some suggestions/questions about Arabia, Qaraqum...

[CATARAX]

I always wondered why Buraydah (arabia), qaraqum and tibet (lhasa) were inaccessible. I can understand tibet, but definitely not arabia and qaraqum, even though they are desserts.

anyways, I think it would be much more interesting to see the current arabia split up into 4/5 settlements and accessible, that would make for news paths to the indian ocean from the meditteranean, and across arabia to mecca, medina, jerusalem, and north africa. and also, is there a way to give "religious status" to cities? so for example if mecca and medina were captured by a christian faction, all muslim factions would declare jihad on that particular faction, etc.

C.

[Ahiga]

Actually I can't understand Tibet so to speak, and can understand Arabia. It was always very strange to have full stacks wandering through the Arabian Desert, and risking an absolute statement, it is really impossible to have had any large-standing army cross the interior of the Arabian desert until the modern day.

There was a case of the Muslim Arabs of the Rashidun Caliphate doing an exceptional feat by crossing the northern reaches of the Arabian Desert through hostile territory. They had to bring along camels ripened with water to kill them for it and even then it was an arduous struggle. If they would have problems just in the north, I could not imagine any army being able to pass through the deeper interior. Gedrosia gave Alexander terrible trouble (Something like 3 quarters of his army killed off by the climate) and his was an army with far better supply systems than some of our factions.



There's just no water there. The Oasis away from the Empty Quarter (I am not sure the Bedouin live in the Empty Quarter) would hardly be able to sustain any invading army.

[Otsman]

Actually I can't understand Tibet so to speak, and can understand Arabia. It was always very strange to have full stacks wandering through the Arabian Desert, and risking an absolute statement, it is really impossible to have had any large-standing army cross the interior of the Arabian desert until the modern day.

There was a case of the Muslim Arabs of the Rashidun Caliphate doing an exceptional feat by crossing the northern reaches of the Arabian Desert through hostile territory. They had to bring along camels ripened with water to kill them for it and even then it was an arduous struggle. If they would have problems just in the north, I could not imagine any army being able to pass through the deeper interior. Gedrosia gave Alexander terrible trouble (Something like 3 quarters of his army killed off by the climate) and his was an army with far better supply systems than some of our factions.



There's just no water there. The Oasis away from the Empty Quarter (I am not sure the Bedouin live in the Empty Quarter) would hardly be able to sustain any invading army.

wow, if you look close, you can see all of the dried up riverbeds, that proves arabia was actually a very green place, sry, a little spam

[Miraj]

wow, if you look close, you can see all of the dried up riverbeds, that proves arabia was actually a very green place, sry, a little spam

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wadi

Wadis are the streams in a desert environment and generally are dry year round except after a rain. The desert environment is characterized by a sudden but frequent heavy rainfall. As rainfall occurs near hill ranges, wadis usually form near a hilly terrain.

Those are actually "Wadis". While 99% of the year there is no rain, it still does occasionally fall. And when rain falls in the desert it's usually pretty heavy and forms these temporary streams called "wadis". That's what those are.. I believe.

Pics of Wadis:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[nnnm]

even Bedouins can't live in the Empty Quarter.

[Miraj]

Karakum - has been removed for 1.1

Arabia - Ahiga already mentioned clearly why this region is unconquerable. I guess the better term would be "inhospitable". I may however, add conquerable regions on the edges of this region (near Syria).


@Ahiga

Tibet:
I have not once read any nations coming from the south or west and conquering Tibet. Its near impossible to cross those mountains with a large army.

One Ghorid general, the conquerer of Bengal, apparently launched an expedition to invade tibet from bengal (presumably going through Nepal) and paid dearly with his life: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bakhtiyar_Khalji#Conquests

Khilji led a disastrous campaign into Tibet, and died in 1206 CE while on the retreat.

The only direction to conquer Tibet is from the North or the East, something which the Kara Khitai will be able to do in 2.0.

[Otsman]

at one point in time there was a major river flowing through arabia (the biblical Pishon), and a modern day wadi could very well be a dried up part of that river. this was of course thousands and thousands, or even millions of years ago.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Havilah

http://www.adias-uae.com/feature.html

[zznɟ ǝɥʇ]

Very cool, one of the most fascinating parts of history is the change in geography and environments.

[Hookah Smoking Caterpiller]

Damit, I wan't to paint Arabia black and gold, its no fun to just have the edges...