Shirazam

Republic of Shirazam ཉོམྷུརིཡེ ཥྷིརཟམ Jomhuriye Shirazam
Flag Coat of arms
Capital	Shirkal
Largest	Skandiar
Official languages	Ayar
Demonym(s)	Shirazamite
Government	Unitary parliamentary republic
Legislature	Take Vakilan
Population
• 2023 estimate	21 million
GDP (nominal)	2023 estimate
• Total	$ 457.8 billion
• Per capita	$ 21,800

Shirazam (Aryi: ཥྷིརཟམ), officially the Republic of Shirazam (ཉོམྷུརིཡེ ཥྷིརཟམ), is a country located in Central Ochran, extending over the lower courses of the Great Rivers: the Sin-Darya (སིནདརྱ) and the Bozorg-Darya (བོཟོརྒདརྱ). It share land border with Zilung to the north and Chulam Sea define its eastern border. It's westernmost border are the Gülam Heights. Most of the country is dominated by a steppe biome and the population is concentrated on the shores of the Great Rivers and especially at their confluence: the Green Delta (སབྶགུཤ, Sabsagusha). Skandar (སྐནྡར​) is the country' largest city and is located on the Chuyam coast, on the leftside of the Green Delta. But the capital is located deeper inland, at the confluence of the Sin and Bozorg-Darya: Shirkal (ཤིརྐལ​).

Shirazam was the birthplace of the ancient Avestani culture which gave birth to the Azagartians and all other related ethnic and cultural groups. Throughout its history, Shirazam has known three different imperial periods: the Azgaratian Empire, the Bayarid Empire, and the Zilung Empire. After 175 years of occupation, tensions between Zilung and the local Ayars people came to their gruesome conclusion during the Ayar War of Independence. Shirazam as a state went through multiple constitution: from a tribal society to a authoritarian state to a democratic republic. Shirazam is famous for its 'Bill of Rights and Duties of the Citizen' (མདནྕྷིཡོ ཏཀླིཕཡེ ཨཟཏམ, Madanchiyo Taklifa ye Azatana) which serve as the Constitution of the country.

The official language of Shirazam is Ayar (ཨཡར) and is spoken by the absolute majority of the population. Small minorities of Shirazamites speak Chuyan or Zilung as their first language, but they have no official status and are on the decline.

Shirazam is a single executive republic and is often considered the only Democracy in Central Ochran when compared to Zilungpa Oligarchy and Syalat Stratocracy.

History

Ancient History

Skadian golden parade armor

The first mention of Shirazam come when it is part of the Azagartian Empire as the Satrapy of Chirasmia, the « Far-East » of the Empire. The Satraps of the region refused to recognize the Mithridatids as legitimate rulers and declared themselves independent with the title of Skadanshah. The Skadanshahan rule was constanty threatened by both the Mithridatids and the Sayareses, nomadic Ayr-languages speakers. This led to the creation of the Fifty Fortresses of Shirazam (Pandjah Kala) which became a metonym for the entire kingdom. The Mithridatid ruler Artaxerxes II was the one to end in 500 BC six decades of independent Skadian rule, devastating and plundering the shores of the Bozorg river and establishing a new local ruler as vassal, client-king, and tributary.

This weakened the region greatly and Shirazam fell prey to its neighbor and similarly nominal tributaries of the Mithridatids: the Sayar people, who regularly led expeditions into Shirazam. In 470 BC the Tabarids, a Sayar tribe on which the Skadian Satraps had come to rely on for their military might, took over the region. Although they continued to claim loyalty to the Mithridatids, they would still come into conflicts with the Emperor as they militarily resisted the installation of a new Satrap by the capital. It’s only in 454 BC that effective control over the Satrapy resumed although it would prove short-lived: The Tabarids launched a new invasion of the province in 445 BC. The young age of the then Mithridatid ruler limited the empire’ response to the re-establishment of the Tabarids and their confederation but they would be finally defeated twenty years later. The leadership of the province was inherited by the Abayrids, another nomadic tribe, as a reward for their decisive support on the imperial side during the war against the Tabarids. The Abayrids would thus come to control a 'dual monarchy' over both the Steppe and the Delta, only nominally under the supervision of the King of kings.

Abayrids rule would outlast the Azagartian Empire, providing stability to a weakened and devastated region. They rebuilt the Fifty Fortresses and maintained their control over the Steppe until the rise of the Azban people. The Azban tribe took over a new confederation in the Steppe in 320 BC. In 309, after a decade of warfare, they established their own kingdom over Shirazam.

Whereas the Abayrids maintained a dual administration, the Azbanids settled massively within the Delta. New lands were exploited, canals were built, and new cities emerged. They took the fortress of Shir-Kala as their capital and developed it into a massive urban settlement surrounded by a countryside of canal-fed farmlands. As a result the Azbanids abandoned their steppe titles and adopted the old name of Skadanshah.

Intermediate Period

Reconstitution of the Azban-Kala, summer palace of the Azbanid Monarchs

The Azbanids reformed the admnistrative system of their predecessor by dividing their kingdom into 38 districts, each led by a Sharban, a Town-Keeper or Metropolitan. It’s in this urban-centered administration that the Skadian scholarly elite prospered. It’s on this local elite that the Azbanid kings would come to rely more and more against their own dynastic and familial princely competitors. A process punctuated with court reactions, intrigues, and small scale revolts over three generations of rulers. In 205 BC began the 24 years long rule of Vakarama, the 'Golden Age' of the Azbanids in both power and prestige. After his reign, their prestige would continue to grow but their power will diminish as local dynasties emerged in the Metropolitan Districts.

Bayarid Era

It was the Bayarids who definitively broke down the Fifty Fortresses in 857, ending the Last Alliance of the Chuyans and Ayars against the Bayars. The urban agglomerations that had survived the war were integrated into the empire decimal system: nomadic, rural, and urban populations alike were grouped into Arbat (sg. Arban), a unit of households that could maintain 10 knights, 10 soldiers, and 10 substitutes. 10 Arbat made a Jaghun, 10 Jaghut a Mingghan, 10 Minghat a Tumen. The wiped out Chuyan peoples were regrouped into two Tümen: the Karakaruls, north of the two great rivers, and the Kizilkaruls to the south of it. The nomadic Ayar people were regrouped in their own Tümen by the Bayarids, uniting them in a common Erron identity. The Sakdians, Ayar caravaneers and oasis-dwellers of the Steppes, were also regrouped in their own Tumen. Meanwhile, the Ayar people of the cities (Ovarashmians) that had survived the invasion were grouped into three Tümen and finally, another Tümen of Bayarid people, the Manghuds were settled to secure the southern border of the province. This would put the total population of Bayarid Shirazam at around 950,000 inhabitants, half of which were sedentary farmers, mainly concentrated in the Green Delta. Beside military services, the population under the Bayarids also owed corve work which was mainly used for the maintenance of roads, relay stations, and Caravanserai, keeping the empire administration functional. Cereals, cotton, and other goods were also collected as taxes to replenish the Warehouses then used by travellers and military alike.

Gülam War

The invasion by Zilung destroyed the sendentary, agriculture-based, society of the Green Delta and Great Rivers. It also disturbed the trade network going through the rivers and the oasis, affecting the nomadic tribes that had otherwise remained uninvolved in the war. A series of decision by the new leaders of Shirazam, including persecutions against certain cults, the forcible changes to mortuary rites and other practices, and the expropriation of the Manguds from their steppe' goldmines. In 1792 and 1793, Zilung Chen was forced to crack down against the Manguds, who had begun raids against the goldmines and the roads linking them to the rest of the country, and the Errons nomads of Gülam among whom opponents of Zilung Chen had found refuge. Three years later, four tribal people (the Errons, Manguds, Qavars, and Harulads) formed a Confederacy and led a wide-scale uprising against Zilung Chen. Insurgency against counter-insurgency, raids against expeditions, the conflict continued for decades. While at first the nomads had to bear most of the Zilungs' pacifying efforts, other revolts such as the Zealot Uprising disturbed and diverted Zilung efforts to other fronts. But in 1750, multiple treaties were signed between Zilung Chen and the tribal authorities, putting the worn out insurgency to an end with the exception of smaller groups who continued the fight in the form of banditry and other criminal activities that would continue to appear regularly until the War of Independence.

Zealots Uprising

Gush Garvan portrait

Ravshanism (ཌུནེཪཝྴནི ; Dun-e Rawshani) is one of the major religion in Shirazam and was especially popular before the occupation of the country and its integration into Zilung Chen. Its dualist monotheist theology made it the target of persecutions from the new overlords as contrary to their polytheist state cult. During the persecutions, the Leader (ཡམག​ ; Yamag) Yamag Bazin and his designated successor Mozag Arsham were both executed by the authority, throwing the church into disarray as the remaining Elects (ཧརྡཝན​ ; Hardawan: the clerical caste) went into hiding.

A generation after the invasion and occupation, the Hardawan Gush Garvan proclaimed himself as the new Leader of the community and took the tile of Zahag-e Yazd (ཟཧགེཡཟྡ​ ; Emanation of God). An ex-wrestler, he spread his teachings by performing miracles and curing patients who sought his help. The 'White Bear' (སེཝིདཛིར​ ; Sefid Xir) fame spread by word of mouth and he gathered around him a number of Elects and Hearers, the latter acting as the supporters of the former. Gush Garvan send his disciples across the Delta to spread his teaching, perform miracles, healing rituals, and help prepare the future uprising. But the 'White Bear' efforts were discovered and the Uprising had to be launched too early. Three years later, Gush Gurvan and his followers were ambushed and killed by Zilung Chen forces, but it would take anoter two decades before sporadic Ravshanists uprisings to stop.

Final War of Independence

Night meeting between rebel leaders

Gradually, dissatisfaction among the Ayars, which lacked political and economic status under the Zilung caste system, gave rise to demands for greater political autonomy and eventually independence. The conflict effectively began when the Front for an Ayar State, or FAS, a pro-independence militant group, preparations for a coup were discovered early forcing the entire organisation into an early uprising in 1888. The Front base of support was twofold: the nomadic and semi-nomadic tribesmen in the Steppes and the lower class Ayars population in the cities, especially where the Zilung colonisation efforts had been most visible. The period is generally described as three decades of Irregular warfare and a long-lasting Low-intensity conflict. Main participants included the FAS, the Ayar and Chuyan nomad tribes, the Zilung Military and associated Paramilitary groups. The war, different in nature from previous tribal or urban uprisings and other attempts at a nationalist revolution, played a role in the collapse of the imperial state in 1910. The war continued after the Zilung military' withdrawal as militias and secret societies continued the fight against the newly established Republic of Shirazam. By the 1920s, almost all Zilung people had been forced to flee the country due to the decades of violence and the harsh repression of the militias by the new Ayar state.

Second Republic

Batraz Khan Shazadeh was the first President of a liberated Shirazam

The second republic of Shirazam was proclaimed in 1888 by the leaders of the FAS. The Republic had, for decades, only a nominal government and was otherwise merely a gathering of various guerilla groups and other independentist groups. The first President of this new republic was Batraz Khan Shazadeh, co-founder and leader of the FAS. Other important figures included Zavir Khakestari (a religious leader, he was Batraz' right-hand man and head of the civil government) and Third Marshal Roxolan (Champion of the nomads and de-facto ruler of the Steppes and Batraz' rival).

This republic was mostly dominated by strongmen and warlords, with little room left for civil affairs and bureaucracy. By 1910, with the collapse of Zilung Chen, the Republic existence became more tangible and structures were put in places to administer controlled cities and regions. The death of natural causes of Zavir Khakestari left Batraz Khan as sole leader of the FAS. By 1913, Batraz had accumulated power into his own hand with his remaining opponents in the system accusing him of wanting to establish a Monarchy. The same year, Roxolan fled Shirkal and returned to the Steppes where he found refuge among the leaders of the Harulad tribe. In 1915 Roxolan returned to Shirkal at the head of a large force of Harulad soldiers and other allied nomadic people and it was Batraz who was forced to abandon the capital this time. In the meantime, military leaders in the north of the country established their own conspiracy. They captured Batraz and executed him. Northern representatives were sent to Shirkal to pledge allegiance to Roxolan. The Parliament was forced to vote its own dissolution and the Third Republic was proclaimed with Roxalan as its President.

Third Republic

Modern wax model of Roxolan

Immediately after the proclamation of the new Republic, the Marshals Quartet and their government announced the application of the Martial law and suspended civilian processes. The Four Marshals, Urkshal Khan Barri, Pishva Shiravan, Beg Berat and Oxotor took control of all aspects of government with Roxolan as their President. All five of them and their underlings came from tribal leadership and steppe structures. Their government was characterized mostly by their focus on military and tribal affairs, counter-insurgency and pacification of the country to the detriment of nearly everything else.

This military junta maintained itself in power until the death of Urkshal Khan Barri in 1929 and the resulting power struggle. Oxotor was arrested and the relation between Pishva and Roxolan became confrontational. Protests and riots multiplied in every cities of Shirazam and a new generation of non-military politicians emerged in the confusion. A delegation of the "People's Deputies" presented themselves to the Presidential Palace and demanded Roxolan' deposition. The latter agreed and dissolved his government, leaving power to a government of transition while a new constitution was written. This seemingly irrational move by Roxolan helped preserve his reputation as a hero of the people while placing his rival Pishva in a difficult position as he was forced into illegality and armed opposition to the new government. Lacking support outside of his tribe, Pishval surrendered in 1933 to the new Fourth Republic and was placed in house arrest.

Early Fourth Republic

From 1930 to 1931, the country was led by two institution: the Provisional government and the Constituent assembly. Ultimately, the latter was able to publish a new Constitution and unanimously considered its work over. Both the provisional government and the assembly were then dissolved and elections were organised following this new legal code.

Tired of the endless struggle over the executive and wanting to eliminate all risk of tyranny and monarchism, the new republic gave all powers to its legislative assembly, the House of Deputies (ཀཏེ ཝཀིལན​​, Take Vakilan) of 299 members. But, in time of crisis, a Rabhan may be appointed by the Assembly with extraordinary full powers of the state to solve this specific issue, but is still held accountable to the Deputies and are liable to prosecution after the end of their mandate. The first ever Rahban was Roxolan, appointed in 1946 to lead Shirazam through the War of Sin. He gave back his powers to the House of Deputies in 1948, the day after the Armistice was signed.

War of Sin

Shirazamite soldiers running through trenches in the ruins of Tabruz.

The recognition by Zilung of Shirazam' independence provoked an outrage among the military and the refugees who had been forced to flee their home due to the conflict. In 1921, a dissident secret paramilitary society was formed by retired and active army officers with the purpose to fight back against Shirazamite independence and ultimately absorb it back into Zilung Chen.

The society quickly grew by integrating existing networks of "counter-terrorists", "self-defence", or "resistance" groups and militias. This galaxy of small to minuscule groups thus gained weight in Zilung politics and the whole movement became infamous for its ties with terrorists operations including bombings and assassinations on both side of the border. By the 30s, society members reached high position in the government but also in the military. While reconquering Shirazam was by then considered impossible even by hardliners of the movement, discussions began on how to best place Shirazam back into the state' orbit.

In 1939, all the Exiles militias and networks sent representative to the first annual meeting of the People in Exile Party. In 1940, during its second annual meeting, the Party announced the creation of an armed wing: the Homefront. By 1941 the Homefront had begun operations in Shirazam itself, launching terrorists attacks against public buildings and officials while trying to win the support of the remaining Zilung people still living in Shirazam as well as the Chuyan people.

Zilung troops marching through the winter steppes.

What followed was four years of low intensity warfare between the Homefront and Shirazam' counter-insurgency forces. Slowly but surely, intervention from the Shirazam army to reinforce the border and to help in guerilla operations allowed Shirazam to slowly but surely gain the upperhand over the Homefront. The Apex of the conflict took place in 1945 when Homefront' elements were intercepted by border patrols, leading to a prolonged firefight exchanges in which Zilung borderguards joined to support the Homefront insurgents, leading to an intervention of Shirazam' armed forces.

Zilung Chen took the opportunity provided by this border incident to drum-up public support for a war with Shirazam. Following their failure, The People in Exile Party and their Homefront were sidelined as military forces were gathered up on the border. In 1946, Operation Riverbank was launched. The stated wargoal was to push back to the border to the Sin-Darya. After three days of fighting on the border, Zilung troops were able to push back the Shirazamites and enter the Steppes. From there began months of grueling fighting as the Shirazam Navy was able to prevent Zilung' own Navy to support the war effort and the coastline remained Ayaran. Meanwhile, in the Steppe, the front was much longer and the geography gave little possibility for the defense to hold on territory. Conscript forces were sent to hold on to the villages, the only possible bastion, with the support of mobile motorized units sent in raiding operations. All sense of a coherent front was lost by both side and the Zilung troops suffered heavy casualties for ever shifting territorial gains.

Clouds and smokes over Tabruz in 1947.

The final front of the war was Abshturia, the northernmost province of Shirazam where the Bozorg Darya flow between the Gülam Heights. There, after heavy fighting on the Bozorg Dary riverbanks (then the official border between the two countries) and with the support of remaining Homefront elements, the Zilung military was able to cross into Shirazam and occupy major sections of the valley. War plans were changed to favour this front when it became clear efforts were wasted elsewhere. Official strategic goals were changed to reflect the situation: the objective was now to obtain Shirazam' economic dependency by blocking of the Bozorg' waterways through which most of Shirazam international trade still flow to this day.

To complete the conquest of Abshturia, Zilung needed to take Tabruz, the "City of Roses" and third largest urban agglomeration of Shirazam. Most of its civilian population had been evacuated and Shirazam soldiers and conscripts replaced them, working day and night to turn the city into a modern fortress.

Remains of a tank found in the 80s in Abshturia

The siege and attack of Tabruz lasted four months and resulted in considerable Zilung casualties and demoralization among its forces. As an unfortunate consequence of being the first major theater to take place in the wake of Zilung' Draft Order, Tabruz was also the first battle fought by inexperienced conscripts which not only had terrible effects on the casualties rate but also on the popular perception of the war in Zilung with news and first-hand tales finding their way directly into the broader civilian population.

The failure to take Tabruz thus placed pressure on the government to cease the war as soon as possible. A spring counter-offensive by Shirazam also pushed the now demoralized and depleted military out of Abshturia and beyond the Bozorg river, securing the entire valley. An armistice was signed afterward, followed by the retreat of Zilung troops to their pre-war positions everywhere except in Abshturia which continued to be fully occupied by Shirazam' forces. Ultimately the peace treaty of 1949 allowed Shirazam to annex all occupied territories. The modern border between the two countries is still known as the '1949 Line'.

Politics

The House of Deputies

Shirazam is a Representative democracy organised as a unitary Parliamentary republic around its unicameral and supreme legislature: the House of Deputies (ཀཏེ ཝཀིལན​​, Take Vakilan). Sovereignty belongs to the people, and that power is vested in the Parliament. Its 299 members may alter the constitution and ordinary laws, dismiss the cabinet, and override presidential vetoes. They are elected for a term of three years using Majority judgment. Shirazam is thus divided into 299 Delegations (ཏསྒིཟ​, Tasviz). These are used for purely electoral reasons and do not conform to administrative divisions. the terms are staggered so that approximately one-third of the Delegate seats are up to election every year.

The Public Salvation Committee (ཀོམིཏེཡེ རསྟྒརིཡེ མརྟཞམེ, Komiteye Rastgari ye Martaxme) is the organ through which the House of Deputies control the action of the Government (the Diwan). Its 12 members are chosen for a year-long mandate. Their role is to serve as the link between the Deputies and the Diwan. The Diwan itself is made up of the different Ministers: Justice, Diplomacy, Finances, Military, and Internal Affairs. Ministers are nominated by Deputies and appointed by the House through, once again, the Majority-Judgement system. They can be dismissed by the Deputies at will or resign at their own discretion, triggering new elections. As a result, while there's no fixed time limit to their offices, Ministers rarely serve for longer than a year.

During time of crisis, such as war or period of intense civil strife, the Assembly may give extraordinary full powers of the state to a single Magistrate appointed to solve this specific issue. Known as the Rahban (རབྷན​), they remain accountable during their office and the Public Salvation Committee keeps its role as an Overwatch of the Executive' actions. They are also liable to prosecution after the end of their mandate, just like any other magistrate or deputy.

The Judiciary system is not seen as an independent third power in the Shirazamite system, but is instead an extension of Executive authority. Shirazam' judiciary is thus entirely under the control of the Justice Minister.

Main political parties

Political movements in Shirazam are characterized as being either Democratic, Oligarchic, Autocratic, or even Anarchist. The Democrats and Oligarchs dominate by their number although historically Autocrats have had period of great popularity especially under Roxolan. Anarchism remain a minority movement within Shirazam' politics, but has a noticeable presence nonetheless.

Democratic parties

• The Mountain: (Ayar: Kouha) is the most important party of the Fourth Republic in both adherents and elected officials. It present itself as the defender of the Representative democracy and of parliamentarism. In its thesis, it defend that the citizens hold the sovereignty collectively of which the Deputies are merely the Custodians. It present itself as attached to the "virtuous republic", the protection of personal freedom, and the upholding of citizens' rights. Today, it is seen mostly as a party of notables, clerks, and public servants attached to the Republic and its institutions, with a strong electorate in the urban middle and upper classes.
• Friends of the Constitution: (Yarana Qanune Asasi) Nicknamed the Ghirundhihan in Ayar, are the secondmost important party in Shirazamite politics, with a strong territorial base in the north of the country. Like the Mountain -the two parties were born as secessions from the original democratic movement- they are attached to the Representative democracy, the protection of personal freedoms and citizen rights. To the virtuous republic and collective sovereignty of the Mountain, they oppose the righteous republic with their dedication to the Rule of law and Constitutionalism. They see the expression of sovereignty by the people and their deputies to be limited by the Fundamental Laws of the republic and the jurisprudence. They also have a reputation for Jingoist policies especially toward Zilung Chen having often campaigned for war or sanctions against their northern neighbor and proactive interventions in other countries.

Oligarchic parties

• Social ideas: Part of the wider Technocratic Movement, This Party criticize the bureaucratic nature of the Republic and wish to replace it by a government of Technicians experts in their fields. They are especially interested by the questions of public education and social organisation. They promote Syndicalism and the unionization of all workers. At the same time, they wish to see a limitation in the wider Electorate to affect economic and social policies and to leave the decision to the Syndicates and their executives. They consider that the House of Deputies is there to represent National Unity and shouldn't have power over other aspects of politics.
• Future of Society: Born from a scission of Social Ideas, Future of Society represent the more idealist, moralist, wing of the Technocratic movement. They consider that the deep, wide, reforms promoted by the movement are not there to simply "stop sabotage" or "prevent corruption", but to reshape humanity as a whole.
• Iron Law: The Barbast Ahan is often resumed as the conservative counterpart to the Technocratic Movement. They are represented internationally as proponents of Liberal conservatism. They consider themselves the protectors of the Republic, and wish to put into place institutions capable of safekeeping it against populism and demagoguery. They have regularly criticized the stances of the Kouha and of the Ghirundhihan on Democracy as barely disguised apology of mob rules. For most of their history they've been defenders of the Census suffrage, Bicameralism, and have generally been supporters of all laws and reforms reducing or limiting the number of electors on either economic or education criterias.

Autocratic parties

• Call to the People: (Devat Bey Merdom) A successor to the People Rally Party of Roxolan, this party no longer contest the Republican model, but want to change the power dynamics between the different branches of the government. It notably demand the separation between the Executive and Legislative branches and that the former be re-unified and allowed to act independently from the House of Deputies. It want to make permanent the position of Rahban, as long as he is elected through the Universal suffrage and not nominated by the Legislature. It also always campaign for a greater use of referendum and generally propose a model of direct democracy between the People and their Leader. This ideal vision of society is what categorize the party as Autocratic within the Shirazamite nomenclature.

Geography

Apart from the Sin-Darya and the Bozorg-Darya river valleys and their common delta the Sabsagusha, the majority of Shirazam landscape is characterized by a cold semi-arid climate with hot summers (although not as hot as in other semi-arid climates) and freezing winters.

Economy

Up until the 21th century, Shirazam economy was dominated by its agricultural sector with an important production of Cereals and Flax in the Delta and the Great Rivers' beds, but also of Wool from the Steppe. But the main economic activities by the Ayars has been the use of the Great Rivers as waterways for international trade, linking Eastern Ochran to Belisaria on the Jade Road, trading silk, jade, lacquerwares, and other luxury items between the two continents. Trade goods were carried over by boats and barges as deep inland as possible before caravans took charge of the rest of the travel to Dzhuvenestan. Ayari caravans in antiquity were notably characterized by their drawn carts carried by bulls as they crossed over the Steppes and semi-arid deserts.

Shirazam, then a province of Zilung Chen, began industrializing in the 19th century in a limited number of sectors, namely agriculture, textile production, and the mining industry.

Demographics

Ethnic Groups

Ethnic Composition of Shirazam (rough estimate)
Ethnic group			Percent
Ayars			78%
Errons			9%
Karluks			5%
Manguds			4%
Qavars			3%
Bnezroï			1%

Due to a lack of Shirazamite state censuses based on ethnicity, the country' ethnic composition remain an hotly debated matter. But it's generally agreed that an overwhelming majority of the population (78%) consider themselves to be Ayars, speaking an Ayari language and immersed in a Melekist culture. Genetic studies however have shown that most of Shirazam' Ayars actually have Chuyan origins, although their ancestors have been thoroughly accultured through the process of Ayarization.

Minorities are found mostly outside of the major population bassins (the Green Delta, the Great Rivers' beds...) and in the Steppes and mountains. This include another set of Ayar-speaking people, the Errons who traditionally live mostly a nomadic and semi-nomadic lifestyle in the Gülam Heights and the Steppes, historically controlling a major segment of the Jade Road. They began settling down during the 19th century, a movement that would only really accelerate in the first half of the 20th. the Errons are divided in a number of tribes, each having their own Saints, Holy Men, and Guardian Spirits. The cult of Mithra however tie all polytheists Errons together. A notable exception are the Harulads, the largest Erron tribe, who distinguish themselves by their adherence to Aletheism.

But Ayar languages are not the only ones spoken in Shirazam: Chuyan languages are also present, mostly in the Steppe and on the edge of society. The Chuyan people in the country are called Karluks. The Karluks, like the Errons, are structured around tribal lines, the most important of which are the Bulaqs, Sebegs, Tashlïqs, Chigils, Türgeshs, and the Azes. Chuyan presence in Shirazam trace its roots to pre-Bayarid times and the Qavars migration. Contrary to the Ayars, the Karluks have historically been strict monotheists adhering to either the Aletheic Church or Ravshanism.

But the most important Chuyan-speaking people in number remain the Qavars. Contrary to the others, they are mainly a settled and even urban people, with a significant presence in both extremities of the countries: Abshturia and the Chuyan Lake' coastline. The Qavars' presence in Shirazam predate that of the Karluks, who arrived during later waves of migrations, and they differ not only by their lifestyle, but also by their religion (Qavars are traditionally Jewish) and their language which is from a different branch altogether of the Chuyan family tree.

But the Qavars are not the only jewish people in Shirazam: the Bnezroïs are a smaller but still significant part of the urban populations. The Bnezrois speak a Judeo-Ayar dialect which is largely mutually intelligible with the Ayari languages of Shirazam. Bnezroï is their exonym first given by their Melekists neighbors and is itself a deformation of their own endonym: Bene Israel.

The Manguds of Shirazam' southern steppes may be culturally very close to the Karluks, they are distinct in that they have preserved their Bayarid language although it has been heavily influenced by both Ayar and Chuyan. They are the remnants of the Bayarid Empire and its successors states: the Karabayids. Many Manguds pride themselves in their role at the forefront of the resistance against Zilung occupation and in the creation of the modern Republic of Shirazam.

Culture

Sport

See also: Shirazam All Wrestling Federation

Freestyle wrestling is the national sport of Shirazam. The country has its own traditional forms of wrestlings which have all played an important role in shaping the modern sense of Shirazam nationality and civil ethics. During the early modern era, wrestling was seen as a way for impoverished families to improve their situation, a star wrestler being able to support his entire family multiple times over. A number of sports associated with wrestling are also popular in Shirazam such as weightlifting and Bodybuilding, part of a wider "gym culture" considered by some part of Shirazam' "national character".

The secondmost popular sport in Shirazam is chess, played since Azagartian times under different forms. Shatranj remained the most played variant among the urban elite of Shirazamite society while chess, or "Latin Shatranj" in Ayar, remained relatively unpopular until the 20th century. In 1913, outrage grew against certain Shatranj players such as Kavad Oxormitra who practiced what was nicknamed "brown amateurism", participating in exhibition games and tournaments held by coffee-bar, festivals, and other patrons, in exchange not of a salary but "gifts", certain advantages, and other non-financiary compensations. Kavad Oxormitra responded by writing pro-professionalism pamphlets and introduced Latin Shatranj, or modern-rule chess, to Shirazam. In 1914 he founded the Shirkal Chess Club and, in 1920, the Shirazam Chess Federation. To this day, the SCF remains the state-supported national federation of Chess, with notably the privilege of selecting players for international competitions.

The thirdmost sport in Shirazam is polo, also known as Showkan. Like chess, it was developed and formalised at the court of the Azagartian Empire where it was played extensively by the nobility as a training game with elite cavalry units playing it to increase troop cohesion and improve the knights' riding skills. The game spread from there to other horse-based cultures, from the Qavars to the Bayars and even the Zilungeses who played a version known as 'Pulu'. It's this version of the game that became dominant throughout their empire. Their ruleset remained popular among players even after the Empire's collapse and remain to this day the main form of Polo within Shirazam. The sport resisted profesionalisation for the longest of time but entered an era of semi-amateurism in the 1980s. In 2004, eight polo clubs were able to field entirely professional teams and began competing in a league of their own: the Shirazam Professional Polo Regular League also known as "Regpro". In 2023, there are now 12 clubs with fully-pro teams and many more semi-professional ones. Overall, equestrian sports remain highly popular in Shirazam and just as the gym is considered part of the country's identity, "stable culture" is viewed as an equally important element of the national character.