Jeddah

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  1.   1.  Description
  2.   2.  Culture
    1.   2.1  Species
    2.   2.2  Luperci and Non-Luperci
  3.   3.  Significance
  4.   4.  References
    1.   4.1  Geography
    2.   4.2  Language and Culture
    3.   4.3  Religion

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Territory Statistics

StatusOPEN ?
Alternate Textجدة‎, Jidda, Jiddah, Jedda, Jaddah, The Mermaid
Name MeaningEither the name of a former chieftain from human times or from an Arabic word meaning "grandmother"
Name OriginArabic
Date of FoundingStone Age
Primary SpeciesDog- and jackal-hybrid-dominant, significant jackal population
Luperci DominantYes
Population~50
ReligionIslam-dominant, with a Jewish and Christianity minority and a few believers of other assorted African/Middle Eastern religions
Photo by Naif Abdullah from jeddah, saudi araiba [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)]!

Jeddah was a city in the Tihamah region of the Hejaz Mountains on the coast of the Red Sea. It was a major urban center of western Saudi Arabia. It was the largest city in Makkah Province, the largest seaport on the Red Sea, and the second-largest city in Saudi Arabia after the capital city, Riyadh. It is the principal gateway to Mecca and Medina, two of the holiest cities in Islam.

1.  Description

Jeddah is located in Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coastal plain (called Tihamah). Jeddah lies in the Hijazi Tihama (Arabic: تهامة الحجاز) region which is in the lower Hijaz mountains. Historically, politically and culturally, Jeddah was a major city of Hejaz Vilayet, the Kingdom of Hejaz and other regional political entities according to Hijazi history books. It was the 100th largest city in the world by land area.

Jeddah features an arid climate (BWh) under Koppen's climate classification, with a tropical temperature range. Unlike other Saudi Arabian cities, Jeddah retains its warm temperature in winter, which can range from 15 °C (59 °F) at dawn to 28 °C (82 °F) in the afternoon. Summer temperatures are extremely hot, often breaking the 43 °C (109 °F) mark in the afternoon and dropping to 30 °C (86 °F) in the evening. Summers are also quite steamy, with dew points often exceeding 27 °C (80 °F), particularly in September. Rainfall in Jeddah is generally sparse, and usually occurs in small amounts in November and December. Heavy thunderstorms are common in winter. The thunderstorm of December 2008 was the largest in recent memory, with rain reaching around 80 mm (3 in). The lowest temperature ever recorded in Jeddah was 9.8 °C (49.6 °F) on February 10, 1993. The highest temperature ever recorded in Jeddah was 52.0 °C (125.6 °F) on June 22, 2010.

Dust storms happen in summer and sometimes in winter, coming from the Arabian Peninsula's deserts or from North Africa. From 2009 to 2017, Jeddah periodically experienced some of the worst flooding the former city had ever seen, destroying low-lying areas and causing old, weak sewer tunnels to collapse. Many streets and buildings in the low-lying areas turned into sinkholes and piles of rubble, and the westernmost part of the city is an unsafe ruin. Combined with lashings from sand-choked winds, sea erosion, the odd fire and the unstable sewer system continuing to flood and break down, it's very likely Jeddah will soon be unrecognizable glass, metal and rock buried under dry flora and dust.

2.  Culture

Jeddah's coastline development has almost completely fallen into the Red Sea. All the buildings, roads and sewers around its westernmost waterways are suspect to collapse or flooding, and only the odd explorer or those arriving port-side try to get in or dock there. Luperci settlement has moved eastward towards Bahrah and the mountains, with the majority of permanent residents settled around the three lakes/water sources at the dawn-most edge. The majority of canines live in dens and caves found or dug out, but some of the remaining central-western and central buildings are used by families or small packs. Some Luperci travel/live north and south of the city to catch and trade fish, setting up small, crude docks at the southwest and northwest extremes of the territory.

As in human times, Jeddah is still considered an important stop on the route to Medina and Mecca, Islam's most holy cities. Pilgrims are the most likely to come across Jeddah, as are traders going up and down the Arabic Coast. Former mosques are used as gathering places and centers of local government and worship, with traveling bazaars set up not far from their doors in hastily-made market squares. The sale and consumption of alcohol is banned in Jeddah, though there have been arguments between local leaders in recent years about the legality of substances like opium and hashish. Punishment for bootlegging - among other crimes - often takes the form of fines, public shaming, or corporal punishment. The local leaders also outlawed slavery and prostitution in 2014 after a Jeddite mother, her children, and several pilgrims were nearly taken captive by pirates under cover of darkness. Before then, slaves and ladies/gentlemen of the night were most often those passing through or their masters. Jeddites practicing prostitution were looked down upon due to local stigmas, and were often dissuaded from such work.

(Indentured servitude, however, is still considered an acceptable punishment for crimes such as larceny or destruction of property. Indentured servitude that includes concubine work and other such services is forbidden.)

Jeddah was also once known for its open-air sculptures and works of abstract art. The Luperci mimic this in making statues and figurines of ancestors, wildlife, canines, and other cultural and natural phenomena of the area, frequently decorating their homes and pack borders with them. Little charms and trinkets made out of seashells, washed-up coral and bone are a frequent souvenir for those passing through. Fist-sized hunks of coral building from the al-Balad (Old Town) of southern Jeddah are also traded and sold, taken from historic structures now crumbled and fallen into pieces large and small.

2.1  Species

The majority of Jeddah's residents are sighthound-type landrace dogs, possessing short coats, lean frames, long legs, a great deal of speed and stamina, and a strong hunting instinct. Jackals form another majority, and consist mostly of Palestine Golden, Common Golden, Syrian, and East African jackals. (Other subspecies occur in smaller numbers, and many of the jackals have hybridized children of one or more subspecies.) A very small wolf population is made up of the Arabian, Iranian and Ethiopian subspecies, and a large number of wolf-, jackal- and/or dog-hybrids also exist.

2.2  Luperci and Non-Luperci

Luperci are the majority, concentrated the most in Jeddah's heart, near water sources and around Bahrah. They are governed by a coalition of local leaders picked from the family heads and elders of the area's packs. Optime is the most common type of Luperci, but the concentration of Luperci at the local watering holes means the virus can be active in the water supply. Verto cases pop up here and there, and if they aren't taken in by travelers or certain packs, some Jeddites may welcome them and provide aid with their new lives.

The non-Luperci are more concentrated in the hilly east and the mountains beyond, but it's not unheard of for them to relocate or wander in Jeddah proper. The local term for these canines are "wild" or "living wild" individuals, and the term has also come to be a synonym for Lupus-favoring Luperci. They are expected to follow Jeddite laws, but are left to govern themselves or fall under the secondary laws of whatever pack territory they reside in. The non-Luperci share an odd relationship with the Jeddite Luperci, acting as stray dogs and local wildlife to them as their ancestors were in human times. Some are embraced, taken in as guardians, companions, friends and hunting aides; other packs shun them, ignore them, chase them away, or live in quiet co-existence. Sometimes a wild canine becomes mated to a Luperci and willingly becomes Verto to join them and Jeddite society.

The only places non-Luperci are forbidden from are places of government and worship, as it is believed to be rude and dirty (physically and spiritually) to have unclean forepaws or to travel on all fours in these places. They may also be shooed away or asked to leave if travelers complain of being disturbed or harassed by them.

3.  Significance

  • The character Atreyu was born in and spent part of his life in Jeddah.

4.  References

These are both references for this article and meant to act as worldbuilding starting points for those who want to add to Jeddah.

4.1  Geography

4.2  Language and Culture

4.3  Religion