Ameshas Dáma

Amardana is one of the major settlements of the Chawarasman in Andaperna. It is also more often than not the seat of royal power for these people. A well known and well respected building of the city is the ceremonial palace Ameshas Dáma (which actually means 'sacred hut'. The name might sound slightly disrespectful to those not in the knowing, but the Ameshas Dáma is indeed not a real palace, but rather a relatively spacy house with a central main hall and two wings attached to it. It is not built of stone, bricks or stomped clay, but rather of reed and yavété, a special type of willow native to Andaperna.

The special way of building alludes to the Chawarasman originally having been a mountain dwelling people and having no more than light and movable materials at their disposal. Nowadays the palace serves no longer its function as a living quarter but rather as a memorial to the origin of the Chawarasman people. But in addition it is also used as a place to conduct some ceremonies connected to the cult around the ancestors.

The Ameshas Dáma, while being rebuild every 54 years, is always strictly rebuild in a certain manner as to preserve the crafts needed to build such ancient dwellings. This rebuilding in itself is a form of ancestor worship. The basic structure is a central hall, that is eight by twelve paces, it is flanked by two wings, which is an interesting feature considering most traditional buildings have a very simple base shape like an oval or a rectangle. No traces of other old settlements exist to confirm whether this shape is original or represents a later development. The Chawarasman may have come from the mountains as a nomadic people and started building with cheap and easily available ressources like reed and willows, incorporating their basketweaving techniques into their form of architecture, while the house shapes of already sedentary people in Andaperna inspired their house shapes as well, which could explain the more complex structure.

The Ameshas Dáma, although called a palace, is not a place of political power. It is used only by the king and only for certain royal and annual ceremonies.

The Ameshas Dáma is an important part of Chawarasman culture and religion. The regular renovation helps preserve crafts, that would be forgotten or developed further otherwise. It encapsulates a certain standard of technology from millenia ago. Also it is a well respected and revered building, not only among the Chawarasman. Like all religious buildings it is protected by the covenant by which all Andapernan peoples abide, even across ethnic boundaries. It is cherished for the fine and intricate basketry technology displayed in the building, which shows itself in the stunning decorative patterns that can be observed all over the building.