Dayganistan

The Republic of Dayganistan is a nation located in south Yoju, located near the center of the continent. The region now know as Dayganistan has been inhabited since antiquity, with nomadic groups living in the deserts, while more permanent settlements were founded along the coast and in the mountainous highlands. It is still unknown which of these ancient groups are the ancestors of the modern Daygani people, but they are believed to have come from a mountainous region.

The modern Daygani state was established in the 18th century with the establishment of the Hamidi Dynasty by Mohamed Shah Hamidi, who consolidated control to the modern borders of Dayganistan from his court at Khanabad. The Hamidi Dynasty was overthrown in the 1940s following the Eulhae War, when several Daygani officers who had fought in the war organized a coup against the monarchy, establishing a constitutional republic. The republic went through a brief single party period before peacefully transitioning to a multi-party democracy. A state capitalist system in the early decades of the republic provided the basis for Dayganistan's economy to grow. Today, the country has a large, thriving, and rapidly growing economy.

Early History
Something something collection of emirates and sultanates unified in late 1600s by Emir of Khanabad Massoud Shah Hamidi, who declares himself Shah of Dayganistan. Dayganistan expands into the states that neighbour it in the modern day, forming Hamidi Empire. Hamidi Empire loses vast amounts of territory over course of 1700s and 1800s, but Dayganistan can never be fully conquered by imperialist powers. Is allowed to retain independence with more or less present borders, but has a degree of influence from Sinju powers. Hamidi Dynasty enacts strict Sharia Law in hopes of countering Sinju influence. (WIP)

19th Century Unrest
By the end of the 19th century, Dayganistan is in a relatively sad state. While the country has managed to industrialize with assistance from Sinju and agricultural production is generally quite good, there is a high degree of inequality in Daygani society. Sinju businessmen exploit Dayganistan for mineral resources and as a source of cheap labour. Society continues to be subject to strict Sharia Law, although the nobility and Sinju businessmen are completely exempt. A positive of this period of Sinju influence, however, is that Daygani citizens become exposed to outside political ideas. At this period, 3 competing factions arise. The Leftists, the Nationalists, and the Islamists, which consists of people who support the existing system.

Unrest is kicked off in the 1880s by the Leftists. Mass strikes are carried out in Dayganistan's major cities and farm workers purposefully destroy their crops. Businessmen are attacked. The Economic Minister, Abu Bakr al Daygani, is assassinated by a Leftist group calling itself the People's Will in 1886. The People's Will threaten more assassinations, including the Shah himself. In 1890, a mass protest by leftist workers is broken up in Khanabad by the army. In total, 200 workers are killed in Khanabad.

Following the Khanabad Massacre, the Nationalist movement starts to take shape. The Nationalist movement is primarily lead by army officers based at Lashkar Gah who had been involved in the Khanabad Massacre. Not only were the against conservative Islamist factions, but they were against the leftists for creating such unrest and forcing their men to have to fire upon their fellow citizens so many times throughout the last decade. The Nationalist belief was that the leftists were trying to instigate civil war in order to completely destroy Dayganistan, knowing that the country cannot become what they wish without being completely destroyed and rebuilt from the ground up. The Nationalists were more pragmatic, however, and feigned loyalty to the Shah until they believed the time was right to overthrow the government. Nationalist army officers provided secret political education to the men under their command as well, hoping that when their men return to civilian life they would spread the Nationalist ideas of secularism and self determination when they retunr home from military service, thus creating a support base among the citizenry. Meanwhile, the leftists continue their tactics of strikes and riots.

Nationalist Movement Becomes Widespread
By 1916, Dayganistan had become severely economically depressed due to unrest. More and more people were becoming angry with the government and the ideas of that initial group of nationalist army officers had become much more widespread throughout society. There are near daily protests, carried out by both Nationalists and Leftists. The army units from Lashkar Gah are called in to suppress the protests. However, the Shah soon finds the units from Lashkar Gah only fire upon leftist protestors and not Nationalist protestors. From then on, units from around Dayganistan are rotated in and out of Khanabad on riot control duty.

The Republican People's Party, which still exists today, is officially founded in 1921 by retired Lieutenant General Muhammed Shah Ahmad. Ahmad had been a young Lieutenant in the Khanabad Massacre and part of the founding corps of the Nationalist movement, and had only retired from the military the year prior to founding the party. The monarchy claims the Republican People's Party an illegal terrorist organization. However, in doing so, nearly 50% of the entire population of Dayganistan had been declared terrorists.

Nationalists continue to protest through 1922. These protests are constantly fired upon. The economy continues to suffer as people are out protesting rather than working. Sinju businessmen flee the country, fearing for their lives. On June 16th, 1922, however, things change. On this day, there was yet another Khanabad Massacre. 500 protestors, both nationalists and leftists, were killed by both the army and police. The nationalist army officers at Lashkar Gah saw this as the final straw and mobilized their men towards Khanabad at midnight. The army and police units in Khanabad are defeated by the troops from Lashkar Gah, fighting alongside protestors who had managed to get their hands on weapons. By morning the next day, the Shah's palace had been stormed. Nationalist army officers across the country, hearing the news from Khanabad, also ordered their men to occupy local government buildings. the coup had been successful. The Republican People's Party was immediately installed, with Muhammed Shah Ahmad appointed as the first President of the Republic of Dayganistan. The first election was held three years later in 1925, with the Republican People's Part winning a landslide election.

Geography and Climate


Dayganistan is a geographically diverse country. The majority of the nation ranges from semi-arid to desert, although dense green areas can be found around rivers in the desert regions. The nation is also heavily mountainous, especially in the eastern half of the country, with the tallest mountains being near the eastern and southern borders. Many of these mountains are arid at lower altitudes, but dense alpine forests can be found at higher elevations. With the exception of the coastal region, the nation is generally at a higher altitude than other nearby nations. This generally leads to cooler temperatures, especially in the mountainous regions. It is not uncommon to see snow during the winter throughout most of Dayganistan, save for the coastal region near Bandar-e-Shah, which experiences a Mediterranean climate. However, temperatures can rise drastically in the summer, with temperatures approaching or even surpassing 40 degrees Celsius being the norm throughout the country.

Demographics
Dayganistan has a total population of 100.3 million (2014 estimate). The population is overwhelmingly Muslim, with the vast majority being Sunni Muslim while a minority (mostly among the Hazara) subscribe to Shia Islam.

The largest city in Dayganistan is the capital, Khanabad, with a population of approximately 10 million people, or 15 million if the entire metropolitan area is taken into account. The next largest city is Bandar-e-Shah, Dayganistan's only port and a popular tourist destination, with a population of approximately 5 million. Just under 50% of Dayganistan's population either lives in the Khanabad Metropolitan Area or Bandar-e-Shah.

Ethnic Groups
Dayganistan is a multi-ethnic society. The largest ethnic group are the Pashtuns. Traditionally, the Pashtuns were referred to as "Dayganis." However, in recent years, Daygani has come to refer to all people in Dayganistan, regardless of ethnicity.

The next largest ethnic group after the Pashtuns are the Tajiks. These two ethnic groups are very closely related, and despite the occasional dispute, tend to cooperate and generally freely interact with each other.

The final of the major ethnic groups are the Hazara. These are descendants of steppe nomads who settled in present-day Dayganistan, mixing with local populations and converting to Shia Islam. The Hazara have traditionally be discriminated against and at varying times have been treated as second-class citizens. Although today the Hazara are considered equal to the Pashtuns and Tajiks, discrimination often continues.

Along with these three major ethnic groups, other smaller ethnic groups also exist in Dayganistan. These are either smaller ethnic groups that are native to the region, or small immigrant populations. These other ethnic groups constitute approximately 5-10% of the population, depending on various estimates.

Languages
The official languages of Dayganistan are Farsi and Pashto. Pashto is the native language of the majority, but only by a small margin. After the overthrow of the monarchy in the 1950s, Pashto was encouraged as the main language of Dayganistan as Farsi was used by the monarchy. Today, however, Farsi has seen a resurgence in a bid to increase ties to the Daygani state, rather than force the language of one ethnic group on all the others. Farsi has become the language used in government and the language of education. However, All Daygani students are required to be fluent in both Farsi and Pashto upon completion of high school, and both languages are well represented in the media.

Government
Dayganistan is a constitutional parliamentary republic. Elections to the unicameral Mlay Shura (National Assembly) are held every 5 years under a proportional representation system. The president is elected by members of the National Assembly and is largely a ceremonial position, although the office of president still possesses many important responsibilities and will generally be the one to meet with foreign leaders rather than the prime minister. There have been talks of reforming the office of the president to an elected position with more executive powers, but no concrete steps have been taken as of the time of writing.

Armed Forces
The Daygani Armed Forces are divided into three branches: The Daygani National Army, Daygani National Air Force, and Daygani National Navy. The Armed Forces are a small, well equipped, professional force, consisting of approximately 750,000 active duty personnel. The Army and Air Force are by far the largest and most well funded branches, although the navy has been catching up in recent years with several new warship project, chief among them being a light aircraft carrier/amphibious assault ship, which gives Dayganistan even more felxibility in projecting military force beyond its borders without relying on outside logistical support.

Military service is voluntary and is open to both men and women. Women have previously been barred from serving in roles in which the primary purpose is combat, but as of late 2016, all roles in the armed forces have been opened to women

The Daygani Armed Forces also serve a unique political role, as they have a constitutional responsibility to carry out a coup against the government if democratic and/or secular values are threatened.

Economy
Dayganistan has a strong, diversified market economy, having transitioned well from a state capitalist economy. Today, Dayganistan ranks highly among the world's economies in terms of size, and also ranks highly in competitiveness. Dayganistan's major industries are natural resources, technology, military equipment, general manufacturing, and automobile manufacturing, which Dayganistan is well known for internationally. Many multinational resource and technology corporations have operations in Dayganistan. Many economists believe that Daygnistan's economy has hit its peak in terms of growth, and growth will slow over the next decade before leveling out.

Education
Since the overthrow of the monarchy, education has been a high priority for the Daygani government. There is a publicly funded education system in place while private education is also an option for the welathy. However, both public and private schools are required to follow the same core curriculum throughout the country. At the age of 14, students are given a choice between attending a gymnasium if they wish to pursue post secondary studies, or a vocational high school if they wish to enter the trades. However, even with this option, university attendance is relatively high in Dayganistan. University attendance rates are slightly higher for women than they are for men.

Culture
Other Articles: Film and Television of Dayganistan, Music of Dayganistan, Daygani Literature

Dayganistan has a rich cultural heritage, stretching back thousands of years, and has been influenced by the many ethnicities that reside in the country. Culture in Dayganistan is heavily based upon the code of Pashtunwali. However, as a result of the modernization push of the government since the late 1940s, the more religious and otherwise outdated aspects of this code have become de-emphasized in mainstream culture.

The Daygani government actively promotes Daygani culture, both at home and abroad. This is part of an effort to preserve Dayganistan's unique culture in the face on increasing globalization, as many in the government, as well as the general population, fear that excessive Sinju influence through globalization will one day destroy Dayganistan's culture. However, this has become less of a concern in recent years as Dayganistan has been able to export its culture throughout the world. Daygani restaurants, often run by members of the Daygani diaspora, can be found throughout the world. Daygani literature has been translated into many languages. Daygani popular culture also has a great reach, as Daygani pop, hip-hop and rock music have become popular among young people throughout the world. Daygani movies and television shows have also gained international popularity, and Daygani fashion, especially for women, has had an affect on fashion trends throughout the world.

Food
Daygani cuisine is diverse, reflecting the ethnic diversity of the country. It makes extensive use of various grains, such as wheat, rice, maize, and barely, local fruits and vegetables, and various meats, especially lamb and chicken, and, to a lesser extent, beef. A variety of dairy products are also part of Daygani cuisine. Pork is not a part of Daygani cuisine, and seafood is generally only consumed in the region near Bandar-e-Shah.

Palaw is considered the national dish of Dayganistan. This is not one single dish, but a variety of different flavours and regional styles. It is a rice based dish, where rice is boiled before being baked with meat and stock, herbs, qorma (a type of stew), or a combination. It is often topped with vegetables, fruit, nuts, or a combination of all three. Many restaurants in Dayganistan will have a specific variety of Palaw which is considered to be their specialty, and this will extend to Daygani restaurants in foreign countries.

Kebab is another popular Daygani dish, which has gained widespread global popularity. In Dayganistan, kebab can be found in establishments ranging from high end restaurants, to fast food restaurants and street food vendors, where kebab has become extremely popular. Lamb is the most common meat used, although beef is used in certain varieties of kebab. It is served with naan, and occasionally rice.

One of the most popular drinks in doogh, a beverage produced by mixing yogurt, water, and mint. There are both carbonated and uncarbonated varieties. Popular alcoholic beverages include locally made beers and wines, although by far the most popular alcoholic beverage is aragh sagi, a strong distilled alcohol produced from raisins.

Music
Dayganistan has a rich musical history. Many traditional forms of music are closely related to traditional poetry. As well, acapella forms of music, such as nasheed and na'at are considered traditional forms of music in Dayganistan (although they are more often performed in Arabic than Pashto or Farsi) and remain popular with devout Muslims.

Modern popular music takes influence from both traditional styles of music and foreign influences. Many pop artists in Dayganistan have recorded versions of traditional songs. Pop, rock, and hip-hop are the most popular forms of music in Dayganistan. Several Daygani artists within these genres have reached international popularity among both expat communities and foreigners in general.

Clothing
The shalwar kameez is considered the national dress of Dayganistan. It is a unisex outfit consisting of, it its traditional form a long shirt and loose fitting pants. Today, the shalwar kameez has become unpopular as menswear outside of special occasions, but variants, often replacing the loose fitting pants with leggings and with longer shirts more closely resembling dresses, remain popular among women as everyday wear.

The most popular form of headwear in Dayganistan is the pakol. This is a wool hat, generally only worn by men, and resembles a pancake when worn. It can be worn in both summer and winter, but is especially popular in the winter. It is also used as military headwear, with every Daygani soldier being issued with a summer and winter pakol. The pakol was one of the first elements of Daygani culture to enter the outside world being popularized through contact with Daygani mujahideen during the colonial era, and by Daygani soldiers during the Eulhae War. Turbans are also popular male headwear in Dayganistan, although mostly among older generations. Although not mandated to do so (and in fact discouraged to do so by some Islamic reformist scholars), women tend to wear a variety of headscarves, ranging from loose fitting scarves simply draped over their heads, to proper Islamic hijabs.