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{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Elarai
| native_name        = ܐܠܐܪܐܝ
| native_name_lang   = Almeraei
| other_name         = 
| settlement_type    = {{wp|Capital city}}
|image_skyline          = {{multiple image
 |total_width = 290
 |border = infobox
 |perrow = 1/2/2/3
 |caption_align = center
 |image1 = Skyline_of_the_Central_Business_District_of_Singapore_with_Esplanade_Bridge_in_the_evening.jpg
 |alt1 = Central Business District
 |caption1 = [[Central Business District (Elarai)|Central Business District]] 
 |image2 = SIS_Building,_Vauxhall_Cross_-_geograph.org.uk_-_4541871.jpg
 |alt2 = National Library of Almeraei
 |caption2 = [[National Library of Almeraei]]
 |image3 = Obelisk of Elarai.png
 |alt3 = Obelisk of Elarai
 |caption3 = [[Obelisk of Elarai]]
 |image7 = Walhalla_wie_Parthenon_zu_Ehren_bedeutender_Personen_-_erbaut_1842_-_König_Ludwig_I_-_Foto_Wolfgang_Pehlemann_DSCN2430.jpg
 |alt7 = Royal Mound of Elarai
 |caption7 = [[Royal Mound of Elarai]]
 |image5 = Elarai Ministry of Defense.jpg
 |alt5 = Ministry of Defense
 |caption5 = [[Ministry of Defense (Almeraei)|Ministry of Defense Building]]
 |image8 = Indiana_WWII_Memorial_-_panoramio.jpg
 |alt8 = National Altar
 |caption8 = [[National Altar (Almeraei)|National Altar]]
 |image4 = Food_and_Agriculture_Organization_of_the_United_Nations_-_panoramio.jpg
 |alt4 = Location of the United Congress Food Bureau 
 |caption4 = Agricultural Bureau of the [[United Congress (Teleon)|United Congress]]
 }}
| image_flag = Flag of Elarai.svg
| image_seal = [[File:Coat of Arms of Elarai.svg|55px]]
|subdivision_type       = {{wp|Sovereign state|Country}}
|subdivision_name       = {{flag|Almeraei}}
|subdivision_type1      = [[Regions of Almeraei|Regions]]
|subdivision_name1      = [[Capital Region of Almeraei|Capital]]
|established_title      = Establishment
|established_date       = 6225–6170 BCE
|parts_type             = 
|leader_party           = [[Almeraei Labor Party|ALP]]
|leader_title           = [[Mayor or Elarai|Mayor]]
|leader_name            = [[Tamar Asuriel]]
|area_total_km2         = 972
|elevation_footnotes   = 
|elevation_m           = 103
|elevation_ft          = 337 ft
|population_total       = 9,891,013
|population_as_of       = 2024
|population_footnotes   = 
|population_density_km2 = 10,175
| population_metro = 19,871,091
|population_demonym    = Elaraites
|postal_code_type      = Postal code
|postal_code           = 0001-0001
|area_code             = 1
|website               = 
|footnotes             =
|timezone              = EST
|utc_offset            = -2
|timezone_DST          = 
|utc_offset_DST        = 
|blank_name            = Vehicle registration
|blank_info            = AR-I
}}
'''Elarai''' ([[Almeraei language|Almeraei]]: ܐܠܐܪܐܝ) formerly known as '''Al-Qatara''', is the capital and largest city of [[Almeraei]], located in the [[Capital Region of Almeraei|Capital Region]] along the banks of the [[Imir River]] in [[Southeast Abaria]]. Established between 6225 and 6170 BCE, the city has been continuously inhabited for millennia and was once a center of the ancient [[Aimur Empire]], and today serves as the political, cultural, and economic hub of Almeraei.  Elarai serves as the administrative heart of Almeraei and houses key government institutions, including the seat of the [[President of Almeraei|executive]] and its [[Cabinet of Almeraei|associated ministries]], the [[National Congregation of Almeraei|legislature]], and the nation's [[Supreme Court of Almeraei|highest court]].

Numerous monuments and cultural sites that dominate the city include the [[Royal Mound of Elarai]], the [[Obelisk of Elarai]], and the [[National Altar (Almeraei)|National Altar]]. Elarai is host to several systematically important financial instructions and the [[Elarai Stock Exchange]] (ESX). Elarai is connected to the global economy through the [[Port of Elarai]] and the [[Elarai International Airport]]. 

==Etymology==
The name Elarai originates from the ancient [[Almeraeite]] words "''El''", meaning "city" or "place," and "''Arai''," derived from one of the many names of [[Oraei]], a prominent polytheistic deity worshipped in the prehistoric and ancient [[Almeraei religion]]. The city of Elarai, historically known as a major religious center, was deeply associated with the god Oraei, who was revered as the patron of the ancient [[El-Arai]] and was a paramount figure in Almeraeite religion and culture. The name El-Arai is a literal translation to Fallish "the city of Arai" or "the place of Oraei". 

After the region that is now modern Almeraei was subjugated by the [[Shiraqic Qal'aldesh]], the Adorationists were expelled and Elarai was renamed to Al-Qatara which translates to "the place of dripping" or "the place of trickling water," deriving from the root قَطَر (qatr), meaning "to drip" or "to trickle." This name was chosen due to the city's prominence on the Imir River and proximity to numerous natural springs. 
==History==
{{Main|El-Arai}}
===Prehistoric===
Elarai and it peripheral region is one of the most ancient urban centers in Almeraei and has a history that traces back thousands of years. Archaeological evidence suggests that the area around El-Arai was first settled by the [[Onnu culture]] around 24,000 years ago, during the late Epipaleolithic period. The development of permanent agriculture, driven by the domestication of wheat among prehistorica populations laid the foundation for more complex societies, particularly as the need for cooperative management of natural resources grew.

Prior to the establishment of Elarai, around 9,000 years ago, the [[Imirian people]] established the city of [[El-Cimir]] on [[Cimir Island]], located in the center of [[Lake Cimir]]. El-Cimir's rise and demise played a part in the rise of Elarai. Approximately 6,170 years ago, an [[Great Flood of Adorational Canon|inundation event]] led to the temporary abandonment of El-Cimir, prompting settlers to move southward, where they founded the ancient city of [[El-Arai]].
===Ancient===
El-Arai was established in honor of [[Oraei]] by [[Araite]] settlers of El-Cimir. Literally meaning "the place of Oraei", its etymology is sourced from one of the earliest written recordings of a city's founding, known as the [[Stele of El-Arai]]. Archeological efforts in the late 19th and early 20th centuries uncovered that El-Arai developed in a similar way to El-Cimir, where numerous smaller agricultural villages coalesced into a larger urban center. Among the academic community there lacks a consensus regarding the validity of the story commemorated in the Stele of El-Arai. The Stele of El-Arai is also one of the earliest inscriptions mentioning the deity Oraei. 

El-Arai and its administration is documented through various writings, recorded mostly on {{wp|clay tablets}} and {{wp|steles}}. Modern archeologists believe that the more mundane administrative inscriptions found on clay tablets better reflect the growth of the city, while the steles were utilized by the early rulers of El-Arai for commemorative purposes that may embellish the truth. Archeological records show that El-Arai became the heart of a stratified society, with an extensive religious and political bureaucracy. The construction of the [[Royal Mound of Elarai]], a monument still visible throughout the modern city, is a significant archeological aspect of the era. The royal mound was constructed in El-Arai in a process known as [[mound swathing]], in which ancient rulers were interred atop predecessors’ mounds, creating a massive tumulus still visible to this day.

The city became an influential within the [[Aimur Empire]] around 4,900 years ago, during the rule of [[King Al-Hinnari]], who consolidated control over the reestablished city El-Cimir, [[El-Mur]], and [[El-Rheol]]. El-Arai emerged as the political and religious center of the empire, with Oraei as its patron deity. Emphasis on the worship of Oraei in the city is heavily documented, which historians call [[Oraeism]]. Other deities of the ancient [[Almeraei religion|Almeraeite pantheon]] also had temples dedicated to them in the city during this period.  

Dominance of the region ended after approximately 230 years when the Aimur Empire collapsed, and the cities became independent powers. Sometime between 4,400-4,200 years ago the ancient city of El-Arai were subjugated by the northern peoples of [[Ra’hat]], who established an empire originating from an area in what is now southern [[Razan]].    

===Antiquity===
{{main|Kingdom of Almeraei}} 
Approximately 2,830 years ago, after thirty years of wars and conquests, the [[Kingdom of Almeraei]] was established by [[Raeianar]], unifying the region to a scale comparable to the Aimur Empire. El-Arai was restored to a position of prominence as the kingdom’s spiritual and political center, where worship of the monotheistic God of the modern faith of [[Canonical Adorationalism|Adorationalism]]. During this period the ancient city of El-Arai underwent significant expansion, especially with the construction of the [[Temple of El-Arai]] and the [[Royal Palace of El-Arai]]. 

===Medieval===
[[File:Partal_Alto_DSCF7876.jpg|200px|The [[Gardens of Altan]] are remnants of the [[Al-Qatara Citadel]], constructed in 1391 under Shiraqic rule.|thumb|right]]
In 781, the city came under the control of the [[Shiraqic Qal'aldesh]], a Himaya power that exerted influence over the region. In 803, the Shiraqic retaliated against the Almeraeites for their [[803 Almeraeite rebellion|rebellion]] resulting in the destruction of the Temple, the Royal Palace and numerous monuments. Much of the city was burned, and thousands of Almeraeites were executed and expelled from the region. In the 805, the city was renamed to Al-Qatara. Much of the older city and the historical monuments of Ancient Almeraei were buried and overtaken by forests. Al-Qatara and its road layout was designed by the Shahanshah of the Shiraqic Qal'aldesh [[Selim Altan]]. 

In 1348 the [[Catabole]] and the proceeding [[Catabolic Crisis]] led to the collapse of the Shiraqic Qal'aldesh, and Al-Qatara was devastated by famine and disease. Most of Al-Qatara was emptied and left to ruins. Al-Qatara served as the capitol of numerous rump states, changing hands regularly over the next 400 years. 
===Modern===
It served as the capital of the [[Emirate of Al-Qatara]] during the early modern period before the region of southeast Abaria was colonized by the [[Hyacinthe]] in 1891. Interest among the Adorational community in Hyacinthe to resettle Almeraei had grown significantly, an essential element of the Adorationist belief known as the [[Canonical Return]]. In 1893 the first group of Adorationists returned, and the settler party to reestablish an Adorationalist presence in Al-Qatara was [[Tammuz Kinnur]]. According to colonial government, Al-Qatara had a population 45,000, most of which were described as being of mixed-Abaria descent, 58% of which practiced [[Himayaism]] and the remainder being Adorationists. Efforts to relocate the rural Abarian Adorationist communities to Al-Qatara resulted in drastic demographic changes, and the [[1898 Elarai riots|1898 riots]] that resulted in the deaths of 498 civilians. 

From 1901 to 1922 the Adorationist and and Himaya communities engaged in retaliatory hostilities against one another, until the [[National Adorationalist Front]] (NAF) seized control of the region and expelled the non-Adorationist populations. On October 11, 1923 the city was renamed to Elarai. On December 1, 1923 Adorationist delegates from across the colony assembled in [[Old Elarai City Hall]] where they declared the independence of the Republic of Almeraei.
==Demographics==
{{Historical populations
|title = Historical population of Elarai
|type  = City
|footnote = 
|shading = off
|percentages = pagr
|1900|203091
|1910|210450
|1920|218300
|1930|345210
|1940|482300
|1950|582000
|1960|770450
|1970|985300
|1980|1315000
|1990|2150200
|2000|5612000
|2010|7910000
|2020|9510000
|2024|9891013
|source = 
}}
As of 2024, Elarai has a population of approximately 9.89 million within the city proper and 19.87 million in the metropolitan area. Elarai’s population is predominantly [[Almeraeite people|Almeraeites]], comprising 82.4% of the total city population, or 8,873,330 residents. Other significant ethnic groups include; 405,490 are [[Southeast Abarians|Abarians]] (4.1%), 326,370 are [[Chal people|Chals]] (3.3%), 148,350 are [[Altiqor people|Altiqors]] (1.5%), and 138,460 are[[Chabur people|Chaburs]] (1.4%). 

Almeraei is the official and most widely spoken language in Elarai, and is used in officially in government, education, and public media. Other commonly spoken languages, primarily used by the Adorational diaspora, includes {{wp|English langauge|Fallish}}, {{wp|French langauge|Hyacinthean}}, and {{wp|German langauge|Ruthish}}.

Elarai is predominantly Adorationalist (61.5%). or 6,081,735 people, with the remainder of the population belonging to other [[Imirianic religions]], 9.8% practicing [[Himayaism]], or 969,920, and 1.7% practicing [[Palmerism]], or 168,130. In 2024, 24.7% or 2,442,830 of the respondents to religious surveys stated they were irreligious or unaffiliated.
==Economy==
As of 2024, Elarai's {{wp|GDP (PPP)}} is approximately $1.02 trillion, contributing around 21.2% of Almeraei's national GDP (PPP) of $4.82 trillion. The local nominal GDP of Elarai is estimated at $720 billion, or 24.2% of the national nominal GDP of $2.97 trillion. The economy of Elarai is predominantly driven by the {{wp|service sector}}, with significant contributions from {{wp|industry sector|industry}} and a minimal contribution from {{wp|agriculture sector|agriculture}}. Approximately 58% of Elarai’s workforce, or 2.91 million people, are employed in the service sector. Around 40% of Elarai’s workforce, or 2.01 million people, work in the manufacturing sector. Agricultural employment is minimal, involving 2% of the workforce, or roughly 100,000 people.

Services comprising 61.3% of the city’s GDP (PPP), equal to approximately $625.3 billion, including {{wp|financial services}}, {{wp|real estate}}, {{wp|healthcare}}, and {{wp|retail}} and {{wp|government}}. Industry comprises 36.4% of the city’s GDP (PPP), totaling approximately $371 billion. Key industries include {{wp|steel production}}, {{wp|High tech|high-tech electronics}}, {{wp|aluminum manufacturing}}, and {{wp|automobile manufacturing}}.

Almeraei's main {{wp|stock exchange}}, the [[Elarai Stock Exchange]] (ESX), located in the city's {{wp|central business district}}. The Elarai Stock Exchange has a total market capitalization is approximately $2.3 trillion, and an average daily trading volume of $6.8 billion. In 2024, there were 430 companies listed. Major domestic financial corporations located in Elarai include; [[Baqir Holdings]], [[Mazri Bank]], [[Sharaz]], [[Amanat-Imir Bank]], [[Raheemi Securities]], [[Yashir Corporation]].  
===Infrastructure=== 
The [[Port of Elarai]] on the Imir River is one of the largest river ports in Abaria, handling around 424,920 kilotons of cargo annually. Most commonly exported commodities include petroleum, aluminum, steel, machinery, and electronics, while the most commonly imported goods are high-tech electronics, aircraft material, pharmaceutical and medical supplies. The port facilities cover an area of approximately 12 square kilometers and include specialized terminals for containerized goods, bulk cargo, and heavy equipment.

Elarai’s road infrastructure includes several bridges that connect different parts of the city across the Imir River and its tributaries, including the the double-decked [[Kinnur Bridge]].  

The [[Elarai Metro]] is the largest {{wp|rapid transit}} system in Almeraei, and includes 10 lines and over 210 stations, covering approximately 380 kilometers of track. In 2024, the metro carried an estimated 3.8 million passengers daily. 
{{Almeraei Navbox}}
[[Category:Elarai]]
[[Category:Almeraei]]