Shara
From A Wheel of Time Wiki
Shara is the Westlander name for the land east of the Aiel Waste. Various people have different names for this land, such as Shamara, Co'dansin, Tomaka, Kigali, and Shibouya. Shara is bordered to the south-west and south by the Sea of Storms, and to the east by the Morenal Ocean. As with the Westlands, it is bordered to the north by the Mountains of Dhoom and the Great Blight.
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[edit] Geography
Shara lies to the east of the Aiel Waste, from which is seperated by the Cliffs of the Dawn and the Great Rift. Significant mountain ranges longer than the Spine of the World lie to the east of both features, further inhibiting travel into Shara. The Cliffs of the Dawn are easily scaleable only in six locations. The Sharans have built heavily-fortified towns in each of these locations, where trade is permitted with westerners (Aiel and those gleemen and peddlers from the Westlands the Aiel permit to cross the wastelands). In each of these towns the residents go veiled at all times, and the walls are so tall that it is impossible to see in or out of the towns from outside. Westerners are not permitted to travel through these towns' eastern gates into Shara proper. Those who try, disappear.
South of the cliffs lies the Great Rift, an immense canyon which seperates the Sharan interior from the Aiel Waste. No successful crossing of the rift has been recorded. The southern edge of the rift, which may be passable, is seperated from the rest of the Aiel Waste by the Termool.
Shara extends much further south than either the Westlands or the Aiel Waste and its southern-most tip crosses the equator. Shara's south-western coast is extremely mountainous. The only easily-accessible harbours are located along the south coast itself. There are only five known ports on the south coast, and these are similarly classified as open trading ports by the Sharans. Sea Folk and western vessels are permitted to dock, but again traders are not permitted to travel outside the cities. The same immense walls are to be found here, but in this case they extended even across the harbours themselves.
Travelling to the east of the eastern-most trading port is extremely hazardous and most vessels which attempt this vanish. Nevertheless, over the centuries enough Sea Folk vessels have managed to return after conducting inconclusive surveys to put together maps showing the Sharan coast. These maps suggest that Shara extends for approximately 2,000 miles from the Aiel Waste to the Morenal Ocean and for approximately 4,500 miles from the Mountains of Dhoom to the Sea of Storms. The Mountains of Dhoom tumble into the sea similarly to the way they do in the Westlands, and there is at least one large island off Shara's east coast. Its name is unknown.
Maps of Shara can be found in The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time.
[edit] History
The land of Shara is shrouded in mystery, and as such, not much of its history is known. It has been traveled to by very few Westlanders, the most notable of which being Jain Farstrider.
It is known that Shara was united as one nation shortly after the Breaking of the World and has endured until the present day. Shara suffered during the Trolloc Wars, although the extent and duration of the invasion and the damage it caused is unknown. The Sharans themselves claim to have never suffered political upheaval or civil war, and most also deny that the Trollocs invaded their land, although a few isolated reports that they did suffer an invasion also exist.
In FY 993, Artur Hawkwing despatched a large fleet to invade Shara under the command of one of his daughters. This fleet was equal in size to the one he sent to Seanchan the year before, meaning it consisted of up to 2,000 ships and possibly as many as 300,000 troops. The Sea Folk recorded at the time that the invasion force had successfully landed in several locations on the western and southern coasts of Shara. However, later reports suggested that the ships were ablaze in the bays and inlets where they had landed, indicating the invasion had been defeated. To this day Sharan traders deny all knowledge of such an invasion taking place.
At the present time, rumours have come from across the Aiel Waste that there is anarchy and chaos in Shara, with a segment of the population apparently mounting a popular uprising in the name of the Dragon Reborn, an apparently sparked off by the disappearance of the rulers of the country. Whether these events will have any impact on the Last Battle remains to be seen.
[edit] Government
Shara is ruled by absolute monarchs, the Sh'boan and Sh'botay. Every seven years, the longer-reigning ruler dies and a new ruler is chosen. They call this the will of the Pattern The last known Sh'boan and Sh'botay were Chiape and Shaofan. Both rulers are currently held as pets by Graendal.
The author of one text however makes the charge that the Ayyad are the true power behind the government. The ruler is sorrounded with Ayyad servant women and advisors. As well as the fact that they pass down almost all judgment, and speak for the ruler. Speaking with the ruler is considered a great honor, rarely ever bestowed on anyone.
[edit] Culture
Little is known about Shara or its people, beyond what little information trickles out through limited trade. The Sharans are apparently renowned liars, so trade with them is risky. They only allow the Atha'an Miere to dock at specified walled ports and the Aiel to trade in specific walled cities. Anyone attempting to pass the walls is never heard from again.
Another branch of channelers is mentioned by Noal Charin, the Co'dansin, but nothing else is known about them. The Ayyad and Co'dansin both tattoo their faces.
[edit] The Ayyad
These are both male and female channelers that live in secluded villages, cut off from the rest of the kingdom. If anyone who is not Ayyad comes into these villages they are killed. Permission must be granted for the Ayyad to leave these places, although anyone seeing one outside the village would just assume one had permission anyway. They tatoo their faces to allow identification, anyone bearing these tatoos are confined to Ayyad villages.
Male Ayyad are not allowed to learn to read or write, or do anything at all really. They can feed and dress themselves and that is about it. They are used to breed more female Ayyad, and as such their bloodlines are traced like horse breeding stock. Males are communially raised, called simply "the male", instead of "he". When they are sixteen they are taken from the village and are hooded and cloaked, and are matched with women who desire children. Sometimes several. When he is twenty-one, or shows signs of channeling, he is taken from the village as if again to go breed and is instead killed and cremated.
[edit] Slavery
Chattel slavery is also an extremly common practice in Shara. The entire Sharan culture is built upon the enslavement of the many by the few.
