Sahab

Sahab (: السحاب, : āl-Saḥāb, Remunmenni: Saxab), officially the Republic of Sahab (: الكنقوكـِيَّة السحابيَّة, : āl-Kanaqūkīyah al-Saḥābīyah , Remunmenni: Seshm n Saxab), is a Napsalic country facing the Mungnan Sea and situated between Habdah in the north and Gelgelia in the south. It surrounds the of Hakkar in the southeast. Sahab is a made up of three   and one. Al-Ras, Sahab's largest city and the economic and financial heart of the country, is located in the coastal state of Sāhil, while Barīq, a housing the,  and  branches of government, is located in the interior and encompassed by the state of X which is dominated by the  ethnic group.

Sahab's strategic location in the Napsalic littoral and the approaches to Mennefer's largest port cities has made it an important trading crossroads since antiquity. The relatively temperate climate of the region, especially compared to other areas of southern Napsal like Habdah, allowed for the early development of and early civilizations. Thus, historically, Sahab was also referred to as al-Khadrah (: الخضرة, "the green"). Sahab was home to several ancient kingdoms whose lands often stretched into Gelgelia, Habdah, and Nehset; it is believed that the script was developed by these polities. Most of Sahab was conquered in the 4th century CE by Mennefer's Takhuit Dynasty. Five centuries of Menneferian rule profoundly influenced Sahab, culminating with the introduction of in the 7th century CE during the caliphate period. After the collapse of the Menneferian caliphates, Sahab was controlled by several successive Murtafiite dynasties and emerged as a crucial lynchpin in the. After the Shojinese capture of Al-Ras in 1501, Sahab gradually fell under the rule of the Sinjuan empires, primarily Bagok. The end of the Eulhae War in 1943 and the occupation of the Bagokan metropole animated a burgeoning Sahaban nationalist movement. Bagok fought a five year with Menneferian-supported communist insurgents in the breakaway regions of Sāhil and Na'wād, who were eventually defeated with the assistance of Murtafiite militias. The Sahaban republic was established in 1961, with the new constitution intended to balance power between Sahab's three major ethnic groups.

Today, Sahab is a that exerts considerable influence in southern Napsal. However, and tensions between the more cosmopolitan coast with large minority populations and conservative interior are persistent problems. Since the late 1980s, Sahab has enjoyed warm relations with Mennefer, and has become increasingly tied to its economy. Sahab is a member of the Congress of Nations and a founding member of the Southern Napsalic League.

Prehistory and Classical Sahab


emerged in Sahab around 3,000 years ago. The region is considered one of the oldest centers of . A series of Menneferian writings from X in the 9th century BCE describe the mythical kingdoms of Au Akhakhu, "island of the blossoms" in, which modern historians believe refer to the ancient Ma'rib - Mryb in - civilization that emerged in Sahab and southern Habdah between the 13th and 10th centuries BCE.

The and  trade enriched the early Sahaban kingdoms, with the Queen of Mryb even referenced in the Mashafa Kedus. Sustained contact with Dembiya saw the adoption of in the first century BCE.

Mennefer conquered the Sahaban kingdoms in 431 CE as part of its wider invasions of Napsal during the first centuries of the common era and attempted to violently proselytize the region to Jaatunism, however, it struggled to maintain control over the mountainous highlands. Following the establishment of the Menneferian caliphate and its collapse in 850 CE Sahab broke off from the empire and attracted thousands of White Cap Sabbatarians as a result of its difficult terrain and remoteness from Mennefer.

Medieval Sahab


The next few centuries saw the emergence of al-Ras as a major trading port and entrepôt. Sahaban came to dominate the merchant sea lanes of the medieval era, and facilitated the spread of Sabbatarianism throughout coastal Miju, Yoju, and parts of South Jungju. Merchants and traders from around Yoju and Miju built their own quarters in the city, especially Menneferians.

The Murtafiite Imams managed to convert many of the central and eastern Sahaban tribes after some conflict, establishing the first Imamate in 1331.

Several major merchant-sponsored were born during this period, and although initially persecuted by the Murtafiite Imams, they were able to win autonomy as the wealth of Al-Ras and other coastal cities burgeoned; forming.

Colonization
Shojin captured al-Ras in 1501 and subjugated the city. Bagok took the city from Shojin in 1610. The Bagokan state would later force the interior Murtafiites into the colony, although they retained their lands. During the last century of Bagokan colonial rule, hundreds of thousands of Menneferian laborers were brought into Sahab to work on coffee plantations and in various other resource extraction industries.

Contemporary Sahab


Sahab experienced a communist insurgency in the years after the Eulhae war primarily led by ethnic Menneferians; who after 1955 received significant support from Mennefer itself. However, the revolt was eventually subdued in early 1960s and the country became independent as a three-state federation.

Economy
Sahab is an important financial center in Napsal and a major player in the, and. X corporation, headquartered in Al-Ras, is the third largest container shipping company in the world. In the past two decades it has become increasingly reliant on, especially from Mennefer, Matobo and Sinju.

After independence, the Sahaban state implemented, which allowed the country to modernize its economy and reduce its reliance on , especially coffee and mineral exports.

Religion
While Sahab is officially a, Sabbatarianism and its various offshoots is the most practiced religion in the country. Official Sahaban census records do not differentiate between the Sabbatarian sects, although independent experts and estimate that around 90% of the Sabbatarian population  is affiliated with ; with 54% of Sabbatarians belonging to the  sect and 17% to the  sect. in the coastal state of Sāhil, historically dominated by, is largely  and , with a significant  influence. X republic is the only  in Sahab, which was created under the 1961 constitution to provide autonomy for the country's largely Shurati  minority. The Shurati Imam in Hakkar serves as a  for the autonomous republic. Hundreds of thousands of Shurati pilgrims from around the world arrive in Sahab yearly to visit Hakkar.



Jaatunists compose the largest in Sahab. Jaatunism and other Menneferian belief systems are most commonly practiced in Al-Ras. Al-Ras's Jaatunist minority suffered several in 1958 and 1959 after the collapse of the Na'wād and Sāhil Revolutionary State. Since the Menneferian Revolution of 1955, the Menneferian People's Party has played an important role in influencing Jaatunist institutions among Sahab's Menneferian population toward Revolutionary Jaatunism, often at the expense of independent Jaatunist schools and orders. Jaatunism is also the primary religion of the and has been since the first century CE, when the Menneferian prophet Monsop proselytized the island. It is often performed in parallel with in a tradition known in  as Xorism. The country's small but growing population has also been subject to historical discrimination. Dembiyan funding for and other Blue Cap organizations allegedly tied to  groups is becoming particularly controversial.

Sahab's population has grown in recent years, primarily in urban areas.