Tûl Îsra was the administrative capital of Sîrayn. It was located on the east bank of the Hayk Sarzain, a ravine filled by the Maudar River to form a deep lake, in the midst of the province of Îsra. For centuries, the Taryb of this city had ruled six of the seven cities in the Mezin-taryb.When the schemes of Tartas-Izain, the Taraskôn in the years following T.A. 1632, succeeded, the conquest of Tûl Harar completed Tûl Îsra's dominion over the lands of Greater Harad.
History
Tûl Îsra was founded in the early Second Age. The Yól Îsra, a trade route branching from the Camel Road near the confluence of the Sîresha and Maudar Rivers, even then passed by the city on its way to the Tûr Betark and through the mountains to the Utter South. The original city was located northwest of the Hayk Sarzain (Ta. “Swollen-waters in the Earth-sands”) and was inhabited until its destruction in S.A. 1933. Later in the Second Age, the village of Mûmett was founded on the eastern shore of the lake. In T.A. 83, members of Clan Másra refounded Tûl Îsra south of the village on the east bank. The new location boasted a more defensible bluff which would augment city walls. Some of the building materials were taken from the nearby ruins, but much of the required stone was quarried in the Brû Isra. Initially, a thick wall, twenty feet high, was raised, while residences, shops, a large bazaar and open market, and some administrative offices were constructed within. Gates located on the southem and western edges of Tûl Îsra pierced the defensive rampart. In time, the population out-grew the city. The administrative buildings were moved into a new expansive plaza which included a palace. Construction continued for a decade in order to complete the complex. During the final phases, the city was expanded to the south by the addition of a new outer wall, and the inner walls were strengthened. Centuries later, following the slow accumulation of workshops, artisans’ homes, and dining establishments outside the northwestem walls, another section of outer wall was constructed. Throughout the city’s history, continued construction, renovation, and the collapse of old buildings had changed the interior streets and neighborhoods.
Places of Note:
Wealthy Homes at Tûl Îsra
- Atakolett’s Exchange
- The Bazaar
- The Bell Tower
- Caravan Grounds
- City Market
- The Debtor's Prison
- The Desert Mouse
- The Gôhark Naunîr
- Nalaûm’s House of Pleasure
- The outer City
- Peshtîn's Ark
- The Ruby Spider
- The Ruins
- The Sarásk Balabytt
- The Silken Path Inn
- The Silver Palm
- The Slave Market
- Tar Rîbausk
- Sámaub’s Waters
- The Tayé School and Library
- Tayé-Temple
- Temple of Saubaiz
- Temple of the Silent One
- Temple of the True Flame
- The Theatre
- The Thieves Den
- The Vine and Vessel Inn
- The Vixen’s Abode