Sultanate of Baba

The Sultanate of Baba, or simply Baba, is a sultanate situated on The Shire's far eastern Cactus County desert region, with a minor part in a steep savanna. It is known for its Arabic-inspired architecture, salt industry, and the Azra/Asad family regime.

Name

At its formation (year unknown), there are several names proposed by its founding fathers, possibly reflecting their preference towards certain forms of government. Other than "Sultanate of Baba", proposed names include "The Autocratic Union of Baba" and "The Autocratic Federation of Baba". Some records suggested that at its formation, it was mistakenly named "Sultinate of Baba" for a brief time.

The demonym of Baba citizens are "Babalonians".

Geography

The Sultanate of Baba features estuaries of three rivers. Two of the rivers (one with a delta island-forming distributary) divide Baba into four parts. However, there is no official delineation and naming of these divisions.
The rough division can be described as follows:

The northernmost part is known for golden domes.
The delta island/central part features Baba City station.
The central part is known for blue domes and is a location to the Baba South station and the Great Mosque of Baba. This part of the Sultanate has the largest area, the most buildings, and landmarks such as the Great Mosque. This could suggest that the area is Baba's grand capital.
The southernmost steep savanna part differs from other parts in that it is not in a desert; it contains a fortified mud-based village and is disconnected from the rest of Baba.

Yetu, a mud brick-based town southeast of Baba, is possibly a province of the Sultanate, implied by discussion records and the existence of Baba's flag around Yetu.

History and politics

A historical record mentioned the Battle of Baba in November 1927 CE; the battle was sparked by Kingdom of Fulfwotz, the predecessor of New Sammichian Empire. Before the battle, Baba was one of the countries within the Fulfwotz-led Overtaker coalition, before switching sides along with other few states. This triggered the Battle of Baba where Fulfwotz successfully sacked Baba's grand capital and instated the pro-Overtaker dictator, Sultan Azra si Saman (ibn Asad). Sultan Azra would later spearhead the 1933 Qolfa ethnic genocide. His regime was continued by his son, Sultan Azra II.

A news report from 2019 mentioned Baba strongly demanding the return of its artifacts from New Sammichian Empire, which were stolen by Fulfwotz during the Battle of Baba. The record mentioned the existence of a friendly relationship between the Sultanate of Baba and the New Sammichian Empire before the feud escalated the tension between the states. This might give a clue to another record's mention of Baba being 'antipathetic' towards the empire; this sentiment was shared by other states such as Laurelian, Oranje en Purpur, and Riverwood.

Diplomacy

Sultanate of Baba enjoys formal diplomatic ties with Osiria and Eville; records mentioned the existence of their embassy within the Sultanate. Osiria is also a sister city of Baba's capital; together, their governments built the Osiria-Baba Treaty Canal that connects both cities. The Sultanate is a registered member of the Shire United Nations.

Economy

Sultanate of Baba is a leading exporter of salt and slaves. To support its salt industry, the Sultanate hosts the International Salt Trade Center, with a salt factory and two salt mines connected to its office building via minecart rail.

Structure and transportation

Sultanate of Baba has two STA stations along the Empire Line: Baba City and Baba South. Costa Copy Medio has a branch on the latter. The Sultanate is also accessible through '/warp baba'.

Baba is a home to several buildings, including:

Great Mosque of Baba
a desert garden-themed ice cart track
an indoor-farming building
International Salt Trade Center HQ
a salt factory
two salt mines
two military bases
a lighthouse
a traditional market
a building with church-like interior
Wolfe's Egyptian Necromancer Restaurant

Non-lore information

The non-lore status of this section's information has not been formally reviewed.

In-game, the Sultanate was made and owned by player _DESTRUCTOR_, with other players Demonic_Wolfe, IapetusII, and RosalynHearts registered as Baba region members on WorldGuard as of May 2025. _DESTRUCTOR_ also made Yetu; the player had stated that both Baba and Yetu's names are inspired by the Civilization IV theme song, "Baba Yetu"; the player called it "Baba's anthem" at one point.

References

This list includes only public sources and does not cover original research or field surveys.

Kingdom of Fulfwotz, The Shire Wiki, last accessed May 27th, 2025.
New Sammichian Empire, The Shire Wiki, last accessed May 27th, 2025.
Protests Staged Outside Of Emperor's Villa se Vespania, Shire Global News, last accessed May 27th, 2025.