A Pony Counterpart to Medieval Arabia

[Tamerlane]

Now this idea came to me when my mind somehow crossed Arabian horses with My Little Pony.

The idea in question is to create a pony counterpart to the Abbasid Caliphate*, which would be similar to both it and Equestria, but different in many ways. As of the moment, here are some ideas that I came up with, in order of how much thought I gave into it. For the moment, this pseudo-Arabia will be called Dar al-Hisaanin, while an inhabitant is a Hisan.

RELIGION

Curiously, unlike in Equestria, where Celestia is beloved and Luna is shunned, the Hisaanin fear Celestia as the goddess of the harsh desert sun, while Luna is venerated as a benelovent patroness of the habitable night, navigation, astrology, and the lunar calendar. However, whe news of Luna's betrayal and her transformation into Nightmare Moon to Dar al-Hisaanin, the ponies there pretty much panicked, with many turning to Nightmare Moon's cult in fear. Eventually though, a sect preaching of Nightmare Moon's redemption and return as Luna gained prominence, and NMM's cult was banned.

However, Celestia isn't completely shunned; their official dogma states that destruction is a natural part of life, and that both sisters are to be respected as part of the balance of nature. Doesn't stop the 'regular' Hisaanin ponies from fearing Celestia, though.

HISTORY

In my current idea of things, Dar al-Hisaanin is only settled shortly before Luna betrays Celestia, with her popularity only being established in that odd stretch of time after she is banished and when contact is made with Equestria. Most settlements are based arouund aquifers, oases, or even the occaisonal river or lake.

GEOGRAPHY AND POLITICS

Since Dar al-Hisaanin is obviously not ruled by an immortal pony goddess, head of the throne passes from sire to colt, similar to real life monarchies. The ruler of the region is the Emir, who at the time of the Friendship is Magic events is al-Barqa, a pegasus. The Emir's court is in the city of Asilandria, which is also a great centre of magic and learning.

The local equivalent of the Royal Guard is the Desert Guard, which is recruited from the still nomadic herds in the desert.

The second biggest city is Neighshapur, which is the centre of Luna's cult. It is also known for its vast mineral wealth, and is the commercial centre of Dar al-Hisaanin.

Of similar note is Destriascus, which happens to be the oldest city in the area that falls into decline. Although it's a peaceful town to anypony who is just passing by, it's also the secret headquarters of Nightmare Moon's cult, which seeks to turn Luna permanently into Nightmare Moon and bring Eternal Night to the world of Equestria. Needless to say, it's also under heavy surveillance by both Equestrian Royal Guards and the Desert Guards.

MAGIC AND SCIENCE

Like the real life Abbasid Caliphate, Dar al-Hisaanin is a centre of science and scholarship (sharp minds are often needed in a desert where creative solutions are needed for problems). Unicorns, Earth Ponies and Pegasi alike are often seen studying in its many libraries.

Water is brought from underground sources through magic and good old fashioned pipes

Due to the scarcity of water in the desert, the unicorns of Dar al-Hisaan are trained in water dousing, and are thus of high important in society.

MY NOTES

Obviously, this is far from the complete version. My main concern is coming up with a proper name, with Luna's issues with her unpopularity in Equestria being another issue.

Any thoughts, critiques, and general opinions?

*Arabia's golden age in the 8th and 9th centuries when culture and science flourished. If you're a complete noob at Middle Eastern history, basically think Arabian Nights.

[MyLittlePonyTales]

Is this something you are trying to use for a fanfic?

[Tenkan]

Very nice ideas, Tamerlane. I like where you're coming at. I'm very familiar with Middle Eastern and Turkish Ottoman history, and I'm always very concerned about whatever goes on in the Arab world.

The thought of having Arabian ponies always crossed my mind, but I never really knew how to implement it.

Looks to me like you've already gone and done that! Well done!

Haha, I love the changes you've made to some significant city names, like Damascus being Destriascus. Don't think I didn't notice that.

But to be honest, I thought that if I were to ever approach such an area of storytelling, I would try to introduce a story like that of the Crusades.

[Tamerlane]

Is this something you are trying to use for a fanfic?

Yes it is.

Well, the worldbuilding came first, the fanfic idea came later.