 1840 were cut. I haven't touched South America or India as my knowledge is really lacking there.
-------
What else does this map do? Crash a lot, that's what. So right now my priority is to get is somewhat stable...at least stable enough to allow me to start a game. I'm making enormous progress in modding skills (years too late, but nonetheless...) so it will eventually get done.
After that, in order of near-completeness:
- hard_ai scripts
- Judaism! Parsis! Yezidis! Nestorians! Really happening this time!
- Major "decisions", largely for union events
- Religious minorities mini-mod
- Re-working the early colonization events (different major powers in this universe)
The final piece of news is that ubik has kindly agreed to let me use MMP for this mod, and will host it on the MMP forums for download. Without the example of the MMP folks, I doubt I'd have even attempted all this, so I'm really stoked.
As a caveat, however - since I've actually done so much work on this on the MMP engine, I will not be updating the mod to MMP2 if there are substantial differences...even if it's better and comes out before mine does. It really is a lot of effort.
Well, that's my report, and thank you all for your patience.
Cheers.
asd21593: Thank you. There's five or six left to go at most.
thrashing mad:
- Piast western borders are a CK result (strong Poland, weak Germany), but if the eastern border (i.e with Volhyn and Lithuania) looks like the USSR, that's largely me playing in the 1180s. I stopped where orthodox and pagan provinces stopped.
- I planned to let Russia go communist for convergent storytelling reasons but I have some new ideas about it now. But it's a long way away.
- Branibór does sound better than Brandenburg. As do Drežďan, Lipsk and Wrocław. But the Danzig is cooler in German.
- Nice to see you again, and the graphics comment means a lot coming from you.
Milites: Haha, Sweden-hate.
Yeah, they were third-fiddle in the Baltic (after Novgorod and Norway) all through CK and then emerged as somewhat of a powerhouse. Poor Denmark never got a break, though, and threatening to rob Visby won't help much at this point.
And as I told TM, compliments on graphics from you is very encouraging. It isn't my strongest point. Actually, I don't know what that would be anyway.
ComradeOm: I hope my setup will allow at least the European powers to stick around and not get eaten by blob-monsters. I might have to mess with hard_ai a little.
Salik: CK is fun. It's not as serious or plausible as HoI/EU, but I and everyone else seem to love the crazy personality-related shenanigans even if historical plausibility is busy setting itself on fire all around you.
---------
Update status:
1. A Turk-centered focus update will be upcoming in part I when I remember to do it.
2. Part I is now a proud winner of the SilvAAR Goblet. phargle was too awesome, as expected.
3. I remember I told you all that the map-mod will be saved for future versions. Well, I lied. I basically learned how to do it and yeah...that's what I've been doing the last three days.
My map isn't very pretty, and it doesn't cover the whole world. What it does do is:
1. Allow you to go the Mangazeya route if you play as Novgorod (or one of the Nordic countries, or maybe Lithuania), and bypass the Steppes if you want to colonise Siberia that way. The rest of Novgorod's lands now make sense. And you can actually form a good-looking Kazan Khanate in historic borders. And the silly Kama Reservoir is gone!
2. Make the Levant and Iraq worthwhile! There's lots of good provinces there now and Muslim/Eastern Orthodox/ex-Mongol powers are now actually fun to play without the need to expand ahistorically. Iran got some love too, and Arabia a little.
3. The Caspian is now navigable and has 4 sea zones. Ciscaspian areas have gotten some love, and North Caucasus and Central Asia are my particular pets. I nearly gave the map all ten of the historical North Caucasus provinces, but then thought better of it. Still, the Caucasus is now a major area that's tough to take and can support a fairly strong kingdom (Georgia, Black Sheep, Azeri Mongols...whoever manages to grab five provinces in the centre) without going outside historical borders.
4. Russia's potential colonization areas now make sense. Alaska and Chukotka are almost as close as they are in real life (no more ten-sea-zone crossings, thank you!). The Far Eastern Siberia has only a few provinces, but the Urals and Central Siberian Plateau have been given more provinces, based on cities that later rose to prominence historically. The Amur border has a few more provinces too, in case you want to play with China a little but still need to sometimes scorch some earth.
5. Africa's Sahara desert is now not a dead zone, but a dangerous sea with possible shipping lanes. Kanem links to Tripoli and to Darfur, and to Timbuktu. Touaregs drive their salt caravans onward, camels grunt and keep going. If you're Morocco, the Mamluks, or maybe later-era Carthage, you will appreciate these. Egypt and East Africa got a slight re-working too. The Nile's importance is reflected on the map. Rejoice!
6. Minor alterations and additions have been done to Italy, Britain, Java, Tunisia, Poland and the Balkans too, mostly for gameplay reasons, and to reduce Cornwall to its proper size. Hawaii now has several islands and a country for hands-off games. To make some space for these, North America got a little trim and a lot of provinces that weren't really colonized by 1840 were cut. I haven't touched South America or India as my knowledge is really lacking there.
-------
What else does this map do? Crash a lot, that's what. So right now my priority is to get is somewhat stable...at least stable enough to allow me to start a game. I'm making enormous progress in modding skills (years too late, but nonetheless...) so it will eventually get done.
After that, in order of near-completeness:
- hard_ai scripts
- Judaism! Parsis! Yezidis! Nestorians! Really happening this time!
- Major "decisions", largely for union events
- Religious minorities mini-mod
- Re-working the early colonization events (different major powers in this universe)
The final piece of news is that ubik has kindly agreed to let me use MMP for this mod, and will host it on the MMP forums for download. Without the example of the MMP folks, I doubt I'd have even attempted all this, so I'm really stoked.
As a caveat, however - since I've actually done so much work on this on the MMP engine, I will not be updating the mod to MMP2 if there are substantial differences...even if it's better and comes out before mine does. It really is a lot of effort.
Well, that's my report, and thank you all for your patience.
Cheers.
A progress report, hurray! I assume you'll be releasing the map when finished? I look forward to trying it out
I'm not even going to ask for a release estimate but have you revised your goals at all in the past year? (!) That is, have you scaled back on some of the more ambitious aspects?
I'm not even going to ask for a release estimate but have you revised your goals at all in the past year? (!) That is, have you scaled back on some of the more ambitious aspects?
You're making a new map to go with it? :O
I'm really impressed, and now I'm having more trouble waiting for the release than ever!
I just can't figure out what nation I want to play first!
I'm really impressed, and now I'm having more trouble waiting for the release than ever!
I just can't figure out what nation I want to play first!
ComradeOm: Map - it's finished. I'd love to tweak Germany and Indonesia some more (even more?), but to be honest, maybe that's for a later release version...like for MMP2.2 or something. In a year.
As for revising my goals: appetite grows with success, but I'm going to focus on decoupling certain things that MMP does to produce historical results since the results I want and forsee are slightly different. Everything else comes after.
KlavoHunter: I set up a bookmark with some majors that I personally find interesting and which I worked on myself. But yes, there's lots of good ones to try, hopefully.
jmberry: well, it's a little-known part of Russian history. Mangazeya seaway.
It gives Novgorod something to do other than conquering Sweden.
VILenin: thank you. When stuff works, modding is fun, actually.
--------
So, status report:
1. Part I and Part II updates are kinda written but I'm feeling a little lazy so...um.
2. The map is finished, the only work left is cosmetic - on elevations. It works, it doesn't crash, it looks good. All in all the setup is done, countries and all.
3. Four new religions were added: Nestorian (i.e. Mongol) Christianity, Judaism (in Astrakhan), Yezidi and Zoroastrians (one-province specials, mostly as Easter Eggs for people who want to do ahistoric things without changing the setup). In addition, two new groups (Iranian and Judaic) and keeping with MMP standards, the Syncretic versions of both.
The events that make all this work are being worked on.
4. I've laid out a plan for all the decisions I need to create; most of these will be country-specific. No real work has been done on it, however, and much less on localizations.
But yes, I've got a working new map, and some new religions. And now, back to work.
As for revising my goals: appetite grows with success, but I'm going to focus on decoupling certain things that MMP does to produce historical results since the results I want and forsee are slightly different. Everything else comes after.
KlavoHunter: I set up a bookmark with some majors that I personally find interesting and which I worked on myself. But yes, there's lots of good ones to try, hopefully.
jmberry: well, it's a little-known part of Russian history. Mangazeya seaway.
It gives Novgorod something to do other than conquering Sweden.
VILenin: thank you. When stuff works, modding is fun, actually.
--------
So, status report:
1. Part I and Part II updates are kinda written but I'm feeling a little lazy so...um.
2. The map is finished, the only work left is cosmetic - on elevations. It works, it doesn't crash, it looks good. All in all the setup is done, countries and all.
3. Four new religions were added: Nestorian (i.e. Mongol) Christianity, Judaism (in Astrakhan), Yezidi and Zoroastrians (one-province specials, mostly as Easter Eggs for people who want to do ahistoric things without changing the setup). In addition, two new groups (Iranian and Judaic) and keeping with MMP standards, the Syncretic versions of both.
The events that make all this work are being worked on.
4. I've laid out a plan for all the decisions I need to create; most of these will be country-specific. No real work has been done on it, however, and much less on localizations.
But yes, I've got a working new map, and some new religions. And now, back to work.
Last edited:
Those changes sound really cool. Speaking for myself, I'd know I'd love to play as a Nestorian or Zoroastrian country and try and convert the rest of Asia.
I can't wait to see your HOI campaign.
Hopefully it will be very strange and ahistorical.
Right....?
Hopefully it will be very strange and ahistorical.
Right....?
That looks really good, the Caspian sea tends to be overlooked as simply a big fishing lake, but given its size and strategic location it must have had a lot of merchant activity and some naval action as well I imagine.
Eagerly awaiting the new updates, and it looks like your mod would be interesting to play
Hi.
Update is up. It's a little different from the normal. Tell me what you think.
---------------
VILenin - There's plenty of opportunities for Nestorians, but with Zoroastians, Jews, Druze and Yazidis, you have to change religion of your country by moving the capital and following the regular IN/MMP decisions. Still, it's possible.
Athomahawk - It's far too early to tell, is all I can say. And I imagine I will lean a lot about modding HoI before that happens.
aldriq - there were numerous Cossack raids on Persia, Peter I's Persian campaigns, the Russian founding of Krasnovodsk as an outpost in Central Asia, all within the time period. There was also an Ottoman attempt at getting control over the Caspian by seizing Astrakhan and building a Volga-Don canal (to link Black and Caspian seas)...which narrowly failed. And naturally, the Frederick and the Orel, Russia's first Dutch-style ships were both constructed for the Caspian. And Russia still maintains a small Caspian flotilla.
So there's enough naval adventuring associated with it, for this to be a worthwhile inclusion.
Pirate Z - thank you, I hope it will be. And the update is NOW.
Update is up. It's a little different from the normal. Tell me what you think.
---------------
VILenin - There's plenty of opportunities for Nestorians, but with Zoroastians, Jews, Druze and Yazidis, you have to change religion of your country by moving the capital and following the regular IN/MMP decisions. Still, it's possible.
Athomahawk - It's far too early to tell, is all I can say. And I imagine I will lean a lot about modding HoI before that happens.
aldriq - there were numerous Cossack raids on Persia, Peter I's Persian campaigns, the Russian founding of Krasnovodsk as an outpost in Central Asia, all within the time period. There was also an Ottoman attempt at getting control over the Caspian by seizing Astrakhan and building a Volga-Don canal (to link Black and Caspian seas)...which narrowly failed. And naturally, the Frederick and the Orel, Russia's first Dutch-style ships were both constructed for the Caspian. And Russia still maintains a small Caspian flotilla.
So there's enough naval adventuring associated with it, for this to be a worthwhile inclusion.
Pirate Z - thank you, I hope it will be. And the update is NOW.
The World in 1393 and How it Got There
Straddling Two Worlds
My home town is a lot like this one
Stone upon stone, ancient beyond reckoning
Life upon life, piled high, lost to memory
But we do not pause at sun-bleached Rafah
The caravan rides by
And the town is too proud to ask it to stop
Do I still remember a time
When I watched caravans pass in the distance?
***
My mother said: son, do not go to the desert
In the desert there are the Bedouins
They will rob your caravan,
They will steal your soul;
My mother said: son, you do not need to go;
The desert comes to us itself
Unbidden; well then, so I write a poem
Unwelcome; well then, so my future is a desert.
***
Lacking alternatives, Zeno guards the caravan
His mother was of the saqlaba (1), his father a devil
But they named him after a king (2).
His hands are greedy and his eyes impudent
He has a Turkish helmet and a Turkish saadak (3)
We have too many like him in Egypt
Though his hair is like straw
And they are sly-eyed men of the Steppes (4)
***
Ormuz is where my camel bears me.
Ormuz, they say, is fabulously rich:
Each man is a merchant, and every merchant owns a lucky dhow
Ormuz, they say, is infamously corrupt
The Muslims keep boys, and the Christians are worse
The Sabians (5) are worst of all: they think
The world is ruled by devils, and call it wisdom.
But Ormuz leads to India, of pepper and of gold.
***
Behind his greying beard, Musa hides a thousand stories
He knows a thousand people;
Everyone is his friend at the souq (6) in Aden
He has led a thousand caravans
His tyranny over the drovers is worthy of a Sultan
Musa worships in private;
Just don’t call me a Greek like Zeno, he says
Musa tells his stories sometimes; every one a lie.
***
The wadi (7) is dry, the land is desolate
From dark waters (8), as always, does the sun rise
With some effort I recognize her abode again
So here I stand, twenty years later.
I notice the three stones blackened by cooking fires
But the encampment stands empty, so
Good morning, memory, I say;
May you always be safe from dangers.
***
***
Zeno points to the north; that way, he says
Is golden Jerusalem, temples and kings
A thousand times, in a thousand tongues
Holy, holy, holy.
There he fell on his knees, he confesses
His young soul singing out, Panagia Theotokos! (9).
I have been to Jerusalem but my soul is here
Cities break up and the earth is dust
***
Musa says: the Firanj (10) in Alexandria worry
They fret; ships come only to trade.
Across the seas, they care not for Alexandria;
The Firanj princes court the people of Khemi (11)
They suddenly learned how to be polite;
Your folk shall do well in the future.
I shrug; I have never been to Alexandria
The Firanj are there; there is no homeland.
***
River (12) and Desert lay alongside each other
Longer than anyone can say
Why then, does the Desert spill over now
Leaving sand on both banks?
The archer horsemen and the men of striped cloth (13)
They come and claim our spaces. Remember us now!
Stubbornly, we cling on
In towns of sandstone and brick; we pray.
***
Beyond the Hijaz and Meccah is Jiddah,
Its harbour-masters claim to be Caliphs;
Beyond Jiddah is Yemen; everyone has a price there.
East of Yemen is Muscat; nobody
Is pure enough for Omani Imams.
Across the Najd is Bahrayn (14);
The pearl-divers make the petty lords rich.
Outside Aqaba, we ponder our journey.
***
They say: since you write like an Arab,
Write us a verse about wine.
In Masr (15) they sing of wine all the time,
It is a great and glorious transgression.
My wine used to come in earthenware jugs
After supper, near dusk; dry and acid
Sweeter than memory. I ride in a caravan.
Singing of wine would take me back to Khemi.
***
When I am sick of cities, I sing of my camel
When grief besets me, I ride off at once
On my swift, lean-bodied friend;
Sick of sadness, I sing her feet, nimble and sure
Her shining flanks like a castle wall.
We race along the blinding path
Me, the camel, and hope, a beast with three souls
Together, we are at home in this space.
------------------------------
Straddling Two Worlds
My home town is a lot like this one
Stone upon stone, ancient beyond reckoning
Life upon life, piled high, lost to memory
But we do not pause at sun-bleached Rafah
The caravan rides by
And the town is too proud to ask it to stop
Do I still remember a time
When I watched caravans pass in the distance?
***
My mother said: son, do not go to the desert
In the desert there are the Bedouins
They will rob your caravan,
They will steal your soul;
My mother said: son, you do not need to go;
The desert comes to us itself
Unbidden; well then, so I write a poem
Unwelcome; well then, so my future is a desert.
***
Lacking alternatives, Zeno guards the caravan
His mother was of the saqlaba (1), his father a devil
But they named him after a king (2).
His hands are greedy and his eyes impudent
He has a Turkish helmet and a Turkish saadak (3)
We have too many like him in Egypt
Though his hair is like straw
And they are sly-eyed men of the Steppes (4)
***
Ormuz is where my camel bears me.
Ormuz, they say, is fabulously rich:
Each man is a merchant, and every merchant owns a lucky dhow
Ormuz, they say, is infamously corrupt
The Muslims keep boys, and the Christians are worse
The Sabians (5) are worst of all: they think
The world is ruled by devils, and call it wisdom.
But Ormuz leads to India, of pepper and of gold.
***
Behind his greying beard, Musa hides a thousand stories
He knows a thousand people;
Everyone is his friend at the souq (6) in Aden
He has led a thousand caravans
His tyranny over the drovers is worthy of a Sultan
Musa worships in private;
Just don’t call me a Greek like Zeno, he says
Musa tells his stories sometimes; every one a lie.
***
The wadi (7) is dry, the land is desolate
From dark waters (8), as always, does the sun rise
With some effort I recognize her abode again
So here I stand, twenty years later.
I notice the three stones blackened by cooking fires
But the encampment stands empty, so
Good morning, memory, I say;
May you always be safe from dangers.
***
***
Zeno points to the north; that way, he says
Is golden Jerusalem, temples and kings
A thousand times, in a thousand tongues
Holy, holy, holy.
There he fell on his knees, he confesses
His young soul singing out, Panagia Theotokos! (9).
I have been to Jerusalem but my soul is here
Cities break up and the earth is dust
***
Musa says: the Firanj (10) in Alexandria worry
They fret; ships come only to trade.
Across the seas, they care not for Alexandria;
The Firanj princes court the people of Khemi (11)
They suddenly learned how to be polite;
Your folk shall do well in the future.
I shrug; I have never been to Alexandria
The Firanj are there; there is no homeland.
***
River (12) and Desert lay alongside each other
Longer than anyone can say
Why then, does the Desert spill over now
Leaving sand on both banks?
The archer horsemen and the men of striped cloth (13)
They come and claim our spaces. Remember us now!
Stubbornly, we cling on
In towns of sandstone and brick; we pray.
***
Beyond the Hijaz and Meccah is Jiddah,
Its harbour-masters claim to be Caliphs;
Beyond Jiddah is Yemen; everyone has a price there.
East of Yemen is Muscat; nobody
Is pure enough for Omani Imams.
Across the Najd is Bahrayn (14);
The pearl-divers make the petty lords rich.
Outside Aqaba, we ponder our journey.
***
They say: since you write like an Arab,
Write us a verse about wine.
In Masr (15) they sing of wine all the time,
It is a great and glorious transgression.
My wine used to come in earthenware jugs
After supper, near dusk; dry and acid
Sweeter than memory. I ride in a caravan.
Singing of wine would take me back to Khemi.
***
When I am sick of cities, I sing of my camel
When grief besets me, I ride off at once
On my swift, lean-bodied friend;
Sick of sadness, I sing her feet, nimble and sure
Her shining flanks like a castle wall.
We race along the blinding path
Me, the camel, and hope, a beast with three souls
Together, we are at home in this space.
------------------------------
Footnotes:
(1) saqlaba - literally "Slavs", Arabic designation generally reserved for Eastern Europeans, like those that arrived with Byzantine armies in the 12th century.
(2) Zeno Monomachos, son of Viatzeslavos. Ruled 1330-1357.
(3) saadak - Turcic term for a set of bowcase, quiver, bow and arrows, more easily translated as "horse archer kit". Essential equipment in Turcic and Mongol armies and among Russo-Byzantine mercenaries, 13th-17th c.
(4) The poet refers to the Mamluks, who were largely of Mongol or Turcic descent and ruled Egypt following the death of Ahmed Bahadur.
(5) The Sabians are listed as one of the "peoples of the book", although the precise identity of "Sabians" hasn't been firmly established. This term was used to describe many religions with Gnostic leanings, whether of Iranian or Christian origins. The Mandaeans, an Iraqi group that gained control of Ormuz in the mind-1200s, are being alluded to here.
(6) Market
(7) Valley of a seasonal river, only flowing during rain season.
(8) Clearly an attempt at an archaic image; infrequently found in Christian Egypt and never in Egyptian Arab literature. Combined with the dry wadi, the phrase can be taken to mean a dashing of hope.
(9) All-Holy Mother of God (in Greek); the caravan guard is a Byzantine Orthodox Christian.
(10) firanj: Literally, the Franks. This refers to any Western European Christians, and Crusaders in particular, as opposed to saqlaba (Slavs) and rumi (Greeks). The Firanj in Alexandria are a Swabian dynasty headed by Duke Heinrich.
(11) Coptic name for "Egypt"; the poet uses this in both a nostalgic and a political sense.
(12) The Nile, seen as heart and defining feature of Egypt.
(13) The Bedouins' traditional dress; he refers to the Baggara, Banu Kanz, Banu Khalil and other Bedouin tribes that have settled on the fringes of Egypt during the centuries of Muslim dominance.
(14) Bahrayn - literally, "both seas". Refers to the areas along the Persian Gulf, and includes, besides the island of Bahrain, also Qatar, Kuwait, al-Haasa, Damman and Qatif.
(15) Masr - literally, Egypt (Egyptian Arabic). This is also a colloquial reference to Cairo, the centre of Muslim Egypt and Mamluk power. The poet uses this in contrast with Khemi, his idealized Coptic homeland.
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And there's something you can do that I can never dare come close to matching. Bravo! And interesting to see Ethiopia acknowledged as an Empire (they claimed to be such, but were they ever actually acknowledged as such by Western mapmakers?)
I must admit that that is some poem! I wouldn't dare do something like that. You and canonized are the only ones that I would ever see do that.
Jerusalem seems pretty well off
Jerusalem seems pretty well off