Îsra



An arid, somewhat hilly land located along the northeastern flank of the Ered Laranor (Q. "Yellow Mountains"), Isra was part of Sîrayn-"Greater Harad." It comprised all the land including and between the Maudar and Sîrsis river valleys. Its sendentary, Apysaic-speaking population was concentrated in the two riverine vales, both of which supported substantial agricultural communities. Their principal crops included wheat, rice, and cotton.

Isra was the breadbasket of Sirayn. Its gently rolling lands rose slowly from the Sîresha river and the Sara Bask to the foothills of the Tûr Betark, at an average elevation of 750 to 1000 feet. The soils of Isra were formed over the ages by materials eroded from the mountains to the south. Before the weather patterns changed, the area was more lush than at present. A deep, yellowish topsoil developed. Isra mwas be divided into two areas: the river valleys of the Maudar and the Sirsis. Of the two, the Sirsis Valley was more fertile. More frequent rainfall and deeper topsoil. Only a narrow strip of land on each bank of the Siresha and the Maudar might be used for farming. Away from the rivers, it was impossible to grow crops without extensive irrigation. In some areas, canals had been constructed to bring water to the fields from the rivers. In others, wells provided moisture. Isra and Chennacatt were both too far inland to receive any coastal rainfall from the Bay of Ormal. They were also in the “rain shadow” of the Tûr Betark and did not receive precipitation from the south. The rivers and streams that flew through Isra derived their waters from melting glaciers, snowfields, and runoff from rainfall in the mountains. Isra was bounded by the Bru Isra to the west, the Tûr Betark to the south, the Sara Bask to the east, and the Siresha to the north. The farther west and north one traveled, the more inhospitable the land. East along the Sara Bask, the rainfall averaged 15 inches a year, while a wet year would see less than 5 inches of rain in the Bru Isra.

Places of Note
Akhûl Isresk Kuyu Altin Narad-Dûm Rask Rîntark Tûl Isra Tyarrett Yenndrêd