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{{Infobox country | {{Infobox country | ||
|conventional_long_name = Republic of Rusana | |conventional_long_name = Republic of Rusana | ||
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==History== | ==History== | ||
=== Early Habitation === | ===Early Habitation=== | ||
[[File: | [[File:KhosrauIIGoldCoinCroppedHistoryofIran.jpg|thumb|Golden coin depicting Xvim the Black, king of ancient [[Nasrad]]]] | ||
The territory of modern Rusana has been continously inhabited since at least the fourth millenium BC when migratory waves of people possibly originating in the plains of north [[Audonia]] settled in the area. The civilization centered in the ancient city of Pharod dates at least back to 3890 BC according to radiocarbon dating. For much of antiquity the city of Pharod held a preeminent position and its people spread to other parts of modern day Rusana, founding new cities such as Nasrad, Khaton, Turaq and Rilban. All of these cities had their own kings but they still deferred and sent tribute to Pharod as the mother city. The kings of Pharod promoted agriculture and new methods of irrigation, created the regions first coinage made from hardened clay, instituted an alphabet and writing in clay tablets and began the first roads of hardened dirt to connect cities. Pharodian civilization established diplomatic and trade relations with Daxian proto states to the east and with the polities of the Pukhgundi peninsula to the west. The Pharodians worshiped a pantheon of pagan gods, chief among them Dagan, a god of the sky, with the king serving as Dagan's head priest. This gave the pharodian line of kings a dual role as both secular ruler and head of the state religion. In time this would lead to attempts to bring Pharod's colonies under more direct control, starting a series of bloody conflicts. In 1020 BC an alliance between Nasrad and Khaton started a war against the mother city of Pharod. The Pharodian army was ambushed and all but destroyed at the Battle of Parnaza, leaving the city defenseless and leading to its brutal sacking by the Nasrid and Khaton armies. After this Pharod went into an irreversible decline, with the city no longer ruled by a native king but by bureaucrats from Nasrad and Khaton. Statues and religious icons from the cult of Dagan were moved to Nasrad, signifying the city's new status as the overlord of the region. The collection of cities under the overlordship of Nasrad is now believed by modern historians to have been called the Union of Nasrad and Khaton, as the two victors over Pharod were for a time equals. It's under the reign of King Xvim the Black in 935 BC that the union began to fall apart over disputes centered in religious and diplomatic protocol. Xvim demanded that envoys from Khaton prostrate before him instead of the customary bowing, thus acknowledging the supremacy of Nasrad over Khaton. This dispute broke out into fighting in Pharod between the rival camps, with the Nasrids being chased out of the city. In response Xvim marched his army and laid siege to Pharod, demanding that Khaton surrender control of the city to him. | The territory of modern Rusana has been continously inhabited since at least the fourth millenium BC when migratory waves of people possibly originating in the plains of north [[Audonia]] settled in the area. The civilization centered in the ancient city of Pharod dates at least back to 3890 BC according to radiocarbon dating. For much of antiquity the city of Pharod held a preeminent position and its people spread to other parts of modern day Rusana, founding new cities such as Nasrad, Khaton, Turaq and Rilban. All of these cities had their own kings but they still deferred and sent tribute to Pharod as the mother city. The kings of Pharod promoted agriculture and new methods of irrigation, created the regions first coinage made from hardened clay, instituted an alphabet and writing in clay tablets and began the first roads of hardened dirt to connect cities. Pharodian civilization established diplomatic and trade relations with Daxian proto states to the east and with the polities of the Pukhgundi peninsula to the west. The Pharodians worshiped a pantheon of pagan gods, chief among them Dagan, a god of the sky, with the king serving as Dagan's head priest. This gave the pharodian line of kings a dual role as both secular ruler and head of the state religion. In time this would lead to attempts to bring Pharod's colonies under more direct control, starting a series of bloody conflicts that would span the reigns of several kings. | ||
In 1020 BC an alliance between Nasrad and Khaton started a war against the mother city of Pharod. The Pharodian army was ambushed and all but destroyed at the Battle of Parnaza, leaving the city defenseless and leading to its brutal sacking by the Nasrid and Khaton armies. After this Pharod went into an irreversible decline, with the city no longer ruled by a native king but by bureaucrats from Nasrad and Khaton. Statues and religious icons from the cult of Dagan were moved to Nasrad, signifying the city's new status as the overlord of the region. The collection of cities under the overlordship of Nasrad is now believed by modern historians to have been called the Union of Nasrad and Khaton, as the two victors over Pharod were for a time equals. It's under the reign of King Xvim the Black in 935 BC that the union began to fall apart over disputes centered in religious and diplomatic protocol. Xvim demanded that envoys from Khaton prostrate before him instead of the customary bowing, thus acknowledging the supremacy of Nasrad over Khaton. This dispute broke out into fighting in Pharod between the rival camps, with the Nasrids being chased out of the city. In response Xvim marched his army and laid siege to Pharod, demanding that Khaton surrender control of the city to him. When he was refused, the Nasrid army laid siege to Pharod for six years before breaking the resistance and unleashing the second great sack of Pharod which ended that city's existence for good. With the nobility and army of Khaton decimated in the siege, Xvim the Black claimed hegemony over all of the colonies of Pharod, he took the title of Highest of Kings to signify his new status. | |||
The line of Xvim ruled almost uninterrupted for 500 years, and the empire of Nasrad lasted almost 1,600 years despite many vicissitudes. The reasons for the longevity of this polity can be attributed to its efficient bureaucracy, the strength and unifying influence of the cult of [[Gilgeam the Horse-Eater]] and the constant warring with invading states from beyond the Arik mountains which left little time for petty internal squabbling. Despite this the kingdom was unprepared for the falling blade that was the [[Oduniyyad Caliphate]] and its lightning quick armies of cavalry that efficiently dismantled the infantry legions of Nasrad. | |||
=== Oduniyyad Caliphate Period (665-860) === | === Oduniyyad Caliphate Period (665-860) === | ||
Starting in 665 CE, the expanding [[Oduniyyad Caliphate]] began its conquest of the southwestern states of [[Alshar]]. The wali of the Bulkawan wilayat, a certain Malik Ibn Harun landed in [[Pukhgundi]] with thirty thousand troops and secured the submission and conversion of its rulers to Islam. He reorganized the kingdom into the Alsar Wilayah with himself as governor. Founding the fort of Haras at the eastern edge of Pukhgundi's territory and leaving a small garrison, Malik Ibn Harun continued his eastern march along the coast into the territory of the Kingdom of Lakdu, his army augmented by five thousand levies from Pukhgundi. Ibn Harun then gained the allegiance of the Lakdu vassal king of Sikam, impressing him with the size of his army and the tenets of Islam. Proceeding east and with his army led by Sikam guides, he outmaneuvered the Lakdu army and defeated it at the battles of Lodran and Porus, ending the kingdom's organized resistance. | Starting in 665 CE, the expanding [[Oduniyyad Caliphate]] began its conquest of the southwestern states of [[Alshar]]. The wali of the Bulkawan wilayat, a certain Malik Ibn Harun landed in [[Pukhgundi]] with thirty thousand troops and secured the submission and conversion of its rulers to Islam. He reorganized the kingdom into the Alsar Wilayah with himself as governor. Founding the fort of Haras at the eastern edge of Pukhgundi's territory and leaving a small garrison, Malik Ibn Harun continued his eastern march along the coast into the territory of the Kingdom of Lakdu, his army augmented by five thousand levies from Pukhgundi. Ibn Harun then gained the allegiance of the Lakdu vassal king of Sikam, impressing him with the size of his army and the tenets of Islam. Proceeding east and with his army led by Sikam guides, he outmaneuvered the Lakdu army and defeated it at the battles of Lodran and Porus, ending the kingdom's organized resistance. | ||
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Starting in 1946 popular unrest, communal and religious violence and persistent drought led to the eruption of violent revolts against the monarchies of Ghanim, Lakdu and Zawadia. An underground organization called the Unity Party that advocated the overthrow of the royal families and the unification of all the former Odduniyad wilayat of Rusa into a single nation state began to plot to hijack the popular anti-monarchist sentiments and ride the wave into power. The Unity party had for years been extending its network of supporters into the security forces and militaries that protected the royal establishment. On march 1947 at the beginning of Ramadan, army units sympathetic to the Unity party carried out simultaneous coups and overthrew the three royal dynasties. The Lakdu royal family was machine gunned down at one of their residences, Ghanim's king was simply prevented from landing his plane as he returned from a visit abroad and was forced to fly to [[Kandara]] and the Zawadid sultan abdicated at gunpoint and sent into internal exile. Street protests supported by the Unity party calling for unification quickly overtook any other proposal, with the borders seen as artificial constructs to keep the Rusani Muslim nation weak, fragmented and vulnerable to external forces. Ghanim's army commander, General Javad Spabod announced the creation of the Rusana Revolutionary Military Command that would include officers of all the three former militaries and act as an executive national body. The junta's first act was to formalize the unification of the three kingdoms into the Islamic Republic of Rusana. | Starting in 1946 popular unrest, communal and religious violence and persistent drought led to the eruption of violent revolts against the monarchies of Ghanim, Lakdu and Zawadia. An underground organization called the Unity Party that advocated the overthrow of the royal families and the unification of all the former Odduniyad wilayat of Rusa into a single nation state began to plot to hijack the popular anti-monarchist sentiments and ride the wave into power. The Unity party had for years been extending its network of supporters into the security forces and militaries that protected the royal establishment. On march 1947 at the beginning of Ramadan, army units sympathetic to the Unity party carried out simultaneous coups and overthrew the three royal dynasties. The Lakdu royal family was machine gunned down at one of their residences, Ghanim's king was simply prevented from landing his plane as he returned from a visit abroad and was forced to fly to [[Kandara]] and the Zawadid sultan abdicated at gunpoint and sent into internal exile. Street protests supported by the Unity party calling for unification quickly overtook any other proposal, with the borders seen as artificial constructs to keep the Rusani Muslim nation weak, fragmented and vulnerable to external forces. Ghanim's army commander, General Javad Spabod announced the creation of the Rusana Revolutionary Military Command that would include officers of all the three former militaries and act as an executive national body. The junta's first act was to formalize the unification of the three kingdoms into the Islamic Republic of Rusana. | ||
Altough nominally the same nationality now, the spirit of unity began to disintegrate amid bitter quarrels and the junta soon came to be divided along regional lines. The Unity Party also had envisioned having its military sympathizers give way to the party's political primacy, instead it was being marginalized and kept at arms length from all decision making processes. General Spabod and his Ghanim clique adopted a policy of empowering islamic hardliners in order to confront the Unity Party on the streets, with the Lakdu and Zawadid members of the junta supported the party. Tensions boiled over in 1953 after the Unity Party carried out an assassination attempt on General Spabod by bombing his military motorcade with RPG's. The Ghanim clique retaliated by outlawing the party and arresting the leading members of the Zawadid clique that supported it. This represented the definitive break up of the revolutionary military command into openly hostile factions. On one side stood the newly formed Front for the Defense of the Homeland(FDH) composed of the military forces aligned with the Ghanim clique, hardline islamists from Jamaat-e-Islami and the Party of God. Arrayed against them stood the National Congress for the Defense of the People(NCDP) formed by the Lakdu clique, the remains of the Zawadid clique and the Unity Party. Various groups such as the Christian Defense Militias and the Kassar Front would join the NCDP as the FDH made incremental gains early in the war. | Altough nominally the same nationality now, the spirit of unity began to disintegrate amid bitter quarrels and the junta soon came to be divided along regional lines. The Unity Party also had envisioned having its military sympathizers give way to the party's political primacy, instead it was being marginalized and kept at arms length from all decision making processes. General Spabod and his Ghanim clique adopted a policy of empowering islamic hardliners in order to confront the Unity Party on the streets, with the Lakdu and Zawadid members of the junta supported the party. Tensions boiled over in 1953 after the Unity Party carried out an assassination attempt on General Spabod by bombing his military motorcade with RPG's. The Ghanim clique retaliated by outlawing the party and arresting the leading members of the Zawadid clique that supported it. This represented the definitive break up of the revolutionary military command into openly hostile factions. On one side stood the newly formed Front for the Defense of the Homeland(FDH) composed of the military forces aligned with the Ghanim clique, hardline islamists from Jamaat-e-Islami and the Party of God. Arrayed against them stood the National Congress for the Defense of the People(NCDP) formed by the Lakdu clique, the remains of the Zawadid clique and the Unity Party. Various groups such as the Christian Defense Militias and the Kassar Front would join the NCDP as the FDH made incremental gains early in the war. The hostilities began with clashes in the capital of [[Tabish]] between the FDH and the NCDP, with the FDH being victorious in evicting their rivals from the entirety of the city after three weeks of fighting. | ||
====The Little Incursion==== | ====The Little Incursion==== | ||
[[File:DuanQirui.jpg|thumb|[[Qiu Heng]] ordered military intervention in the [[Rusani Civil War]].]] | [[File:DuanQirui.jpg|thumb|[[Qiu Heng]] ordered military intervention in the [[Rusani Civil War]].]] | ||
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Boosted by [[Daxia]]n mechanized forces and modern aviation, the NCDP began a series of successful offensives over the course of two months that pushed the FDH back towards the Mursi river in disarray and then forced them across with terrible losses of men and vehicles. Some 7,000 men from the FDH are thought to have been killed fighting to defend the FDH perimeter on the south bank of the Mursi as its limited transport capacity struggled to ferry as many of the trapped troops to the other side. The FDH lack of modern planes meant that their armored columns were prone to being destroyed by enemy aviation before they could be properly deployed for battle or were blown up piecemeal as sitting ducks. By July 1963 the NCDP had made further advanced north and retaken the capital of [[Tabish]] almost without a fight, the FDH too battered and demoralized to be able to mount an effective defense even with the benefit of fighting on an urban area, which generally favors the defenders. Only a month later the two sides of the civil war signed a cessation of hostilities that froze the conflict lines, the FDH only controlled a corner of territory in the northwest, some 8% of Rusana while their rivals controlled the rest of the country. [[Qiu Heng]] had maintained his promise to the people and delivered a short and victorious war. The NCDP began the process of reasserting its control over the destroyed country and rebuilding its political structures, only now heavily in debt to [[Daxia]] politically, militarily and economically; with numerous Daxian bases established in its territory. The [[Rusana Patriotic Alliance]] which is the direct political successor of the NCDP continues to steer Rusana into its neighbor's embrace, to the point of dependence. | Boosted by [[Daxia]]n mechanized forces and modern aviation, the NCDP began a series of successful offensives over the course of two months that pushed the FDH back towards the Mursi river in disarray and then forced them across with terrible losses of men and vehicles. Some 7,000 men from the FDH are thought to have been killed fighting to defend the FDH perimeter on the south bank of the Mursi as its limited transport capacity struggled to ferry as many of the trapped troops to the other side. The FDH lack of modern planes meant that their armored columns were prone to being destroyed by enemy aviation before they could be properly deployed for battle or were blown up piecemeal as sitting ducks. By July 1963 the NCDP had made further advanced north and retaken the capital of [[Tabish]] almost without a fight, the FDH too battered and demoralized to be able to mount an effective defense even with the benefit of fighting on an urban area, which generally favors the defenders. Only a month later the two sides of the civil war signed a cessation of hostilities that froze the conflict lines, the FDH only controlled a corner of territory in the northwest, some 8% of Rusana while their rivals controlled the rest of the country. [[Qiu Heng]] had maintained his promise to the people and delivered a short and victorious war. The NCDP began the process of reasserting its control over the destroyed country and rebuilding its political structures, only now heavily in debt to [[Daxia]] politically, militarily and economically; with numerous Daxian bases established in its territory. The [[Rusana Patriotic Alliance]] which is the direct political successor of the NCDP continues to steer Rusana into its neighbor's embrace, to the point of dependence. | ||
====Contemporary Rusana==== | ====Contemporary Rusana==== | ||
The [[Rusani Civil War|civil war]] left Rusana's cities in ruins, twelve years of fighting destroying what little infrastructure the country had possessed before. Moreover despite the loss of the islamists, Rusani society was still deeply divided along ideological and ethnic lines. General Farrukhzad Khosa assumed the presidency, presiding over a shattered and bankrupt country. [[Daxia]]'s [[Qiu Heng]] refused to withdraw his forces all the while alluding that ''Rusana was not ready to go it alone''. The [[Daxia]]ns did offer large loans from the [[Daxia]]n-dominated [[Audonia Development Bank]], which Rusana had little choice but to accept, setting the stage for a long term debt trap. In 1968 Khosa was pushed out in a putsch and replaced with General Bagher Badri who was ousted himself 8 months later. Between 1970 and 1977 Rusana had six more military leaders in the presidency. | |||
Finally in 1978 the [[Daxia]]ns conveyed an ultimatum to the government: install a civilian technocratic administration or [[Daxia]] would force the [[Audonia Development Bank]] to call for the immediate repayment of its loans, sending Rusana instantly into a default and economic meltdown. The generals in charge gave in to the demand and installed a caretaker government to organize elections within six months. The [[Rusana Patriotic Alliance]] was one of the first parties to fulfill the requirements to participate in the election, it had the backing of the powerful eastern elites, which got rich from their close economic ties with [[Daxia]]. The islamist camp was in disarray and minority groups like the Christians and the Kassar people were not about to cast their vote for their persecutors during the civil war. The RPA candidate won the election comfortably, pushing Saeed Golzar, a self declared friend of [[Daxia]], into Jalili palace. Although the islamists would rally in subsequent elections, the ruling coalition formed by the city dwellers, eastern tribes and minority groups was too strong to be overcome. The RPA has ruled since 1979 and has, with generous external funding, rebuilt Rusana back into a semblance of, if not prosperity, sufficiency. | |||
==Geography and Climate== | ==Geography and Climate== | ||
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The Constitution of Rusana states that the executive power of the nation shall be vested in the President. The president serves as the head of state and holds power over all public administrative bodies on Rusana in addition to being the Commander-in-Chief of the Rusani Armed Forces. A president is elected alongside with two vice-presidents and all three serve for five years. The president can stand for reelection for a single consecutive term. The president appoints the cabinet ministers and heads of state-owned companies, which are to be approved by a simple majority in the National Majles; he also has the power to dissolve the legislature and call for new elections. The President's official residence is the Jalali Palace. The current President, Rostam Khosa, is only the third civilian to hold the office after a long series of generals serving in the position. | The Constitution of Rusana states that the executive power of the nation shall be vested in the President. The president serves as the head of state and holds power over all public administrative bodies on Rusana in addition to being the Commander-in-Chief of the Rusani Armed Forces. A president is elected alongside with two vice-presidents and all three serve for five years. The president can stand for reelection for a single consecutive term. The president appoints the cabinet ministers and heads of state-owned companies, which are to be approved by a simple majority in the National Majles; he also has the power to dissolve the legislature and call for new elections. The President's official residence is the Jalali Palace. The current President, Rostam Khosa, is only the third civilian to hold the office after a long series of generals serving in the position. | ||
The bicameral legislature is formed by an upper-house, the 200-member Assembly of Tribal Elders and a lower-house, the 500-member National Majles. National Majles members are elected via first-past-the-post under universal adult suffrage, representing National Majles constituencies. The constitution reserves 80 seats for women and religious minorities, allocated to political parties based on proportional representation. Members of the Assembly of Tribal Elders are elected by consensus of the legally recognized tribe confederations. As currently only Rusani tribes are recognized by the government, the tribal assembly serves as a break on proposals from other ethnic groups. Currently the Majles is dominated by the government's [[Rusana Patriotic Alliance]] and allied parties, together they hold a majority of 329 out of 500 seats. | The bicameral legislature is formed by an upper-house, the 200-member Assembly of Tribal Elders and a lower-house, the 500-member National Majles. National Majles members are elected via first-past-the-post under universal adult suffrage, representing National Majles constituencies. The constitution reserves 80 seats for women and religious minorities, allocated to political parties based on proportional representation. Members of the Assembly of Tribal Elders are elected by consensus of the legally recognized tribe confederations. As currently only Rusani tribes are recognized by the government, the tribal assembly serves as a break on proposals from other ethnic groups. Currently the Majles is dominated by the government's [[Rusana Patriotic Alliance]] and allied parties, together they hold a majority of 329 out of 500 seats. | ||
====Political Parties==== | ====Political Parties==== | ||
Main Article: [[Political Parties of Rusana]] | Main Article: [[Political Parties of Rusana]] | ||
[[File:Rusana Majles.svg|thumb|Composition of the National Majles as of 2030. The government and its allies hold 329 seats versus the opposition's 171 ]] | |||
Rusana is a multi party democracy, as such many political parties participate in its electoral system. The current ruling and largest party is the [[Rusana Patriotic Alliance]] (RPA), a big tent or catch-all party that was formed by the National Congress for the Defense of the People in the aftermath of its victory in the [[Rusani Civil War]]. Originally deriving its power and legitimacy from its affiliation with the armed forces, it has transitioned to cultivating the support of the middle and upper urban cohorts, the professional class and ethnic minorities. The party advocates for relatively moderate state intervention in the economy while allowing private actors with enough incentives to compete, a decent social network and policies of international neutrality and good neighborliness with [[Daxia]]. The RPA is the leading party of the Builder's Alliance in the Majles by a large margin, with 252 out of a total of 329 seats. Other important parties in the Builder's Alliance are the Party of God that has corralled the votes of the Shia sector, the Party of Rusani Democrats which is an ideological offshoot of the [[Party of Daxian Democrats]] and caters mostly to people living in border cities and the Daxian minority. | Rusana is a multi party democracy, as such many political parties participate in its electoral system. The current ruling and largest party is the [[Rusana Patriotic Alliance]] (RPA), a big tent or catch-all party that was formed by the National Congress for the Defense of the People in the aftermath of its victory in the [[Rusani Civil War]]. Originally deriving its power and legitimacy from its affiliation with the armed forces, it has transitioned to cultivating the support of the middle and upper urban cohorts, the professional class and ethnic minorities. The party advocates for relatively moderate state intervention in the economy while allowing private actors with enough incentives to compete, a decent social network and policies of international neutrality and good neighborliness with [[Daxia]]. The RPA is the leading party of the Builder's Alliance in the Majles by a large margin, with 252 out of a total of 329 seats. Other important parties in the Builder's Alliance are the Party of God that has corralled the votes of the Shia sector, the Party of Rusani Democrats which is an ideological offshoot of the [[Party of Daxian Democrats]] and caters mostly to people living in border cities and the Daxian minority. | ||
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After Islam, Christianity is the second largest religious group, amounting to roughly 13% of the population. Christianity was first spread by the Qian dynasty during the viceroyalty period, as a way to balance the Muslim majority and create discord in the population. The [[Democratic Christian Church of Daxia and the East|Church of the East]] established as many as five dioceses on the area they were allowed to proselityze in, much to the chagrin of Islamic authorities. Christianity is predominantly practiced by people belonging to ethnic minority groups such as the Kassar people(who are exclusively Christian), the Tauqi and Yue; the government apparatus during the early Qian protectorate featured many bureaucrats who were both Christian and from a minority group. Christianity is a recognized minority religion and has protected status in Rusana. | After Islam, Christianity is the second largest religious group, amounting to roughly 13% of the population. Christianity was first spread by the Qian dynasty during the viceroyalty period, as a way to balance the Muslim majority and create discord in the population. The [[Democratic Christian Church of Daxia and the East|Church of the East]] established as many as five dioceses on the area they were allowed to proselityze in, much to the chagrin of Islamic authorities. Christianity is predominantly practiced by people belonging to ethnic minority groups such as the Kassar people(who are exclusively Christian), the Tauqi and Yue; the government apparatus during the early Qian protectorate featured many bureaucrats who were both Christian and from a minority group. Christianity is a recognized minority religion and has protected status in Rusana. | ||
==Culture== | ==Culture== | ||
The culture of Rusana has been most shaped by cultural currents from the pre-islamic period, its Islamic traditions dating to the Muslim conquest and by its interactions with the [[Daxia]]n dynasties to the east. Ancient states like [[Nasrad]] had a long heritage of sculpting, metalworking, stonemasonry and architecture that were directly adopted by the [[Oduniyyad Caliphate|Oduniyyad]] dynasty and modified with Islamic motifs and techniques brought from the cradle of Islam in the west of [[Audonia]]. The high point of Rusana's cultural development came about after the eclipse of the [[Oduniyyad Caliphate|Oduniyyad]] dynasty, which had become withdrawn and suspicious of foreign influences and as a result frowned on new developments. The emirate and taifa period saw a resurgence of art as there was an availability of patronage by local rulers, such that talent from many places could find a patron even in smaller courts. Many sculptures of Muslim rulers comes from this period, as the Islamic tradition of not depicting the visages of rulers was increasingly ignored. | The culture of Rusana has been most shaped by cultural currents from the pre-islamic period, its Islamic traditions dating to the Muslim conquest and by its interactions with the [[Daxia]]n dynasties to the east. Ancient states like [[Nasrad]] had a long heritage of sculpting, metalworking, stonemasonry and architecture that were directly adopted by the [[Oduniyyad Caliphate|Oduniyyad]] dynasty and modified with Islamic motifs and techniques brought from the cradle of Islam in the west of [[Audonia]]. The high point of Rusana's cultural development came about after the eclipse of the [[Oduniyyad Caliphate|Oduniyyad]] dynasty, which had become withdrawn and suspicious of foreign influences and as a result frowned on new developments. The emirate and taifa period saw a resurgence of art as there was an availability of patronage by local rulers, such that talent from many places could find a patron even in smaller courts. Many sculptures and paintings of Muslim rulers comes from this period, as the Islamic tradition of not depicting the visages of rulers to prevent idolatry was increasingly ignored. Miniature painting was created at the court of Lakdu and the old masters were able to foster students and pass on their craft thanks to the sultans of Lakdu. During the viceroyalty period, the Qian built many edifices that combined Islamic elements such as tiled interiors with their own native [[Daxia]]n architectural elements; regrettably many examples of this architecture were destroyed by the Islamists during the [[Rusani Civil War|civil war]]. | ||
===Music=== | ===Music=== | ||
music | [[File:Sassanid_Music_Plate_7thcentury.jpg|thumb|Rusani orchestra from the Menguzid period]] | ||
Traditional Rusani music is known as dastgah, it is vocal based, accompanied by multiple string and wind instruments, as well as percussions. Dastgah as is modernly understood began in the courts of Nasrad. The kings of Nasrad maintained elaborate orchestras to play for them and high dignitaries. A less sumptuous version of dastgah was common in towns and villages, sometimes performers would sing with a single {{wp|Qanun}} as accompaniment. The tradition of the dastgah orchestra was not lost with the Muslim invasions, different tones and elements from western [[Audonia]]n music were integrated into the whole, and a form of military band based around the musical traditions of Dastgah were in use among Rusani armies. The Muslim takeover had the unintended benefit of making music more accessible to the masses as religious festivals and public displays of piety became far more common, all celebrated to the sound of music. | |||
Contact with foreign influences added new instruments to the music scene such as the [[Daxia]]n gong and wind chimes and [[Burgoignesc]] lutes and guitars. Rusana's widespread religiosity has stunted the penetration of 'western' music styles, it is seen as threatening the moral fiber of the young and fundamentally irreligious. One notable exception was a presentation of [[Shon Iksung]], invited to perform at the Tabish Theater by the Emir of Ghanim. Iksung's performance leaving such a mark on the attendees that soon after the piano began making appearances among Dastgah performance groups. Modern western music is available in parts of the capital and in the southern governorates which tend toward being more liberal. | |||
===Cuisine=== | ===Cuisine=== | ||
[[File:Horsemeat_platter.jpg|thumb|A platter of horse meat served cold. There are three types on the platter: tripe on the left, roasted in the middle, and sausage on the right.]] | [[File:Horsemeat_platter.jpg|thumb|A platter of horse meat served cold. There are three types on the platter: tripe on the left, roasted in the middle, and sausage on the right.]] | ||