Karthya

Karthya, officially the Gaîan Republic of Karthya (Ϫⲩⲙϩⲩⲣⲓⲁⲧ Ⲅⲁⲓⲁⲛ Ⲕⲁⲣⲑⲓⲁ) is a country in Rhodin that borders Ponterosa and Al-Sahran. The capital and largest city is Talun, which has been the financial center of the country ever since it's existence. The country is a totalitarian dictatorship, with a hereditary regime that promotes a hardline stance on religion, and further cements itself in Rhodin nationalism by establishing a cult of personality with the country's first leader, Saabiq Hasen. Before the Alnajaar Revolution, the country was an unstable mess that was reliant on its neighbor, Al-Sahran, and foreign companies to secure its legitimacy. Afterwards, however, the country has raced to compete with its neighbors in the modern era, with a growing economy, better living standards, and sweeping reforms to end local corruption. While the country does have a prime minister, it is mostly ceremonial, and power is ultimately centered around the Lord of the Sacred Land.

Outside of modern politics, Karthya is home to a rich history. It was the founding place of the Khalijtu civilization which built modern wonders like the East Obelisks, a set of ancient pyramids that were said to have been built from the top-down. The most famous of these pyramids is the Obelisk of Alkalayid, which is the final resting place of King Alkalayid his possessions, most of which still survive to the modern day. The Khalijtu were also responsible for the founding of what would become the city of Talun, along the Arhasi River. Originally named Almanubia, it was the largest marketplace in all of Rhodin during the Khalijtu Golden Age, and was home to a rich merchant class that was able to influence the civilian population. After the Almanubian Silver Crisis in 1150 BC, the city was largely abandoned and only recovered after the beginning of the Salaqamh Dynasty, who made Almanubia their legislative capital while Kurum was the executive and 'official' capital of the empire. After the empires fall, the city changed hands several times until 1901, when the Sultinate of Qiladan, Azarah, changed the name of the capital city to Talun. This was due to a wave of gentrification that Azarah was enacting over the country as a part of his modernization policy, which also saw the destruction of many holy sites to be replaced with theatres, swimming pools, hotels, etc. The official reasoning was that the name 'Almanubia' was, "tied to its ancient past rather than its growing future."