Istanbul

= Istanbul =

Istanbul (Arabic: اسطنبول) is the capital of the Islamic Sultanate of Istanbul and Samarra, located in the +,+ quadrant. An old, historical city, it is one of the Augusta Basin cities, located at the Oasis of the +,+ Large Desert alongside Mount Augusta, although Istanbul pre-dates it by far.

The city was built on the summit of a large mountain called Mount Istanbul sometime in early June 2013. One of the first structures to have been erected was the famous Maqam Bayati Fountain (Today Independence Fountain, built by the group of founders including Skeps100, MadCow457 FigherSpirit and King_Devleti.

The city is divided into different districts:


 * - Bab al-Takhzeen (باب التخزين), &quot;Gate of the Treasury&quot;: the industrial district
 * - Bab al-Qadim (باب القديم), &quot;Old Gate&quot;: the old quarter
 * - Bab al-Jadidah (باب الجديده), &quot;New Gate&quot;: residential district
 * - Dar el-Beida (دار البيضاء), &quot;The House of White&quot;: the seafront district
 * - Downtown (وسط البلد), &quot;Wassat al-Biled&quot;: the downtown area surrounding Independence Plaza
 * - Administrative Neighborhood (حي الإداري), &quot;Hay al-Idari&quot;: The administrative district

= History =

Early History
Main Article: Islamic Sultanate of Istanbul#History

Founded sometime in early June 2013 by player Skeps100 and his entourage, the town, a monarchy, underwent rapid period of construction as an influx of Turko-Semitic cultured workers from around the server conglomerated and pillaged the deserts to the East to build the primarily sandstone city. Skeps100 created the Skepsian-Ottoman Caliphate, and guided the Empire during its early peak days.

There is a debate on whether or not the Skepsian culture was related to the proto-Grundeswegian culture. Some claim the first Skepsians brought along Skepsian culture with them, possibly believed itself to have been the result of very early population migrations from the Auroran-Kappi archipelago. This would place Skeps100's original culture as a distant relative of Kappian, related to Soapbucket's Voucher culture. Others have claimed the Skepsian culture was a part of the old (+,+) culture group, closely related to the Planktonite culture. Archaeological digs North-West of Kataristan have uncovered signs and books showing that Skeps100's entourage were not the first players in the region, and that instead the Planktonites might have been related to these Pre-Istanbulite-Kattar peoples.

Preserved records from the early Skepsian Caliphate indicate that it encountered numerous small hamlets and city-states in the area during the course of its gradual expansion. The first diplomatic contact happened between Istanbul and the newly founded Kingdom of Petrania, who became close allies very quickly. Many other small towns, such as Carthage, Plankton, and many other small unnamed population centers were discovered by the Skepsians, and most of them swore fealty to the Istanbulites, especially after the first Bloodcrew raids. At the peak of their rule, the Skepsian Caliphate controlled a significant amount of the Augustan basin.

Beginning in mid-June, the Skepsian Caliphate witnessed much conflict as it entered into conflict with the Bloodcrew hordes migrating into the region from the West. Istanbul itself was a frequent target of raids by the Bloodcrew hordes.

After the arrival of the hordes in the region (from their possible homeland near Kappi), the Skepsian Caliphate clashed with the pagan PvP worshippers and entered into frequent conflict with the hordes, allying with the Petranian kingdom to the south to fend off the attacks. However, over the course of a few weeks, the farthest territories of the Caliphate (including Carthage and the hamlet of what would one day become Griffin) fell to the Bloodcrew and Istanbul itself started to come under siege and suffer raids. By early July, the territory of the Skepsian Caliphate had been eroded around Istanbul and Kataristan, and most architects that had helped Istanbul prosper fled North-East to Aurora.

On the 13th of July 2013, the city suffered a devastating raid by the bloodcrew and was left covered in lava. As a result, many of the founding members and members of the government quit or left, including Skeps100 who was forced into hiding. It was during this time that almost all of the city population left and the town became abandoned.

Grundeswegian Annexation
Grundeswald (later the HKE) had secured control over the city through their Skepsian Caliphate claims. The original lava pyramids that had blanketed the city were cleared, but Istanbul itself was left untouched and in a state of ruin. Neighboring Kattaristan was a destination for many Grundesweigan pilgrims, and as such the area remained lightly-visited.

During this time there were some attempts to rebuild the city that were quickly shut down by both the original Caliphs and Grundeswald.

Declaration and War of Independence
By early August 2014, player GTAIVisbest, who had held a government position in the Skepsian Caliphate had settled in Mt. Augusta to the south. GTAIVisbest launched an independence war against the Grundeswegian Federation to reclaim the city and land around it. The War of Independence (Arabic: حرب الاستقلال), fought only for one day, pitted the Armed Forces of the HKE versus the Free Istanbul Army, heavily sponsored and reinforced by the Danzilonan Security Force. The tense stand-off ended shortly afterwards with no casualties or bloodshed. Independence day is celebrated in Istanbul on the 17th of August. Many consider the victory of the Istanbulite Independence War to be the primary cause of the following Grundeswegian power vacuum¸

Dawla al-Istanbul
Immediately following the independence of Istanbul, a provisional government was set up, with GTAIVisbest as leader. A large influx of temporary aid-workers from Mt. Augusta flooded the city and started to help clear grief and remove destroyed buildings from the city center and surrounding areas.

Islamic Sultanate of Istanbul
In the days following the independence, the government was slowly reshuffled and GTAIVisbest crowned himself Sultan of the Islamic state as the aid workers slowly returned home. A large construction boom erupted, sponsored by the wealthy Sultan, and entire neighborhoods were redone, notably the Bab al-Qadim that was renovated into a bustling, crowded and Islamic-themed marketplace complete with a mosque and apartment buildings. The four main areas of the city were divided into four neighborhoods. Politically, the Sultanate allied strongly with Mt. Augusta to its south, and the Danzilonan Federation to its East. On the 22nd of September, construction and development started on the Northern coastal area of the Sultanate, spearheaded by players Salloogy and chess_gets_girls. The new neighborhood was named Dar el-Beida (دار البيضاء), meaning &quot;The white houses&quot;, an allusion to the shimmering water creating a bloom effect on the seaside houses in the area.

Near the end of September, construction began on the Masjid el-Bouzzazi, a large Seljuk-era mosque expected to become the largest mosque on the server and one of the Civcraft wonders.

Creation of the Islamic Sultanate of Istanbul and Samarra
By early October, SKNDR and GTAIVisbest, having completed the Masjid el-Bouzzazi, founded a new city, the city of Samarra and created the Islamic Sultanate of Istanbul and Samarra, expanding northwards and controlling the two cities of Istanbul and Samarra, with Istanbul as its capital.

= Economy =

Early Dawla al-Istanbul
Early on in the city's history, it relied heavily on tourism and aid packages from the Danzilonan Federation and lacked the infrastructure to properly exploit the deserts surrounding the city.

Economic Reform
Brought on by local entrepreneur Soccer37222, an economic and agricultural reform was implemented in the city. Infrastructure was set up to process raw sand from the northern Great Desert and farms were established for wheat production. Currently, the city now boasts a large GDP-population ratio due to the active residents of the town producing large amounts of wealth.

XP Production
Around late December 2014, GTAIVisbest and Soccer37222 launched a campaign to begin producing XP in Istanbul, named the Internal Production Initiative. Many XP producing facilities were set up, notably in the Great Desert, such as a spider grinder and a cactus farm. However, the Internal Production Initiative eventually failed due to poor planning and a lack of funding.

= Residents =


 * 1) GTAIVisbest, Sultan of the Islamic Sultanate of Istanbul and Samarra.
 * 2) HavanaNights
 * 3) Soccer37222
 * 4) Illuminauti
 * 5) ShiningFace
 * 6) Weltinator
 * 7) ComradeTaco
 * 8) Sir_Lapis
 * 9) Zachabo53
 * 10) Ilyv