Islamic Sultanate of Istanbul and Samarra: Difference between revisions

m
m (1 revision imported)
m (Text replacement - "Category:Civilization" to "Category:Civilizations")
 
(13 intermediate revisions by 3 users not shown)
Line 1:
{{Infobox civilization|image=ISISFLAG.png|name=The Islamic Sultanate of Istanbul and Samarra|subheader=سلطنة الدولة الإسلامية في اسطنبول وسامراء|caption=Flag of the Sultanate|image2=ISISMAP.jpg|caption2=Map of the Sultanate at the end of [[Civcraft 2.0]]|location={{CivcraftCoord2|2600|1300|1000}}|religion=Sunni Islam|position_title1=Sultan|position_name1=[[GTAIVisbest]]|capital_city=[[Istanbul]]|activity_level=14 people at one point|culture_custom_title1=Abbreviation|culture_custom_value1=ISIS|foundation_date=August 2014|language=Arabic, English}}The Islamic Sultanate of Istanbul and Samarra (Arabic: '''سلطنة الدولة الإسلامية في اسطنبول وسامراء''') is a nation founded in mid-August 2014 after the unilateral declaration of Istanbulite independence from the [[Holy Krautchan Empire]]. The Islamic Sultanate of Istanbul and Samarra is comprised of two towns, [[towns/istanbul|Istanbul]], the political capital in the south, bordering [[Mount Augusta (Civcraft 2.0)|Mount Augusta]], and [[towns/samarra|Samarra]] to the north. The northern part of the Islamic Sultanate is completely comprised of the Great Desert ('''صحراء الكبر'''), a large, mostly undeveloped sand desert.
<WRAP right 410px>
 
{|
! '''''The Islamic Sultanate of Istanbul and Samarra'''''
!
|-
| '''''سلطنة الدولة الإسلامية في اسطنبول وسامراء'''''
|
|-
|
|
|-
| [[File:https://i.imgur.com/mNoQ4ib.jpg|400px|class=align-center|https://i.imgur.com/mNoQ4ib.jpg]] ''Map of the Islamic Sultanate of Istanbul and Samarra''
|
|-
| [[File:https://i.imgur.com/bB2FmhG.png|400px|class=align-center|https://i.imgur.com/bB2FmhG.png]] ''The flag of the Islamic Sultanate of Istanbul and Samarra''
|
|-
|
|
|-
| State Languages
| Arabic, English
|-
| State Religion
| Sunni Islam
|-
| Demonyn
| Islamic
|-
| Leader
| GTAIVisbest
|-
| Establishment
| October 2014
|-
| Population
| 14
|-
| Abbreviation
| ISIS
|-
| Capital
| Istanbul
|}
 
</WRAP>
 
= Islamic Sultanate of Istanbul and Samarra =
 
The Islamic Sultanate of Istanbul and Samarra (Arabic: '''سلطنة الدولة الإسلامية في اسطنبول وسامراء''') is a nation founded in early October 2014 after the expansion of its predecessor-state, the Islamic Sultanate of [[towns/istanbul|Istanbul]]. The Islamic Sultanate of Istanbul and Samarra currently is comprised of two towns, [[towns/istanbul|Istanbul]], the political capital in the south, bordering [[towns/mount_augusta|Mount Augusta]], and [[towns/samarra|Samarra]] to the north. The northern part of the Islamic Sultanate is completely comprised of the Great Desert ('''صحراء الكبر'''), a large, mostly undeveloped sand desert.
 
= Cities =
[[File:Istanbul Border Crossing.png|left|thumb|Istanbul-Augusta Border Crossing]]
 
=== Istanbul ===
Line 62 ⟶ 13:
 
= History =
 
=== Skepsian Caliphate ===
The very first Istanbulite state was the Skepsian Caliphate, founded in June of 2013 by player Skeps100 and his entourage. The caliphate drew inspiration from the real-life Ottoman Empire, as well as mixing Levantine, Persian, Turkik and other vaguely eastern cultures into its government and architecture. The nation was focused around the downtown core of its capital, Istanbul, which was the first large-scale urban development in the immediate region.[[File:Skepsian Caliphate over modern borders.png|left|thumb|Skepsian Caliphate over modern borders (Green for the Islamic Sultanate of Istanbul, Blue for Mt. Augusta)]]The Skepsian caliphate rapidly expanded and integrate other players, coming into contact with very early Augustan Basin settlements and cultures, including [[Griffen]], [[Petrania]], [[Carthage]] and [[Plankton]]. Although the Skepsian Caliphate was founded upon the ideals of a nomadic steppe-warrior culture (giving credence to the Kattar-Skepsian cultural theory<ref>"On the 25th of May, only 6 days after the Creation, a caravan of weary nomads descended upon Mt. Istanbul. These travelers would later become known as the proto-Istanbulite-Kattar peoples, ancestors of both the Krautchan and the Skepsian cultures that would one day rule over the Augustan Basin and Grundeswald, nestled in the deep +,+." -https://www.reddit.com/r/civclassics/comments/g7zxe4/civcraft_20_unfinished_piece_i_discovered_in_an/</ref>), the government was not tyrannical, and its own population enjoyed liberties and freedoms while relations with neighboring states were good.
 
The Skepsian Caliphate entered a rapid decline as the Bloodcrew Hordes moved into the region, possibly from their ancestral homelands near [[Kappi]] (0,0). Contact between the Bloodcrew and the Skepsians was brutal and violent. Although the Skepsians mounted a formidable defensive force with their local allies, they were overwhelmed and witnessed the destruction of their capital city. With most of Istanbul under lava, the Skepsians left the region and declared Istanbul abandoned.
 
=== Grundesweigan Protectorate of Istanbul ===
There was always a tenuous and contested link between the original Skepsians and the proto-Grundeswegians. Famous ancestral Grundeswegian player [[Kovio]] has often claimed that [[Skeps100]] himself as well as [[King_Devleti]] were part of the proto-Grundesweigan playerbase and, as such, claimed that the Skepsian Caliphate was itself a Grundeswegian predecessor state. However, [https://www.reddit.com/r/CivcraftOttomanEmpire/comments/1frqfu/the_katars_have_arrived_on_anatolia/ some surviving written sources] attest the opposite, and make a clear distinction between Istanbulites and "Kovkoriumites" (Kattars). By late 2013 the proto-Grundeswegian peoples, the Kattars, had set up encampments surrounding the abandoned city. They conducted frequent raids on it to glean building materials from the structures. The Grundeswegian Empire was established across the map, after the nomadic Kattar peoples had migrated Eastwards and abandoned the Kattar Khaghanate ruins next to the city of Istanbul. Returning later, once Grundeswald had been established, They nominally took control of Istanbul, and converted the old Skepsian office building into the local administrative seat of power for the Istanbul colony of the Grundeswegian Empire. Most of the lava was cleared, revealing the severely scarred ruins, although the great ''Maqam Bayati Fountain'' remained intact, with water still flowing from its reaches. Grundeswald chose not to develop the land, only clearing the lava for ex-Kattar pilgrims who chose to make the occasional trek to their ancestral homeland outside of Istanbul.
 
During the protectorate era, Mt. Augusta was founded directly to the south of Istanbul. The city would come to grow into the biggest and most populated urban center in the entire basin, giving rise to the name "''Augustan Basin''". As Mt. Augusta rapidly expanded, the old Istanbulite farms at the southern foothills of Mount Istanbul were integrated by Augusta, and some friction started occurring between the Augustans and the Grundesweigens, who had reorganized their territory under the banner of the Holy Krautchekan Empire.
 
During this time there were some [http://www.reddit.com/r/Civcraft/comments/1lh882/reviving_istanbul_wall_of_text/ attempts] to [https://www.reddit.com/r/Civcraft/comments/1i6awn/rebuilding_istanbul/ rebuild] the city that were quickly shut down by both the original Caliphs and Grundeswald.
 
=== Return of GTAIVisbest ===
By early August 2014, player GTAIVisbest was attempting to build a francophone commune in the wilds of the +,- by himself and received a message from Grundeswegian account Cuthulu1. GTAIVisbest and Cuthulu1 had often spoken together in Arabic on the subreddit, and the Grundesweigan account PM'd GTA with a link to the resignation of mayor zaphod100 from the city of Mt. Augusta. The link-drop was a coordinated attempt by the HKE government to get GTA to return to Mt. Augusta, run for mayor and help align Mt. Augusta towards a policy of friendship and collaboration with the HKE. During this time, Mt. Augusta was rapidly expanding and entering into conflicts with ancestral Grundesweigan claims in the Augustan Basin, and the HKE desperately needed a local ally to shore up their claims.
 
However, GTAIVisbest didn't understand the message, and instead interpreted Cuthulu1's PM as him admitting that Cuthulu1's main account was zaphod100. Confused, but excited, GTAIVisbest hurried back to Mt. Augusta and searched for zaphod100. Finding him logged out, GTA located the "Phod Tower", zaphod100's commercial tower, and covered the lawn in Arabic-language signs. Zaphod100 later logged in and cleaned up what he thought was newfriend grief when GTA was logged out.
 
Players Spada100 and Goldenegg, local Augustans and old friends of GTA, intercepted him when he returned to his old Augustan house. They had their eyes on Istanbul, and wanted to build a mansion on the summit of Mount Istanbul for their personal use, away from the authority of Mt. Augusta. They brought GTA to the ruins of Istanbul, a town he remembered as he had [https://www.reddit.com/r/Civcraft/comments/1h0fpd/the_badasses_of_istanbul/ held a government position] in the original Skepsian Caliphate. GTA was amazed that Istanbul had remained completely unchanged for so long. Spada and Goldenegg informed GTA that the Grundeswegians had "unjustly" claimed Istanbul, and that GTA was the only player that could rightfully take back Istanbul and restore it to its former glory.
 
GTAIVisbest was moved by the efforts of his friends, and promptly moved into the ruins of Istanbul. He started clearing up the ruins and grief, preparing to take action against the unseen Grundeswegian overlords. He was contacted by Shadejon, the incumbent Augustan mayor, who had heard of his plans to declare independence from the HKE. Both Shaded and GTA knew that Grundeswald, with access to multiple combat accounts, could easily put down any kind of rebellion in their territory. Shadedjon proposed that GTA declare independence as the ''District of Istanbul'', which would be considered an Augustan homestead and therefore be a semi-autonomous region of Mt. Augusta. This would guarantee GTA's safety and the safety of Istanbul after the declaration of independence. GTA, eager for military support, agreed ''in principle'' to the offer, but both parties came to an agreement that the [https://www.reddit.com/r/MtAugusta/comments/2erpz0/agreement_with_istanbul/ understanding] was preliminary and not necessarily binding.
 
=== War of Independence ===
On August 17th, 2014, GTAIVisbest posted an official [https://www.reddit.com/r/Civcraft/comments/2dtz0y/reclaiming_the_city_of_istanbul/ declaration of independence] on the subreddit. The post did not specify what the new polity in Istanbul would be called, but instead focused on the fact that GTA would rebuild Istanbul and return it to "its former glory". Due to the HKE's conflict with Mt. Augusta and their large ancestral land claims, their relations with the server were already tarnished, and when news of Istanbul's secession became public, an overwhelming majority of the server rallied behind GTA, promising military and financial aid. This rendered the previous agreement with Shadedjon moot, as GTA realized he would be able to militarily defend the city from any HKE attack.
[[File:IndependenceDay.png|left|thumb|An artist's CivBall rendition of independence day, Istanbul]]
Istanbul fell under the banner of the ''Dawla al-Istanbul'', an Arab-themed state rather than an Ottoman-themed one. The ''Dawla'' quickly adopted a white star and crescent on a green background as their national flag and begin hoisting banners and flags throughout the ruined city. ShadedJon, mayor of Augusta, sent a large amount of builders and Augustan citizens northwards into the city to help start clearing grief. Furthermore, geared Danzilonian accounts flooded into Istanbul to guarantee its sovreignty. The very first building erected in Modern Istanbul was the Danzilonian embassy, which was built in one day.
 
The HKE reaction to the secession of Istanbul was muted. Their original plans had collapsed, and the loss of Istanbul was viewed as unacceptable. Very shortly after the independence of Istanbul, Grundeswegian combat accounts were spotted in New Detroit, but due to the large presence of foreign nationals in Istanbul they did not advance into the city. Instead, over the span of the evening, they appeared at the edge of the city when other players logged off and griefed some of the ruins. They also placed pro-HKE signs, but were chased off by other players. By the next day, the War of Independence was over, and the ''Dawla al-Istanbul'' was safely de-facto independent. 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 [https://www.reddit.com/r/Civcraft/comments/2dy9rd/official_grundeswegian_statement_on_istanbul/ Grundeswegian power vacuum].
 
=== Islamic Sultanate of Istanbul ===
 
In the following weeks, most foreign aid workers and builders from Augusta slowly went back home as the majority of the old Istanbul ruins were cleaned up. Almost immediately, GTAIVisbest went to work on placing down Middle-Eastern architecture in the city, making good on his promise to restore Istanbul. In the frenzy of construction, many original Istanbul ruins were torn down, including the smaller and unnamed version of the ''Maqam Bayati Fountain'' that was completely torn down to make room for the main Istanbul mosque.
The Islamic Sultanate of Istanbul and Samarra is the successor state to the Islamic Sultanate of Istanbul (August 2014 - October 2014), an Islamic city-state existing in the city of Istanbul and its immediate surroundings. [[towns/istanbul#History|Istanbul's history]] stretches back to a very long time in server history.
 
Politically, GTAIVisbest had categorically rejected the previous political agreement with Shadedjon. Although the Augustan mayor wanted to push the issue and force Istanbul to reunite with Augusta, his term was ending and he was soon to be voted out. The new mayoral hopeful, ProgrammerDan, was much more pragmatic and had indicated that he would allow Istanbul to become an independent polity. GTAIVisbest, on the other hand, had entered into negotiations with Danzilona and Orion for military aid in the event Augusta attempted to enforce the terms of Shadedjon's agreement.
=== Formation of the Islamic Sultanate of Istanbul and Samarra ===
 
As it became clear that Istanbul would not fall under Augustan sovereignty, GTAIVisbest announced the end of the ''Dawla al-Istanbul'' and the creation of the '''Islamic Sultanate of Istanbul''', a monarchy with GTA as the Sultan. GTA was changing course, pushing Istanbul's identity away from a Ba'athist or Islamist Republic and instead towards an Arab Monarchy. As both HKE and Augustan authority disappeared from the land, this allowed GTA to do as he pleased without the existence of official laws or any sort of constitution.
By early October, SKNDR's new development area just north of the ''Dar el-Beida'' district of Istanbul stretched the Islamic Sultanate of Istanbul's borders further to the North, making it a much larger state. As talks proceeded within the government as to how to incorporate the new lands, the administration decided collectively against making the new development area yet another, farther neighborhood of Istanbul. Instead, the decision to found a town at the site, christened Samarra by SKNDR, was taken, and SKNDR assumed regional control of the city of Samarra and continued building locally. By that point, the political entity of the Islamic Sultanate of Istanbul found itself controlling the two cities, and therefore GTAIVisbest reshuffled the state and created the Islamic Sultanate of Istanbul and Samarra (ISIS) as a nation, replacing the city-state of the Islamic Sultanate of Istanbul.
 
=== Southern expansion and irredentism ===
 
In the days following the creation of the Islamic Sultanate, the political situation in Mt. Augusta was destabilized due to border disputes with Grundesweigan Gensokyo that were approachingthreatening ato breakoutbreak ofout in armed conflict. DuringAnother thisterritorial time,war thewith governmentGrundesweigan ofGensokyo thewas Islamicunderway, Sultanatepitting bought or asked forthe someforces of the AugustanDZF public farms directly toagainst the southHKE of Mount Istanbul from private owners, incorporating them intoduring the state. This foreign policy initiative, dubbed ''el-'Aoudeh ila l'watan'' [[repatriation_policy|(&quot;repatriation&quot;)]], was pursued by the governmentbattle of Istanbul to regain old Ottoman territory lost in the south to Augusta due to political erosion, as well as to pursue a &quot;buffer zone&quot; border policyYurtstead. This semi-legal process was tacitly ignored by the administration of Augusta dueDue to the impendingIslamic crisis and possible war with Gensokyo. After the Autocracy Act was passed in Mt. Augusta, mayor ProgrammerDan forced a bill solidifying AugustaSultanate's bordersclose andrelations authorizingwith the use of military force to assure the sovereignty of Mt Augusta. Due to thisDZF, theIstanbul southernmostpublicly borders ofjoined the Islamicwar Sultanateagainst were fixed at their current position,Gensokyo in a position favorable to the Islamic Sultanate, controllinglast severaldays of the publicwar, farmsalthough andno allowingIstanbulite roomforces forparticipated futurein Istanbuliteany developmentoffensive.
 
During this time, Sultan GTA thought it necessary that additional territory be secured around Istanbul's core. He shared his plans with his close aides at the time, one that entailed building a sprawling re-creation of Battlefield 3's "Grand Bazaar" or "Operation Swordbreaker" maps. Furthermore, GTA was anxious to establish a firm border with Augusta, preferably on even terrain, to allow for an intricate border station to be built. Drawing further inspiration from Battlefield 3, GTA began planning the construction of the ''Grand Bazaar'', to be carved into the side of Mount Istanbul. These goals would only be achieved if the Sultanate could obtain territory at the southern foothills of the mountain. Furthermore, it was common knowledge at the time that the majority of the Augustan public farms at the foothill of Mount Istanbul were originally Skepsian farms built by MadCow457 himself. GTA's ultimate goal was the re-integration of all previous Skepsian lands into the Skepsian successor state, the Islamic Sultanate. This foreign policy initiative, dubbed ''el-'Aoudeh ila l'watan'' [[repatriation_policy|(&quot;repatriation&quot;)]], was pursued by the government of Istanbul until the mayorship of ProgrammerDan and the passing of the Autocracy act in Augusta.
 
To this aim, GTA surveyed the farms at the foothills of the mountains and found them owned by Augustan player RennyB. He contacted RennyB through reddit and asked for a fair price for which to purchase the farms. RennyB offered to give the farms up if the land would be put to good use, which GTA readily agreed to. As such, the Islamic Sultanate of Istanbul quickly came under the possession of the "Renny Strip", a small piece of territory at the southern foothills of Mount Istanbul. The farms were demolished, and a border wall was erected with Augusta.
 
Shortly after the acquisition of the Renny Strip, a surveying team from Augusta arrived on the ''Waterfront Region'', an unincorporated territory of Augusta. They hoped to develop it and create a small neighborhood there, but were unsure of who to contact for permission. The leader of the surveying team, mindful of Istanbul's proximity, chose to contact both Sultan GTAIVisbest and Mayor ProgrammerDan for permission to build on the site. While ProgrammerDan signed off on the project, GTAIVisbest agreed to sponsor the development of the Waterfront Region if it was developed under political administration of the Sultanate. The builders agreed without notifying Augustan central authority, and ''Dar el-Beida'' was erected over the span of a few days, adding a large chunk of territory to the Islamic Sultanate. A border wall was built parallel to a street running through the region.
 
After the Autocracy Act was passed in Mt. Augusta, mayor ProgrammerDan forced a bill solidifying Augusta's borders and authorizing the use of military force to assure the sovereignty of Mt Augusta. Due to this, the southernmost borders of the Islamic Sultanate were fixed at their current position, in a position favorable to the Islamic Sultanate, controlling several of the public farms and allowing room for future Istanbulite development.
 
=== Arrival of SKNDR ===
In September of 2014, a newfriend player named SKNDR arrived in Istanbul. Instead of passing through Mt. Augusta like the majority of newfriends, he seemed to have previous knowledge of Istanbul's location on the map. He spoke Arabic and claimed to have Middle-Eastern heritage, encouraging Sultan GTA to recruit him directly into the state's government. SKNDR promptly went to work on recruiting other newfriends and undertaking various projects within the Sultanate. After building a house in Istanbul, SKNDR focused his energy on building a new Sufi-inspired city on the southern coasts of the Sultanate's windswept northern desert.
 
There were some early signs that something was amiss with SKNDR's sudden appearance. His Istanbul home was griefed by local raider New_Yardbird, revealing a sign hidden inside, reading "Not all who wander are lost". This common phrase from the book ''The Lord of the Ring'' was a popular greeting amongst oldfriend players of the HKE and Gensokyo, at times used as sort of a secret password. Furthermore, it was found that a Grundeswegian raider alt, possibly the same player behind the alt Cuthulu1, had the name "[https://www.reddit.com/user/nSikandar/ sikandar]" and also spoke Arabic. There were [https://www.reddit.com/r/Civcraft/comments/2qaqrq/post_reps_for_sikandar/cn4lho0?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3 hints] dropped from HKE players that the two accounts might be related, although SKNDR vehemently denied this.
 
=== Northern Expansion ===
By early October, SKNDR's new development area just north of the ''Dar el-Beida'' district of Istanbul stretched the Islamic Sultanate of Istanbul's borders further to the North, making it a much larger state. As talks proceeded within the government as to how to incorporate the new lands, SKNDR pushed for the new Sufi-inspired town to be called Samarra. He assumed regional control of the city and continued building locally. By that point, the political entity of the Islamic Sultanate of Istanbul found itself controlling the two cities, and therefore GTAIVisbest reshuffled the state and created the '''Islamic Sultanate of Istanbul and Samarra''' (ISIS) as a nation, replacing the city-state of the Islamic Sultanate of Istanbul.
 
In the week following the creation of the Islamic Sultanate, northern expeditions from [[towns/samarra|Samarra]] became more and more frequent. As the Great Desert north of Samarra was mapped out, border surveyors established there were no active or past locals of the area remaining, and no active land claims on the desert. Eager to lay claim to the vast wealth of sand, sultan GTAIVisbest expanded the border of the Islamic Sultanate to claim the entirety of the desert. Announcing his decision later that day, talks were held with representatives of the Acacian Empire (at that time heavily involved with Gensokyo) to determine any claims conflict. Acacian officials were at first hesitant, but agreed to sign off on the Islamic expansion.
 
During this time, the Channer Migration occured onto Civcraft. The ABR was formed by HKE and Grundeswegian officials, themselves originally Channers, to unite the new Channer towns under the leadership of Kovio herself. However, some of the migrating Channers resisted these efforts, including an Islamic-themed town, "Int/IS", recently formed on Civcraft from new Channer migrants. As this was the only other Islamic themed town on the server at the time, the Islamic Sultanate quickly entered into contact with Int/IS leaders and eventually found itself [https://www.reddit.com/r/Civcraft/comments/55d4w5/favorite_civcraft_memories_megathread/d89k07o/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3 covertly supporting their insurgency] against the HKE-linked ABR regime in Viridian. The rebellion ultimately failed, and the HKE became even more wary of the GTA regime in Istanbul, internally pledging to avenge their meddling with the Channers.
In mid-December 2014, the military camp of [[towns/tazmamart|Tazmamart]] was constructed somewhere in the Great Sahara desert. Its location is semi-secret, and the government of the Islamic Sultanate has never officially released coords to its location.
 
=== Rise of Samarra ===
Under the rule of SKNDR, Samarra quickly became developed with an architecture unique to the northern reaches of the Sultanate. Contrasting with the modern Arab urban buildings of Istanbul, Samarra was primarily built with sandstone and had a much cozier vibe. SKNDR was also highly active and therefore skilled at bringing in many newfriends into Samarra. As development in Istanbul remained tightly-controlled under GTA, Samarra was able to see a boost in organic development. SKNDR found himself highly popular and influential amongst his group of players in Samarra, far outgrowing the meager population of the capital city.
 
While Sultan GTA was happy to see the northern town flourish and bring more clout to the Sultanate as a political entity, the sentiment was not shared by the newfriend builders of Samarra. Seeing themselves as the real center of power in the Sultanate, they disagreed with GTA's RP-heavy rule as an Arab despot. SKNDR had founded Samarra on the basis of democratic Sufism, and he secretly began preaching ideas of independence and revolution to the Samarran citizens. It was around this time that the ''Samarran Revolutionary Front'' was founded in secret by SKNDR and other Samarrans. They ventured out into the far northern reaches of the great desert and built a small compound nestled deep within to further radicalize its members. Outwardly, the SRF disguised itself as the ''Samarran Reading Friends'', a book club, to avoid detection by the government of the Islamic Sultanate.
 
=== Decline of Samarra and Stagnation ===
Sultan GTA started to become suspicious of the Samarra when he felt unwelcome in town. Suddenly, one day in late November 2014, SKNDR went inactive and never logged on again to the server. GTA attempted to reach him but was unable to, and treated his loss with great sorrow. He began to search for a replacement for Qa'id of Samarra.
 
Within the next couple of days GTA received an urgent memo from Augustan government agent Ladezkik of a plot against the Sultanate. According to sources in Augusta, the Samarran Revolutionary Front had been in contact with Gensokyo and the HKE for quite some time. Intelligence pointed towards an upcoming event that had been planned between SKNDR and Kovio, which had to do with the Samarran Revolutionary Front.
 
Sultan GTA immediately detained and questioned some Samarran citizens, but it was his long-term government ally Soccer37222 who chose to inform GTA of the plot. SKNDR had secretly planned an uprising and had set the date for early December. Unbeknownst to the radicalized citizens, he had been in close contact with the HKE to ensure their immediate support of the declaration of independence of Samarra from the Sultanate. The HKE was to move combat accounts into the newly-founded Republic of Samarra to guarantee its independence, and therefore regain lost territory in the form of the satellite state of Samarra. In fact, evidence had been mounting that SKNDR himself was a Grundesweigan alt-account and had played a long con with GTA in order to subvert the unity of the Sultanate. Enemy forces in the HKE and in neighbouring Gensokyo were ready to move on SKNDR's signal, and in fact it was only because he had suddenly gone inactive that the uprising had not proceeded as planned.
 
In response, GTA was shocked and felt he could no longer trust those around him in the realm. He immediately exiled all co-conspirators from Samarra, which comprised almost all of the town's population. Samarra became a ghost town almost overnight. He further brought in a loyalist outsider, player HavanaNights, to become Qa'id of Samarra. Discovering the secret SRF compound in the northern deserts, he tore down the signs and older buildings and transformed it into the military camp of Tazmamart, a secret prison that would be used to store the pearls of any antigovernmental dissidents that would choose to remain in the area.
 
Publicly, Sultan GTA chose to not talk of the plot and referred to the inactive SKNDR with great honour. Many locations in Samarra were named after him, on condition that SKNDR remain "exiled" (inactive) on that account.
 
=== Modern History ===
The Islamic Sultanate never truly recovered from the attempted plot in Samarra. The Sultanate retained a mysterious and closed-off reputation to the rest of the server, being seen as a poor totalitarian state and a staunch ally of Augusta. Newfriends steered clear of Istanbul and GTA was too paranoid to delegate power to any other local leaders, and as such no new cities were founded. The population of the Sultanate remained at around 4 or 5, and development slowly continued, although the nation would never break away from isolation and poverty.
 
Due to the proximity of Istanbul to New Detroit and other Augustan Basin states, the Sultanate gradually improved its relationship with Gensokyo. By mid 2015, Sultan GTA was quite close with Gensokyojin officials and had even entered negotiations to purchase Kattaristan from the HKE in exchange for official recognition. The Sultanate even went to war with Shadup Gahar, a state with somewhat friendly mutual relations, over their attempted annexation of HKE Kattaristan.
 
In August of 2015, the Goten Crisis broke out between the HKE and Mt. Augusta. Originally, Gensokyojin officials convinced the Islamic Sultanate to join into [https://old.reddit.com/r/Civcraft/comments/3g77ha/brothers_in_arms_the_coalition_together/ a coalition], ostensibly to help defend each state's territorial integrity. However, it quickly became apparent that the coalition was a military alliance designed to [https://old.reddit.com/r/Civcraft/comments/3g9ymb/coalition_ultimatum_to_mt_augusta/ go to war with Augusta] over the imminent annexation of Goten. Sultan GTA promptly [https://old.reddit.com/r/Civcraft/comments/3ga5s0/isis_and_augusta/ left the coalition] and [https://old.reddit.com/r/MtAugusta/comments/3gc3is/for_your_exceptional_actions_of_loyalty_towards/ pledged his full support to Augusta], entering the war against Goten when hostilities eventually broke out.
 
= Politics =
Line 85 ⟶ 101:
=== Government Type ===
 
The ISIS is abased theocraticon governmentan Arab monarchy, where the Sultan (currently ''SultanahmetSultan GTAIVisbest'') rules as political and spiritual leader. The Sultan has complete control over the city's politics and most of the city's economy.
 
=== Government Infrastructure ===
Line 112 ⟶ 128:
* On '''December 6th, 2014''', The Islamic Militia was mobilized alongside the Augustan Armed Forces when a [http://www.reddit.com/r/Civcraft/comments/2okdai/bountied_and_pearled_for_putting_a_penis_on_a/ citizen of Mt. Augusta was pearled by Gensokyo.] Gensokyo officials handed the pearl off to Grundesweigan forces, who were then chased by a combined Etherium-Carbonite-Augustan-Istanbulite army to Breslau and then to New Salisbury, where it was vaulted in Grundeswald's world border vault. A standoff occured at the vault, and after five hours, the various militias began returning home, leaving the vault. Player clone2204 and his conglomerate then ambushed the Augustan militia as they were returning home from the standoff, attempting to pearl Augustan militia member CheshireLulCat. The rest of the Augustan militia repelled the attack, and returned to Augusta to barricade themselves in their central bunker. Clone2204, as well as his conglomerate members MalenkyDyavol and Dovahkin, gave chase, occupied the city and then left. No conflict occured on the Islamic Sultanate of Istanbul and Samarra.
* On '''February 18th, 2015''', The Islamic Sultanate of Istanbul and Samarra dispatched members of the Islamic Militia to Syngrad, a disputed nation claimed by both pro-independence forces and Gensokyo, and with its independence guaranteed by the government of ISIS. The Islamic Militia was joined by independent forces of the Meme Brigade while defending Syngrad's independence during a standoff alongside Gensokyo's eastern border. Eventually, the Gensokyojin forces retreated into their capital of New Detroit. Due to the involvement of the controversial Meme Brigade on the anti-Gensokyojin side, however, forces from independent Augustan militias mobilized to aid Gensokyo in the standoff. As well, the Danzilonan Security Force dispatched security forces to secure the Danzilonan territoy of Riverford, leading to a standoff with the Meme Brigade, and, subsequently, the Islamic Militia. The ISIS forces, unwilling to enter hostilities with the Danzolinan government, retreated back to the Islamic Sultanate of Istanbul and Samarra. The event marked the first time that Augustan militias, as well as the Danzilonan Security Force, had worked together with Gensokyo since the Riverford War, and also served to highlight deeper and more relevant tensions in the region that had replaced the traditional Gensokyo-Augusta divide of the months prior. The February 18th crisis severely tarnished ISIS-Augustan relations as well as ISIS-Danzilonan relations, two of its most important historical and regional allies. In response, the government of the Islamic Sultanate of Istanbul and Samarra began to reinforce its alliances with Orion and Etherium, as well as entering into an alliance process with the nation of Fellowship.
[[File:Istanbulite Documentation.png|left|thumb|Official documentation from the modern government of Istanbul]]
 
&lt;WRAP right 300px&gt;
 
{|
| '''Official documentation of the Islamic Sultanate of Istanbul''', the predecessor-state of the Islamic Sultanate of Istanbul and Samarra
|-
| [[File:https://i.imgur.com/wgCrf9t.jpg|300px|class=align-center|https://i.imgur.com/wgCrf9t.jpg]]
|}
 
&lt;/WRAP&gt;
 
= Economy =
Line 151 ⟶ 158:
More recent migration from Mt. Augusta to Istanbul and Samarra has resulted in a small ethnic population that has not been completely Arabized, and as such has developed a unique cultural dialect of Augustan.
 
Beginning around January of 2015, the culture of the ruling elite of the Islamic Sultanate was propagated into a close group of friends from Mt. Augusta, Istanbul, New Detroit and East Ridge known as the ''Meme Team''. The creation of the Meme Team and its associated groups (Meme Militia, MIGP, etc) was a direct symptom of the region's ideological shift towards a more unified and anti-WP ideology. When the members of the Meme Team (apart from GTAIVisbest) founded and joined the city of Atolia, an XP farming cooperative, the unique culture with heavy Istanbulite influence was propagated further, mixing with pan-Augustan culture and propagating itself throughout Atolia, and, later, to the XP cooperative of Pemberley. Meme Team culture also had an influence in ISIS, where multiple signs were erected in the Meme Team dialect, most of them celebrating the wedding between air_wrecka of Mt. Augusta and Soccer37772Soccer37222 of Istanbul, both integral members of the Memers.
 
Furthermore, the ISIS mumble channel, hangout of the Meme Team and citizens of the ISIS, became extremely popular during the end of January until the beginning of March 2015. Due to this, many players and citizens of diverse nations, including Donetsk, [[towns/fellowship|Fellowship]], and [[towns/mount_augusta|Mt. Augusta]] were influenced by Arabic-language ISIS culture. This unique blend continues to live on in certain areas of the server.
 
== References ==
[[Category:Civilizations]]
<references />
[[Category:Civcraft 2.0]]