An example sabban/drudach layout.
A sabban was a major subdivision of a Calishite town or city, akin to a district or ward.[1]
Description
A sabban was composed of between three and five drudachs, smaller subdivisions. A sabban was surrounded by a wall that was higher than any drudach walls, being elevated with additional stone to form a rampart.[1]
Sabbans contained a minimum of certain structures among their drudachs,[1] because each sabban was intended to function as a self-sustaining unit within the larger town or city.[2]
- At least one of the drudachs must contain a khanduq, in addition to whatever other markets or bazaars existed.[1]
- At least one of the drudachs must contain a public source of drinking water, with sufficient supply for all of the sabban's drudachs.[1]
- At one of the intersections of the sabban walls, there would be a defensive minaret that also served as an amlakkhan or sadiddah, a garrisons for that sabban's complement of amlakkar (police) or sadimmin (soldiers), respectively. This garrison was in addition to the amlakkhan belonging to the individual drudachs.[1]
- At least one of the drudachs must contain the sabbaladah, the sabbalad's villa or residence. This was oven constructed alongside one of the minarets at the intersection of the sabban walls.[1]
Government
The ruler of a sabban was called a sabbalad and served much like a mayor—or in some cases, like a crimelord. A sabbalad was responsible for the drudachs within his sabban, leading through the druzirs positioned under him. If was quite common for the sabbalad to have connections to the criminal underworld as well.[3]
For particularly small towns or villages, a sabbalad would be the only mayor, as only one sabban—or perhaps even only one drudach—was present. In larger towns and cities, the sabbalad was subservient to a sultan.
Like the druzirs serving under them, the power of a sabbalad had varied depending on the era. They lost much power after the Shoon Imperium but regained it with the rise to power of Ralan el Pesarkhal.[3]
Defense
As mentioned above, each sabban had the defenses of each drudach's amlakkhan, plus another amlakkhan or a sadiddah dedicated to the defense of the greater sabban. Like the amlakkar, any sadimmin stationed in a sabban were loyal first to the city's sultan(s) and only then to the sabbalad.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Steven E. Schend, Dale Donovan (September 1998). Empires of the Shining Sea. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 99. ISBN 0-7869-1237-5.
- ↑ Steven E. Schend, Dale Donovan (September 1998). Empires of the Shining Sea. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 100. ISBN 0-7869-1237-5.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Steven E. Schend, Dale Donovan (September 1998). Empires of the Shining Sea. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 66. ISBN 0-7869-1237-5.