
Isra
An arid, somewhat hilly land located along the northeastern flank of the Irid Laranor (Av. "Listening Mountains"), Îsra 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 Sîrayn. Its gently rolling lands rose slowly from the Sîresha river and the Sára Básk to the foothills of the Tûr Betark, at an average elevation of 750 to 1000 feet. The soils of Îsra 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. Îsra mwas be divided into two areas: the river valleys of the Maudar and the Sîrsis. Of the two, the Sîrsis Valley was more fertile. More frequent rainfall and deeper topsoil. Only a narrow strip of land on each bank of the Sîresha 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. Îsra and Cénnacatt 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 Îsra derived their waters from melting glaciers, snowfields, and runoff from rainfall in the mountains. Îsra was bounded by the Brû Isra to the west, the Tûr Betark to the south, the Sára Básk to the east, and the Sîresha to the north. The farther west and north one traveled, the more inhospitable the land. East along the Sára Básk, the rainfall averaged 15 inches a year, while a wet year would see less than 5 inches of rain in the Brû Isra.
Places of Note[]
Akhûl Isresk Kuyu Altin Kun Anyam Narad-Dûm Rásk Rîntark Tûl Isra Tyarrett Yenndrêd
References[]
- the Wild Lands south and East, Gazetteer by Pete Fenlon