Atlantean Trilogy Archive
Robed figures on a terrace overlook Tartessos, a busy harbor of galleys and white temples set on olive-covered hills.Mediterranea, painted for this archive

Ispahan

Place, City

The sultan's seat, in a great oasis in the heart of the Turanian desert: a sea of tents among palms and pools around a few stone buildings, chiefly the minaret-towered palace said to have been built by Jinn for the First Sultan and to hold generations of treasure. It also has a Public Bath and a Temple of Eloah.

From the book

Ispahan, home of the sultan of Turan, lies in a large oasis deep in the middle of the desert, in the district of Arabea that all the tribes share. It is the largest Turanian oasis settlement and the only one built partly of stone, with just three such structures: the huge palace of the sultan with its tall minaret-crowned towers, the Temple of Eloah and the Public Bath, all lavishly furnished with gilded decoration on walls and minarets. Around them spreads a sea of tents among date palms and pools.

Legend says the First Sultan called on friendly Jinn to build the palace as a lasting reminder of the tribes' victory over those who tried to enslave them, though Hesperian records suggest Turan was actually conquered and simply proved too harsh and barren to keep. Great treasures, gathered by generations of sultans, are said to lie within the palace walls, fed by the seventh share of all raid plunder owed to the sultan.

At a glance

Region
Arabea, Turan
Pronunciation
is-pa-HAHN
Notable places
Sultan's palace; Public Bath; Temple of Eloah
Buildings
Only three permanent: palace, Public Bath, Temple of Eloah (gilded)
Legend
Palace built by Jinn summoned by the First Sultan

Described within the Turan entry; not a separate Index listing.