The Shahr of Hakamanishiya

[Hakamanishiya]

Official Name: The Shahr of Hakhamanishiya
Capital City: Khteshifa, Yehran Province
Government type: Constitutional Monarchy/Imperialist Theocratic Federal Republic
Executive Branches: 1 (The Shahanshah, Supreme Autocrat of Hakamanishiya)
Legislative Branches: 2 (An Imperial Diwan completely appointed by the Shah from the ranks of the nobility and the recognized national "priesthoods" [ that acts in much the same capacity as a modern Presidential cabinet, though their "suggestions" are often implemented as national policy without the approval of the elected legislature, the Imperial Senate with popularly elected representatives from each federated territory determined by population level. Several other smaller semi-autonomous zones, unrepresented in the Congress rely on specially created Cultural (Tribal) Commissions for representation on the national level. The Imperial Senate votes upon legislation to be passed to the Shahanshah for ratification, as well as overseeing the collection and distribution of income and commercial taxes, as well as the maintenance of public property and transportation networks.)

Federalist or Unitary: Federative
Provinces/Territories (if applicable): 5 Federated Imperial Territories (Yehran Province, The Kingdom of Ferakh, Upper-Gethistan Province, The Meshech Free-State, The Kingdom of Hadrianople) 3 semi-autonomous zones (Inner (Old) Gethistan, The Emirate of al-Hoyum (Islamic Gethistan)), The Meshech Lowlands
Head of State and Government: Shahanshah Xšayāršā the Twenty-Third (Xerxes) of the (Restored) Haxāmaniš Dynasty

Official Language: Court Dari
Language(s): English, Court Dari (a highly stylized and poetic (ie verbose) language used by (and required for service in) the government, Yehran-Pahlavi (similar to modern Persian, without much of the influence of Arabic, Gethisch (Eastern Germanic/Middle Persian pidgin), Meshech Hebrew (Aramaic/Hebrew/Turkic pidgin), Arabic, Koine Greek
Official Religion: - Mazdaite Zoroastrianism
Major Religions Accorded Official Government Toleration: (Monophysite and Gethisch and Greek Orthodox) Christianity, (Twelver Shi'a and Shi'a-Sufi) Islam, (Orthodox and Reform) Judaism, (Pseudo)-Mithraism, Zurvanite and Mazdaite Zoroastrianism
Population: 238 million (September/October 2007 estimate)
Ethnic Make-up: Hakhamanishiyan (Iranic, and umbrella designation encompassing all people of Iranian origin in Hakamanishiya, regardless of tribal descriptive, including Islamic, Monophysite Christian, Mithraic and Zoroastrian sub-divisions) 45%, Gethisch (Gothic-Iranic, including further Christian, Mithraic, and Islamic sub-divisions) 25%, Meshechim (Turko-Semitic, including Islamic and Jewish sub-divisions) 15%, Hellenic (Descended from pre-Hellenistic Greeks, almost primarily Orthodox Christian, with tiny Mithraic communities scattered in the Meshech Free-State) 15%
Currency: Riyal

[Hakamanishiya]

Shahanshah Xšayāršā XXIII, of the House of Haxāmaniš, current ruler of the Shahr of Hakamanishiya, and Light of the Hakamanishiyan Peoples

Xšayāršā, or Xerxes as he is more commonly known is the embodiment of more than a four hundred and eighty years of Imperial tradition and grandeur, representing all that is great and wise within his people.  More concerned with ensuring that his nation is capable of surviving on its own that interfering in foreign politics until recently, Xerxes has a strong reputation with people representing all racial and economic demographics within the Empire.  Xerxes is particularly beloved by the urban working class, who owe many of the concessions and subsidiaries granted to them in recent years to the mercy of the Shahanshah, or Great-King.  Xerxes does have a particular interest in the military, firmly believing the best way to ensure his nations continued prosperity is to maintain a force capable of deterring foreign meddling in the affairs of Hakamanishiya.  Xerxes is also fairly religious, pouring a great deal of time and effort in the restoration of the some of the Shahr's greatest Zoroastrian Fire Temples, as well as providing adequate funds for similar renovations in mosques, synagogues, and churches throughout Hakamanishiya.  Xerxes himself practices the Mazdaite-Zoroastrian faith of his forefathers, though he has shown considerable favoritism to the mainstream Shi'a Muslim population, of which his favorite wife Farah is a member.

Grand Vizier (Chief Imperial Adviser) Mohammad Ferakhezod Shah, Hereditary Shah (King) and Satrap (Imperial Governor) of The Kingdom of Ferakh

Though the Shi'a community is one of the many minority faiths within Hakamanishiya, it wields an enormous amount of influence, power, and wealth in the Shahr, primarily concentrated in the person of Mohammad Ferakhezod Shah.  Ferakhezod Shah is an integral and indispensable member of the Imperial Diwan, serving as the Chair of that body, and as the Shahanshah's regent in trivial day to day affairs.  Content to serve the Shahanshah, who in return ensures the continued rights and privileges of the Kingdom of Ferakh.

Arteshbod (Field Marshal) Ardeshir Babag, Diwan of the Stables (Minister of Defense) and Commander of the Shahr-Artesh (Army of the Dominion/Empire)

Few professional soldiers in Hakamanishiya can claim the respect and admiration as that commanded by Arteshbod Ardeshir Babag.  Born into humble conditions in the first half the last century in the capital city, Khteshifa and earning his way into the Imperial Military Academy by virtue of personal merit alone, Babag pulled himself up by the bootstraps, so to speak.  Entering the Shahr-Artesh as a mechanized-infantry officer, Babag quickly worked his way into a regional command- of the often rebellious Meshech Lowlands, where he proved himself a more than capable and competent military administrator while maintaining favorable relations with the many rival groups vying for power there.  Serving in this capacity for two and a half decades, mostly because any higher positions were occupied by men from powerful Imperial Houses, Babag was able to solidify his standing as one of the nations premier Generals, so much so that when the time came to appoint a new Diwan of the Stables, there were almost no other candidates, and Babag was the most qualified and widely acclaimed.  For many lowerclass Hakamanishiyans, Babag is a success story and an inspiration, the very ideal of the factory-worker's son turned warrior-prince.

Rostam Adabegh Shah, Diwan of the Sea (Minister of Foreign Affairs), hereditary Shah of the Adabegh Tuyulds (Estates) of Yehran Province and The Meshech Free-State

Though not nearly as influential or as close to the Shahanshah as the Grand Vizier, The Diwan of the Sea is slowly increasing in importance and potential.  Having served in this position longer than any other sitting Diwan save the Grand Vizier himself, Adabegh is an Imperial fixture, judged by many to be in the process of making good on decades of quiet service and political wheeling and dealing.  With the prospect of expanding the Diplomatic Sphere of Hakamanishiya now a reality, Adabegh is truly poised to attain a position of increased power within the Shahr.

[Hakamanishiya]

exiting Kheteshifa due south-east on Imperial Highway I, with the majestic Zagros Mountains towering in the background

The most heavily industrialized, largest, and richest of the Shahr's sprawling metropolises, Kheteshifa dominates the political and commercial landscape of Hakamanishiya as no other city has in its history.  Though its ascension to the status of capital city is a relatively recent development in the history of Hakamanishiya (only 223 years ago), it is almost impossible to separate the spirit of the Haxāmaniš Dynasty from the city that helped restore it to the throne.  For this reason, Kheteshifa is often referred to as the (figurative) House of Haxāmaniš, and many of the most important of the city's buildings and districts bear the mark (and names) of this monolithic family.  Kheteshifa is also the only city in the Shahr with a clear religious majority, that being Mazdaite Zoroastrianism, though there are also significant Muslim and Gethisch Orthodox populations present, each with a long and colorful history in the city.  Nearly all of the nation's banks call Kheteshifa home, making it the financial hub of the nation, and a potential global financial hub.  Kheteshifa also boasts the highest number of military installations in a single city in the nation, with most situated in the foothills to the north of the city proper. 

شهیاد آریامهر  (Shahyād Āryāmehr), or Tower of the Remembrance of the Kings

Marking the heart of Kheteshifa and the city's massive (public) Imperial Gardens, The Kings' Memorial Tower (as it is often referred to in English) stands as one of the architectural marvels of the modern Shahr.  Donated and totally funded by the Takt Corporation in 1984 to honor the birth of the Shahanshah's first son (and heir to the Imperial Throne) Kūruš.   It is 50 metres (148 feet) tall and is completely clad in cut marble.  The stones were quarried in the Meshech Lowlands, while most of the labor force responsible for the construction was drawn from Ferakhi masons and artisans.