Jannatari

Feminine names among the Jannatari are chosen for their melodic beauty and symbolic grace, often evoking light, water, endurance, or renewal. They reflect not just aesthetic ideals, but also the enduring belief that harmony and gentleness are forms of strength.

Names such as Yasmina (“jasmine”), Layla (“night”), Samira (“companion in conversation”), Nadia (“hope”), and Amira (“noble one”) remain widely used, bridging household tradition, poetic legacy, and the elemental philosophy of Al-Zahira.

In principle, such names are not strictly gendered. Within Jannatari culture, names describe a person’s essence, not their body or social role. Many individuals of other genders, especially among the Zayyuh, carry names once considered feminine, embracing them as symbols of inner balance. This reflects the long-standing Zahiran ideal that love, beauty, and loyalty belong to all hearts alike.

However, in the current political climate under Sultan Rahim III, where moral conservatism has tightened public expression, naming has quietly taken on new meaning. Families who retain fluid or dual-use names — or who choose them openly for their children — often do so as a quiet act of resistance, asserting Al-Zahira’s older, more tolerant identity against imported orthodoxy.

Even now, the blessing of a name is rarely bureaucratic: it is a spiritual declaration. The eldest woman or the local priest of the Sha’irat al-Nar traditionally bestows it, meditating on the newborn’s temperament and elemental affinity before speaking it aloud for the first time — a moment seen as the soul’s first recognition of itself.

Masculine names among the Jannatari traditionally symbolise strength through stability — not conquest, but endurance, reliability, and honour.
They often draw from nature, celestial imagery, or virtues admired in both warriors and scholars alike.

Names such as Rafiq (“companion, ally”), Kareem (“generous”), Jalil (“great, majestic”), Farid (“unique”), and Naseem (“breeze”) express the ideal Zahiran balance between strength and grace. Even Harith (“guardian of the land”) and Tariq (“he who knocks at the gate”) evoke purpose rather than aggression — a reflection of how Jannatari masculinity is defined by duty and restraint, not dominance.

As with feminine naming, these conventions are not rigidly gendered. Names of this kind may also be borne by women or Zayyuh whose temperament or elemental aspect resonates with steadfastness or protection.
Such fluidity in naming is widely accepted in private life, though it has become politically sensitive in recent years.

Under the conservative decrees of Sultan Rahim III, traditional Zahiran virtues of openness and affection have been publicly rebranded as “weakness”. As a result, many families now choose older, poetic masculine names — some deliberately ambiguous — as a quiet reaffirmation of Zahiran identity. A man named Naseem may thus carry both cultural nostalgia and political defiance in his name.

Formally, a child’s name is blessed either by the head of household (ra’īs al-ʿāʾila) or, in noble and priestly families, by a temple officiant. It is common to mark the occasion with a small brazier or lamp ceremony — a symbolic “first fire” that honours the household’s flame and declares the child under its protection.

Unisex names hold a special place in Jannatari culture, reflecting the belief that every soul carries both balance and duality — fire and water, earth and air.
Such names are often associated with harmony, light, or virtue, and are widely used among Zayyuh families or those who wish to express spiritual neutrality and equality within their household.

Common examples include Nur (“light”), Amal (“hope”), Rahil (“traveller”), Saif (“sword”), Azhar (“radiant, blooming”), and Samir (“pleasant companion”).
These names are valued not for their grammatical gender, but for the feeling they convey — serenity, clarity, courage, or beauty.

Historically, Al-Zahira’s acceptance of diverse unions and identities made such names an ordinary part of life. However, under the current reactionary climate of Sultan Rahim III, they have quietly become a mark of quiet defiance.
Parents who name their children with gender-neutral or shared names subtly reaffirm the older Zahiran principle that identity is born of the soul, not the body.

In many temples of the Sha’irat al-Nar, a child receiving a unisex name is said to have been “kissed by two winds” — a poetic blessing suggesting that their spirit moves freely between the elements.
Such individuals are often admired for their empathy and insight, and their names frequently appear in Zahiran poetry as symbols of renewal and hope.

In Jannatari society, family names (asmāʾ al-ʿāʾilāt) signify far more than lineage. They are statements of belonging, loyalty, and chosen kinship, shaped by consent rather than convention.
Unlike in many cultures where names trace bloodlines, Zahiran families — particularly in the cities — define themselves through shared household bonds, often forged by affection, partnership, or spiritual fellowship.

When partners form a recognised union, they have two traditional options regarding the family name:

1. Adoption of an Existing Surname
   One partner may take the surname of the other. The individual whose name is taken is then formally regarded as the head of household (raʾīs al-ʿāʾila), assuming both symbolic and practical responsibility for the family’s welfare and reputation.
   This role is not bound by gender or age; what matters is competence and mutual consent.
2. Creation of a New Family Name
   Partners may instead craft a shared surname that expresses mutual values, ancestral homage, or an aspiration. Such names often reference elements, virtues, or poetic imagery — al-Nūrī (“of the light”), al-Ramlī (“of the sands”), al-Samāwī (“of the heavens”), al-Laylī (“of the night”).
   The family then designates its head by private agreement, not lineage.

This flexible approach to kinship once embodied the Zahiran ideal that love, loyalty, and consent form the true foundation of a household.
Before the reign of Sultan Rahim III, same-gender and polyamorous unions were recognised under civil law, with family names freely chosen to reflect equality and affection.

However, under Rahim’s moral decrees, such unions have been criminalised outright, and families that once bore dual or gender-neutral surnames now risk persecution if they continue the practice openly.
Even so, some citizens persist in private, quietly preserving their old naming customs as acts of remembrance and defiance.
Among poets and scholars, the idea that “a chosen name cannot be unchosen” remains a discreet but powerful statement of cultural resistance.

Family names typically follow the Arabic pattern “al-descriptor”, marking origin, profession, or element.
Rural households might bear names tied to geography — al-Mahrahī (“of Mahrah”), al-Sirrī (“of the mountain”) — while temple families often take names connected to the flame or the elements.
Among the Zayyuh, names are sometimes chosen to echo their elemental aspect, such as al-Nārī (fire-touched) or al-Rīḥī (air-touched).

To the Jannatari, a family name is not a relic of ancestry but a living oath — a flame of memory carried forward even in darkness.
As the proverb says,

“The name you choose is the flame you feed — it burns only as long as you keep it alive.”

Beyond family and given names, the Jannatari also use a variety of secondary names — nicknames, honorifics, devotional titles, or poetic identities.
Historically, these other names were marks of affection or spiritual recognition, but in recent years they have also become a discreet language of dissent.

Honorifics & Formal Titles

Scholars, merchants, and artisans often bear honorifics linked to their craft or virtue — al-Hakīm (“the wise”), al-ʿAdil (“the just”), al-Ṣabir (“the patient”), or al-Amin (“the trustworthy”).
Such titles may be conferred by guilds, temples, or peers, and are worn with pride in both speech and writing.

Devotional & Elemental Names

Priests and Zayyuh sometimes adopt devotional names after initiation, reflecting their elemental aspect or spiritual awakening — Nār-Sāmir (“fire’s companion”), Rīḥ-ʿAmir (“noble wind”), ʿArḍ-Fāris (“earth’s guardian”), Māʾ-Layla (“water’s night”).
These names symbolise personal balance and service to the flame rather than ownership or hierarchy.

Nicknames & Affectionate Forms

Friends and family use diminutives or descriptive nicknames in daily life, often humorous or tender: Yasminah becomes Yasmu, Rafiq turns Fiq, Naseem shortens to Sim.
In the intimacy of partnership, such names are deeply private, rarely spoken in public — a mark of closeness rather than status.

Poetic or “Hidden” Names

Since the enforcement of Rahim III’s moral decrees, many among the younger generation — especially artists, scholars, and the queer underground — have revived the practice of adopting hidden names (asmāʾ al-ẓill, “shadow names”).
These may be used in letters, poems, or coded conversations to express identity or loyalty without legal risk.
Some echo ancient words of the Djinn tongue; others are simple metaphors — Sāqī al-Nār (“the flame-bearer”), Bint al-Ṣamt (“daughter of silence”), or Walad al-Rīḥ (“son of the wind”).

In older times, the taking of a second name marked the broadening of the soul.
In Rahim’s Al-Zahira, it has become something more dangerous — and therefore, more sacred.

“A name spoken in secret,” says an old Jannatari saying, “burns brighter than one shouted in the sun.”

The Jannatari of Al-Zahira speak several interwoven tongues, reflecting the kingdom’s long history as a crossroads of trade, poetry, and faith.

Jannatiya (Common Zahiran)

The primary language of Al-Zahira, derived from Old Aramic roots and shaped by centuries of contact with coastal merchants and nomadic tribes.
Jannatiya uses an abjad script similar to classical Arabic but includes diacritic marks denoting elemental emphasis — tonal inflections that alter meaning in sacred or poetic contexts.
Urban dialects, such as Mahrah Jannatiya, have a fluid, melodic cadence, while the Desert Dialect (al-Sirrī) is sharper and more rhythmic, adapted to the spoken word of caravans and chants.

High Zahiran (al-ʿArabiyyah al-ʿĀliyah)

The formal register used in royal decrees, temple liturgy, and academic writing.
Closely related to classical Arabic in structure, it preserves older vocabulary of the Djinn Courts and the Sha’irat al-Nar.
High Zahiran is considered the language of record and reverence, used when addressing the Sultan, invoking the Flame, or reciting law.

Za’hareen (Language of the Djinn)

An ancient, living tongue believed to predate human civilisation.
Though no longer spoken by mortals in full form, traces of Za’hareen persist in mantras, magical inscriptions, and elemental invocation.
The Zayyuh (Djinn-Touched) do not learn Za’hareen as a foreign language — it unfolds within them as their elemental affinity matures.
Each Aspect manifests subtle phonetic variations:

• Fire aspects speak with glottal, percussive bursts.
• Earth aspects favour deep resonant vowels.
• Water aspects glide through elongated consonants.
• Air aspects use aspirated tones and open syllables.
  Among scholars, Za’hareen is studied as the Mother of Speech, linking mortal voice to divine creation.

Trade Tongues

In coastal ports and foreign enclaves, Levantine Arabic, Ottoman Turkish, and French circulate in commerce and diplomacy.
Most educated Zahiran merchants are multilingual, shifting fluidly between Jannatiya for bargaining and High Zahiran for contracts.

Sign and Gesture Languages

Market vendors, caravan guards, and military units employ a silent Gesture Cant (Lughat al-Yad), a blend of hand signs and eye signals.
It likely originated among Djinn-Touched units, whose elemental resonance can disrupt spoken sound in battle.

Cultural Note

To the Jannatari, language is not merely sound — it is breath made sacred by intention.
A child’s first word is ritually recorded as their “spark of flame,” and poets still say:

“He who shapes words shapes the world.”

Legacy of the Djinn Courts

• Sacred sites & relics: oasis-shrines, way-shrines, ley-markers, temple brazier stones; the Hall of Ashes in Mahrah (royal decrees, illuminated codices).
• Engineering heritage: qanat tunnels, wind-towers, caravanserais, stone causeways; maintained as acts of piety, not merely utility.
• Elemental arts: tattoo-alchemy (inks, motifs, guild patterns), ritual dance and martial forms later refined by the Zayyuh (Djinn-Touched).

Intangible Traditions

• Poetry & song: call-and-response epics, caravan chants, lullabies to the Flame; proverb lore that frames ethics as balance rather than prohibition.
• Naming customs: chosen kinship surnames and unisex given names as expressions of consent and harmony (now politicised).
• Hospitality code: the “Three Night Rule” (guest sacred for three nights), incense greeting, bread-and-salt rites.
• Festivals: solstitial Nights of Embers, spring Oasis Day, and river-blessing rites; public scale reduced under current decrees, private observance persists.

Arts & Crafts

• Textiles: desert wools, silks with gold thread, geometric and elemental motifs.
• Metal & glass: bronze/copperwork, incense burners, sword hilts, translucent sand-glass; workshop marks treated like family signatures.
• Calligraphy: flame-script panels in homes and markets; verses worked into lintels, water jars, and bridal chests.

Continuity vs. Suppression (1893)

• State pressure: under Rahim III, public rites, queer-affirming customs, and poly/same-gender unions are criminalised; temple licences, festival permits, and guild charters tightly monitored.
• Quiet conservation: priestly archives, scribal families, and artisan guilds copy manuscripts, repair shrines, and teach rites discreetly; household altars keep the ember alive.
• Coded practice: private salons, “shadow names,” and rebranded gatherings (as “craft lessons” or “music nights”) sustain community memory without overt defiance.
• Foreign gaze: scholars and merchants collect Zahiran artefacts; some collaborations fund preservation, others risk extraction of heritage.

Living Importance

• For most Jannatari, heritage is practical and moral: water runs because the qanats are kept; honour endures because the poems are recited.
• Youth movements blend revival and reform—restoring old forms (dance, poetry, crafts) while stripping moralism added by recent decrees.
• Among the Zayyuh, heritage is also training: tattoos, forms, and songs are memory made visible.

Conservation Efforts

• Temple Custodians catalogue relics, repair manuscripts, and sponsor apprenticeships.
• Guild pacts set aside profits for shrine and road maintenance.
• Household archives (chests of letters, wedding coins, name documents) act as micro-museums; many are copied to the Hall of Ashes to prevent loss.

Forces of Erasure

• Censorship of songs and scripts deemed “indecent”; seizure of private archives in moral raids.
• Market dilution via cheap imports mimicking Zahiran motifs.
• Emigration & fear, which fragment oral lines of transmission.

Outlook (Feb 1893)

A culture under strain yet stubbornly intact: the public flame is trimmed, the ember is not. What cannot be sung in the square is whispered in courtyards; what cannot be paraded is worn on the skin.

The Jannatari measure virtue not through obedience, but through balance — between body and spirit, reason and passion, individual and community.
Their moral code is less a set of laws than a cultural rhythm, inherited from the Sha’irat al-Nar and tempered by desert life: endurance, hospitality, discretion, and loyalty form its four pillars.

1. Honour as Balance (Sharaf al-Mīzān)

Honour lies in keeping equilibrium — tempering pride with generosity, strength with restraint, desire with compassion.
A man who boasts of his virtue loses it; a family that shares water in drought gains it.
Balance, not purity, is the highest moral state.

2. Hospitality & Obligation

The guest is sacred: for three nights, no questions may be asked, and no harm may be done.
Hospitality is seen as repayment to the Flame itself — a duty of all who have shelter.
To deny food, drink, or comfort to a traveller is considered an act of impiety, not merely discourtesy.

3. Consent, Loyalty & Chosen Kinship

Traditional Zahiran ethics prize mutual consent and emotional honesty over formal authority.
Love, partnership, and even family names once depended on shared will, not bloodline.
Though Rahim III’s decrees outlaw same-gender and plural unions, many Jannatari still uphold the older ideal that consent sanctifies more deeply than any priest or scribe.

4. Truth & Discretion

Speech is sacred; so is silence.
To speak truth without cruelty is considered a divine art; to keep another’s secret is an act of grace.
Public modesty and private candour coexist comfortably — a Zahiran is expected to protect another’s dignity, even when disagreeing.

5. Reverence for the Flame

Faith in the Sha’irat al-Nar frames morality as stewardship, not submission.
Fire symbolises awareness: it warms, destroys, and reveals.
To live rightly is to “carry one’s flame without scorching another.”
Elemental priests teach that wrongdoing stems not from sin, but from imbalance — excess fire, still air, stagnant water, or prideful earth.

6. Craft, Discipline & Word-Keeping

Workmanship equals worship.
A craftsman who cheats a customer insults the Flame that guides his hands.
Oaths and contracts are sealed by shared heat — a small brazier lit during the promise — and breaking them invites social ruin.

7. Compassion & Justice

Justice is restoration, not punishment.
Where possible, an offender compensates the victim through work, coin, or ritual purification.
Only deliberate cruelty — harm done for pleasure or status — is seen as unforgivable.

8. Modern Strains (1893)

Under Rahim III, official morality has shifted toward imported notions of obedience and shame, enforced through censorship and clerical decrees.
Yet beneath the surface, the old values persist: quiet generosity, chosen love, and the unspoken rule that “what happens behind closed doors belongs to the heart, not the law.”
In whispered toasts and temple songs alike, Zahiran people remind each other:

“Balance is the truest prayer, and kindness the longest flame.”

The Jannatari live at a late-19th-century level of technology, as described in the Al-Zahira article: telegraph lines, limited rail, firearms and imported machinery. In daily life, however, most rely on traditional water systems, craft tools and elemental practices, with advanced devices concentrated in cities, ports and the service of the Zayyuh and the state.

Everyday etiquette among the Jannatari is built on three principles: respect, restraint, and warmth.
People are expected to move through the world like guests in another’s home — careful not to disturb the balance of others.

Greetings & First Meetings

When meeting someone for the first time, the customary greeting is a hand over the heart, a slight inclination of the head, and a simple phrase such as “Peace to your flame”.
Handshakes are common between equals and friends; with strangers or elders, one waits for the other party to offer their hand first.
Direct, unbroken eye contact is seen as intentional — friendly when paired with a smile, challenging if held too long in silence.

Addressing Elders & Superiors

Elders are treated as living storehouses of memory.
Within the family, grandparents and senior relatives are addressed with honorifics (such as “Uncle/Aunt of the House”) and offered the best seat, the first cup of tea, and the last word in a dispute.
Publicly contradicting an elder is considered discourteous; disagreement should be voiced gently and, if possible, in private.
This reverence is rooted in the belief that the older generation “built the road” on which the young now walk — the current standard of living is seen as the product of their endurance.

Physical Space & Modesty

In public, Jannatari favour measured gestures: voices kept moderate, hands still when listening, no loud displays of anger.
Casual touch between close friends of the same gender is normal (a hand on the shoulder, an embrace after a long absence with strangers or mixed company, people maintain a respectful distance unless good reason bridges it.
Intimate affection — flirtation, tenderness, grief — belongs to courtyards and inner rooms, not the street.

Hospitality & Courtesy

Refusing a drink or a small refreshment without a reason is considered impolite.
Even the poor try to offer something — a cup of water, a crust of bread, a place in the shade.
Guests remove dust from their clothing before entering, praise the house and its view, and avoid commenting on poverty, illness or misfortune unless the host speaks of it first.

Apologies & Making Amends

Apologies range from simple to highly ritualised, depending on the gravity of the offence:

• For minor discourtesies (arriving late, speaking too sharply), a sincere verbal apology and a small token — sweet pastries, fruit, or incense — are customary.
• For more serious hurts (public insult, broken promise), the offender is expected to apologise face to face, offer a meaningful gift (labour, coin, or a family heirloom), and, in some cases, invite a respected elder or priest to witness the reconciliation.
• Truly grave wrongs may require formal ritual: lighting a brazier in the presence of the wronged party and vowing, hand over flame, to repair the damage.

What matters most is not the size of the gift but the willingness to be humbled and to restore balance.

Public vs Private Behaviour

In public, composure is prized: shouting, drunkenness, and open weeping are frowned upon except in times of collective grief.
In private, among trusted kin and friends, Jannatari are often much more expressive — laughing loudly, arguing passionately, singing, or crying without shame.
A common saying captures this contrast:

Everyday clothing in Jannatari culture reflects a blend of late-19th-century Arabian fashions, desert practicality, and elemental symbolism. Fabrics are light, flowing and layered, designed to shield from sun, dust and sudden chill while allowing the skin to breathe.

Everyday Clothing

Most people, regardless of gender, wear some variation of:

• Long tunics or robes in cotton or linen, often in sand, cream, soft green, or earth tones.
• Loose trousers or sirwals beneath, gathered at the ankle.
• A waist sash or belt to keep layers in place and carry small tools or pouches.
• Simple leather sandals or soft shoes for city streets.

In towns and cities, colours and trims tend to be richer; in rural areas, cloth is plainer, patched and sun-faded.

Veils, Headgear & Hair

Women in public commonly wear a light head veil that covers the hair but not the face – primarily to protect from dust, sun and sand, not as a strict moral requirement.
Veils range from plain white cotton to pale green or soft brown, often with a modest embroidered edge.

Men may wrap a headscarf or wear a simple cap; scholars, teachers and scientists favour turbans and layered robes, signalling learning and a conservative, dignified appearance. Their clothing tends to be fully covering and restrained in colour, even if the fabrics are fine.

Djinn-Touched (Zayyuh) Attire

For the Zayyuh, clothing carries an additional expectation: it should reveal at least some of their tattoos, especially on the arms, chest or neck.
This is not seen as immodest, but as a sign of honesty and responsibility – their elemental nature is part of their public duty.

• Cuts may expose shoulders, forearms or upper chest while still remaining structurally practical.
• During ritual or ceremonial duties, they may wear more dramatic, aspect-coloured garments; in daily life, they balance movement, protection and visibility of ink.

Revealing vs Practical Clothing

Open or revealing clothing is not inherently taboo, especially in private courtyards, baths, or festivals.
However, in public streets it is generally regarded as impractical – too much bare skin means more sunburn, more dust, and fewer pockets.

Thus, modesty is as much about common sense as morality: a well-fitted, layered outfit that allows work and travel is admired far more than overt display.

Gender Expression & Restrictions (1893)

Traditionally, cross-gender dressing was not unusual:

• Men in flowing, embroidered garments or jewellery,
• Women in tailored coats or practical “men’s” trousers for work or travel,

were part of Zahiran history, especially in artistic circles and among the Zayyuh.

Under the decrees of Sultan Rahim III, such expressions have become dangerous in public.
Men wearing obviously “feminine” cuts or women in overtly “male” styles risk harassment, arrest, or accusations of moral deviance.
In private homes, workshops and certain temple circles, these older habits persist more quietly, but they are no longer openly celebrated.

Situational & Generational Differences

• Workwear: simple, durable fabrics; sleeves rolled, hems shortened; colours duller, ornament minimal.
• Festive dress: richer dyes, gold thread, jewellery, and more stylised cuts; head veils and turbans become fashion statements as much as protection.
• Older generations favour longer, looser garments and traditional patterns.
• Younger townsfolk experiment with slightly shorter coats, hybrid cuts, and, on the coasts, the occasional imported European waistcoat or shoe — usually toned down to avoid drawing official attention.

For the Jannatari, clothing is first a matter of comfort and survival, then of beauty and identity. As one tailor in Mahrah likes to say:

Architecture

Jannatari architecture is a graceful cross-section of the wider Arabian world, shaped by heat, light and the theology of balance.

• Public buildings are usually whitewashed, with clean façades that reflect the sun. In Mahrah und Bayt al-Safin many roofs and domes are gilded or capped in warm gold tones, so that the cities gleam at sunrise and sunset.
• Temples and shrines are likewise white, but crowned with “silvered” roofs instead of gold, marking their dedication to the Sha’irat al-Nar rather than to worldly rule. Within, each sanctuary is coloured according to its elemental aspect: deep greens and blues for Water, blacks and ember-reds for Fire, rich ochres for Earth, and pale whites and soft greys for Air.
• Interiors place great emphasis on ornament: carved stucco, painted ceilings, geometric stone mosaics, lattice screens, and calligraphic panels. Even modest houses often have a decorated lintel, a patterned courtyard floor, or a fragment of older stone set into the wall — reused elements from demolished buildings, believed to carry their former blessing into the new home.

Courtyards with pools or cisterns are common, creating pockets of cool air and greenery. Streets in older quarters are narrow and shaded; newer boulevards in Mahrah open onto colonnades and public squares.

Visual Art

Jannatari art favours pattern, narrative, and the suggestion of movement rather than strict realism alone.

Recurring themes include:

• Oasis and desert landscapes – palms, dunes, caravan lines, and distant city walls shimmering in heat.
• Scenes of daily life – markets, hammams, workshops, family courtyards, and riverside festivals; often idealised, but recognisably local.
• Djinn and Zayyuh – stylised depictions of elemental beings, half-abstract, half-figural; tattoos and flame motifs feature prominently in both murals and miniature painting.

There is also a long, deeply rooted tradition of erotic art in Al-Zahira, spanning all orientations and pairings. Historically, such works decorated hammams, private salons, and bedroom screens rather than public halls. They were seen as celebrations of beauty, desire and intimacy rather than as shameful.

Under Rahim III, explicit imagery has been driven from public view: many older murals have been plastered over, screens turned to face the wall, and new commissions disguised as mythological or “allegorical” scenes. Nevertheless, private collections endure, and young artists quietly continue the tradition in coded form — a gesture, a glance, the way two figures share a cup of wine.

Influences & Style

• Geometric and vegetal Arabesque forms dominate non-figurative work, especially in religious settings.
• Figurative art is more common in secular spaces: portraits of nobles, caravan scenes, romantic or heroic tales, and Djinn myths.
• Foreign influences (Ottoman, Levantine, even French) appear in some coastal mansions and in the formal portraits of the elite, but Zahiran artists tend to reframe them in local terms — a European pose with a Jannatari courtyard, a “Western” oil technique depicting Djinn-touched warriors.

To the Jannatari, art and architecture are not separate luxuries. They are how a people remembers itself: in the curve of a dome, the pattern of a fountain, the way two painted figures dare to look at one another across a wall.

Jannatari cuisine is shaped by oasis agriculture, coastal trade, and desert pragmatism.
Meals are built around grains, pulses and vegetables, brightened with herbs, citrus and spice, with meat and fish as honoured guests rather than everyday excess.

Staples & Everyday Meals

The Jannatari table rests on a few constants:

• Flatbreads of wheat or barley, baked in clay ovens or on convex griddles, used to scoop stews or wrap grilled morsels.
• Rice and cracked wheat (burghul) for pilafs, often cooked in broth with onions, chickpeas and a handful of dried fruit.
• Pulses – lentils, chickpeas, fava beans – simmered into hearty soups or mashed with garlic, lemon and sesame paste into rich spreads.
• Vegetables like aubergine, courgette, onions, okra and tomatoes (in the coastal towns), stewed slowly with spices or stuffed with herbed rice.

A typical modest household meal might be lentil soup, a platter of olives and pickles, warm bread, and a shared dish of spiced vegetables with a little meat if available.

Meat, Fish & Protein

Meat is valued but not wasted:

• Goat and lamb are the most common meats, often marinated with garlic, cumin and coriander, then grilled as skewers or braised in clay pots with onions and dried apricots.
• Camel meat appears on long journeys or at special feasts, slow-cooked until tender in heavily spiced stews.
• Along the Pearl Coast, fish and shellfish are plentiful: grilled whole fish with coriander and lemon, spiced fish stews thickened with bread, and dried fish for caravan travel.
• Eggs, yoghurt and soft cheeses from goats and sheep round out the protein palette, often served at breakfast with olives and fresh herbs.

Flavours & Spices

Jannatari cooking leans into warm, aromatic spices rather than searing heat:

• Cumin, coriander, cinnamon, saffron, black pepper, sumac, cardamom and smoked paprika.
• Fresh herbs – mint, parsley, coriander leaf – are used generously to lift otherwise heavy dishes.
• Citrus and pomegranate provide acidity; date syrup and honey offer sweetness.

Spice blends vary by region: coastal cooks favour sharper, lemony mixes, while desert households prefer deeper, smoky profiles.

Sweets & Fruits

With their rich oases, the Jannatari have a pronounced sweet tooth:

• Dates in endless varieties, eaten fresh, dried, or stuffed with nuts.
• Figs, pomegranates, oranges and apricots, often arranged as generous table platters.
• Pastries layered with nuts and honey, semolina cakes scented with orange blossom, and fried dough drizzled in syrup for festivals.

In Al-Zahira, sharing sweets is not only hospitality, but a way of saying “our lives are still sweet, despite everything”.

Street Food & Market Fare

In the markets of Mahrah and Bayt al-Safin, food is as much theatre as sustenance:

• Skewers of spiced meat and offal sizzling over charcoal.
• Chickpea and fava patties fried crisp and tucked into bread with pickles and tahini.
• Bowls of stewed beans with olive oil and cumin sold from brass pots.
• Paper cones of roasted nuts, sesame sweets, and candied citrus peel.

Travellers and labourers eat standing or perched on low stools, tearing bread, dipping, bargaining and gossiping in the same breath.

Home vs. House of Eating

Home-cooked food is intimate and frugal: big pots shared from the centre of the table, recipes passed through generations by feel rather than measurement.
Restaurants and caravanserai kitchens serve more elaborate versions of the same dishes – richer broths, more meat, imported spices – aimed at merchants, officials and pilgrims.

In certain city quarters, discreet private dining rooms offer multi-course meals with wine, music and refined conversation, blurring the line between salon and restaurant.

Ritual & Temple Foods

The Sha’irat al-Nar and the elemental cults shape some distinct culinary customs:

• Offerings of bread, oil and sweet cakes are placed near temple braziers; after blessing, many are shared with the poor.
• On Ember Nights, households prepare simple, flame-cooked meals – often flatbread, lentils and grilled vegetables – to honour the humble origins of the fire.
• Some foods are considered “warming to the flame” (spiced meats, strong tea, certain sweets) and are served at gatherings meant to kindle courage, passion or resolve.

Drink

Water is sacred; wasting it is almost a sin. Alongside it:

• Mint tea and strong, small cups of coffee are the social staples.
• Fermented drinks – date wine, spiced grain beers, imported grape wine – exist, but are served with discretion, especially since Rahim III’s moral decrees.
• In some circles, particularly among artists and Zayyuh, sharing a cup of spiced wine is still seen as an act of quiet camaraderie.

For the Jannatari, to feed someone is to acknowledge their flame. A table, however simple, is successful if people rise from it feeling steady, warmed, and a little less alone.

Jannatari life is structured by a calendar of fire, water and memory. Many traditions are old enough to predate the current dynasty, and even under Rahim III’s moral decrees they continue in quieter, more private forms.

Annual Festivals

• Nights of Embers
  Held around the winter solstice. Families dim their lamps and gather around a single brazier, sharing simple food and stories of hardship overcome. At midnight, additional lamps are lit from the same flame, symbolising resilience and shared fate. Public celebrations have been curtailed, but household observance remains strong.
• Oasis Day
  A spring festival commemorating the founding of Mahrah and the discovery (or blessing) of its holy waters. Processions circle wells and fountains; children scatter flower petals; water is poured from silvered ewers while priests recite hymns of gratitude. In recent years the civic parts are emphasised, while the older Djinn references are officially downplayed.
• River Blessing Rites
  In riverine regions, boats and nets are blessed at the start of the fishing season. Small oil lamps are floated on the water at dusk, asking for safe passage and fair catch.

Life-Cycle & Household Customs

• Hospitality & the Three Nights
  The “three-night rule” is a cornerstone of Zahiran custom: a guest is inviolable for three nights and must be fed, sheltered and protected without question. Only after this period may serious matters be discussed or debts called in.
• Apology Rites
  Minor apologies are accompanied by small gifts (sweets, fruit, incense). Serious reconciliation may involve lighting a shared brazier, public acknowledgment of fault, and a vow spoken “over the flame” in front of witnesses.

Martial & Elemental Traditions

• Dances of the Zayyuh
  The Djinn-Touched maintain ritualised elemental dances—originally private techniques to “stoke” their tattoos and focus magic, later adapted into three semi-public forms:
• Motivation Dance before battle, performed in aspect-coloured dress and light armour.
• Victory Dance after decisive wins.
• Moral Dance during long campaigns or difficult times.
  Officially, only the Motivation Dance is approved by Rahim III’s court; the more sensual Victory and Moral dances persist in military circles, especially away from the capital.

Beliefs & Superstitions

• It is considered unlucky to let a household brazier die without someone present to witness it; most families pinch out the flame with a short prayer.
• Many Jannatari knock three times on stone before beginning a long journey, “to wake the earth beneath their feet”.
• Dropping bread on the ground without picking it up and kissing it is frowned upon; grain is seen as a direct gift of the Flame’s favour and the water’s mercy.

Modern Strain

Since the rise of Rahim III, public festivals with overt elemental or erotic themes have been restricted, and some rites driven into the private sphere.
Yet the underlying customs remain important for identity: people still gather around braziers, still bless water, still share secret names and dances.

To the Jannatari, traditions are not mere ceremony; they are the memory of who they were before fear took the streets—and a quiet promise of who they mean to be again.

Naming Ceremonies

A newborn’s name is spoken aloud for the first time in front of a small flame or lamp. The elder or priest who bestows it sprinkles a few drops of scented oil into the fire, “carrying the name upward”. Unisex or politically sensitive names are sometimes given in a double rite: one public, one private.

Jannatari taboos fall into two layers:
the old, deep-rooted taboos tied to balance, hospitality and the Flame, and the new, state-enforced taboos imposed under Sultan Rahim III.
The two layers only partly overlap.

1. Deep Cultural Taboos (Old Zahiran Layer)

These are behaviours most Jannatari instinctively shun, regardless of current law:

• Breaking Hospitality
  Harming, betraying, or denouncing a guest during the three-night protection period is one of the gravest social sins.
  Such a person is believed to be cursed; families may refuse them shelter for life.
• Wasting Water or Bread
  Pouring out clean water without cause, allowing wells to foul, or discarding bread on the ground without respect is strongly frowned upon.
  It is seen as an insult to both Flame and Water, and marks someone as careless and untrustworthy.
• Betraying a Secret Given in Trust
  Revealing private confessions, intimate matters, or temple confidences is taboo.
  A Zahiran may be loud in the marketplace, but a “breaker of confidences” quickly loses standing.
• Deliberate Cruelty
  Hurting others for sport, humiliating the weak, or abusing animals is despised.
  Violence may be accepted in defence or war, but cruelty for pleasure is seen as a stain on the soul.
• Desecration of Shrines and Ancestors
  Defacing temple walls, smashing household braziers, or mocking the dead during mourning rites is beyond the pale.
  Even the less devout consider this as inviting misfortune.

Some of these acts can be punished by law (especially shrine damage), but their real power lies in social exile: doors close, trade dries up, names are quietly removed from invitations.

2. Rahimite Taboos (Official Morality)

Under Rahim III, a broader set of behaviours has been branded “indecent” or “degenerate”, regardless of older Zahiran values.
Many of these are not truly taboo in the cultural sense – only dangerous:

• Same-Gender and Plural Unions
  Once recognised in law and custom, they are now explicitly criminalised.
  Public affection, cohabitation, or any attempt to formalise such unions can lead to arrest, fines, loss of livelihood, or exile.
  In many circles they remain morally accepted – but only behind closed doors.
• Cross-Gender Dressing and “Ambiguous” Clothing
  Men in clearly “feminine” garments and women in overtly “male” styles are targeted by moral patrols.
  What was once normal in artistic circles and among the Zayyuh is now labelled “disorder of the sexes” and can lead to arrest or “correction”.
• Erotic Art and Explicit Performances
  Erotic murals in hammams, carved scenes on screens, and sensual performances once had a respected place in Zahiran culture.
  Now they are branded obscene:
• public works are whitewashed or confiscated,
• artists risk censorship, heavy fines, or worse.
  In private houses and “closed” bathhouses, the tradition continues more quietly.
• Unlicensed Elemental Rites
  Certain dances and rites of the Zayyuh are considered “too arousing” or “superstitious” if performed outside sanctioned military or temple contexts.
  In particular, Victory and Moral Dances are officially disapproved; discovery can bring disciplinary action or moral prosecution.
• Open Critique of the Sultan or His Decrees
  Open criticism of Rahim III, his laws, or the court priests is dangerous.
  “Incitement” is a formal offence; in practice, even satirical poetry or a sharp public remark can lead to interrogation.

These Rahimite taboos are legally sharp, but culturally contested.
Many Jannatari see them as a foreign graft – imported shame that does not belong to the older ideals of balance, hospitality, and consent.

3. Socially Frowned Upon but Not Always Illegal

There are also behaviours that are not always criminal, but strongly damage a person’s reputation:

• Open Excess in Public
  Drunken outbursts, screaming arguments, public brawls – all are seen as uncivilised, especially in the presence of elders or strangers.
• Greed and Ostentatious Hoarding
  Wealth itself is not condemned, but hoarding it in plain sight without giving alms, funding repairs, or hosting feasts is shameful.
  A rich Zahiran who never shares is quietly called “cold” or “without flame”.
• Breaking Oaths and Contracts
  Someone who breaks agreements lightly or withdraws their word without dire cause loses credit – socially and financially.
  It is not always illegal, but it burns bridges quickly.

4. Counter-Values in the Underground

Beneath the surface, a quiet counter-morality has formed, especially in cities and among Zayyuh, artists, and dissidents:

• In these circles, it is almost taboo to betray someone to the moral courts, even if it would be “legal”.
• Protecting love, art, and old rites is seen as a virtue, not a vice.

As one modern Zahiran poet writes:

Among the Jannatari, beauty is understood as a form of balance: a harmony between strength and softness, movement and stillness, the visible body and the unseen “flame” within.
Physical appearance matters, but it is never fully separated from demeanour, voice, and presence.

General Ideals

Traditionally, Zahiran beauty favours:

• Clear, healthy skin in shades from pale sand to deep bronze, often scented with oils or rosewater.
• Expressive eyes and defined brows; a steady, attentive gaze is valued more than symmetrical features.
• Good posture and graceful movement, suggesting inner composure.
• Well-kept hair, whether worn long, braided, or closely cropped, often accented with modest jewellery or cloth.

A person who laughs easily, listens well, and moves with quiet confidence is often described as more beautiful than someone merely “perfect of face”.

Masculine Presentation

Masculine beauty is associated with reliability and contained power:

• Strong or lean builds that suggest endurance rather than brute bulk.
• Hands that show use—ink stains, calluses, the marks of craft or service.
• Groomed beards or neatly shaved faces, depending on region and fashion.

A man who is physically imposing but gentle in manner is considered especially attractive; swagger without kindness is widely mocked.

Feminine Presentation

Feminine beauty is linked to composure, wit and radiance rather than fragility:

• Smooth, well-cared-for hair, often veiled outside but styled and adorned at home.
• Jewellery worn with a sense of restraint and intention—each piece telling a story of family, faith or affection.
• Clothing that follows the lines of the body without being tight, suggesting ease rather than restriction.

Quick intelligence, a sharp tongue when needed, and the ability to navigate social situations gracefully are all considered deeply attractive traits.

Zayyuh (Djinn-Touched) Ideals

The Zayyuh occupy a unique place in Zahiran aesthetics. Their elemental tattoos are regarded as inherently beautiful:

• For them, visible ink is a mark of power, discipline and devotion.
• Bodies that clearly show the interplay of muscle, scar and tattoo—especially across the arms, shoulders and chest—are widely admired.
• Each Aspect has its own subtle ideal:
• Fire for intensity and boldness,
• Earth for solidity and mass,
• Water for fluid motion,
• Air for lightness and agility.

Even those who fear the Zayyuh’s abilities rarely deny their visual allure.

Variety & Non-Conformity

Historically, Jannatari standards have been broad and inclusive:

• Fuller bodies are associated with prosperity and generosity; leaner ones with endurance and discipline.
• Dark, sun-browned skin from labour is not considered less beautiful than paler complexions—only different.
• Individuals who blur masculine and feminine presentation have long appeared in art, song and poetry as intriguing, liminal figures.

In private circles this diversity is still celebrated. Lovers, poets and artists are often less interested in conformity than in distinctiveness—the scar, the unusual laugh, the unexpected softness in a hard face.

Impact of Rahim III

Under Sultan Rahim III, official discourse has shifted toward narrower, more rigid ideals:

• Men are expected to appear “strong, modest, and unadorned”.
• Women are pressured into a softer, more passive version of beauty, with emphasis on covered forms and domestic virtue.
• Public gender non-conformity or overt sensuality can attract harassment or even legal trouble.

Yet beneath this, many Zahiran quietly hold to the older understanding: that beauty is where flame and form meet, not where a decree says it ought to be.

In some circles—among artists, Zayyuh, and the quiet resistance—refusing to hide one’s particular beauty has become its own small act of defiance.

In traditional Jannatari thought, gender is understood less as a strict binary and more as a constellation of roles, traits, and affinities.
Body, social role, and inner “flame” are related, but not expected to match in a rigid way. Older sayings describe people as “leaning toward the sun” (more active, outward) or “leaning toward the water” (more receptive, inward), rather than simply “male” or “female”.

Traditional Gender Framework

Historically, Zahiran society recognised two primary social genders, with room for those who walked between or outside them:

• Masculine roles were associated with outward responsibility: defence, trade, long-distance travel, public negotiation, and some ritual functions.
  Ideal traits: reliability, self-control, generosity, protection of others.
• Feminine roles were linked to inward stewardship: household management, local trade, education of children, healing, and certain temple duties.
  Ideal traits: discernment, social intelligence, emotional strength, care for community memory.

At the same time, there has always been a space—especially in cities and temple circles—for individuals who combine or cross these roles. Poets, dancers, certain priests, and some Zayyuh were historically admired for embodying both currents.

Roles and Daily Life

In practice, work and status depend more on class, skill and opportunity than on gender alone:

• Women of the middle and upper classes may own property, run shops, manage caravan interests, or serve as scholars and scribes.
• Men may cook, raise children, weave, or act as household stewards without losing status, particularly in extended families.
• In poorer households, necessity overrides theory: everyone works as they can.

Marriage and partnership were traditionally seen as a negotiation of responsibilities, not a rigid script. The “head of household” is the person best suited to lead, regardless of gender, as long as the choice is consensual.

The Zayyuh and Gender

For the Zayyuh (Djinn-Touched), gender ideals are often even more flexible:

• Elemental aspect matters more than assigned gender. Fire-aspected individuals are expected to be bold; Earth-aspected, steady; Water-aspected, adaptive; Air-aspected, agile—whatever their body or social category.
• Mixed or fluid gender presentation among the Zayyuh has long been tolerated, sometimes even romanticised, as a sign that they stand closer to the Djinn and outside ordinary boundaries.

Their attire, tattoos and roles in ritual often blur conventional masculine/feminine lines, especially in dance and ceremonial duties.

Legal and Social Changes under Rahim III

Under Sultan Rahim III, official policy tries to enforce a narrower, imported model of gender:

• Men are expected to be publicly dominant, restrained, and visibly “modest” in dress and behaviour.
• Women are pushed towards domesticity, quietness, and stricter separation from certain public spaces.
• Same-gender and plural unions are outlawed; public gender non-conformity is criminalised as “indecency” or “moral disorder”.

These changes sit uneasily on Zahiran culture. In many families, especially in cities and among educated or artisan circles, the older, more flexible understanding of gender still governs private life, even if people perform something more conventional in the street.

Treatment and Controversies

People who fit the current, Rahimite ideals of gendered behaviour find life smoother in public: fewer questions, less scrutiny from moral courts.
Those who do not—gender-nonconforming individuals, cross-dressers, openly queer people—face:

• Legal danger if their expression is too visible.
• Gossip, pressure, or attempts at “correction” in conservative neighbourhoods.
• But also, in certain circles, quiet admiration and solidarity.

Within resistance-minded salons, Zayyuh units, and parts of the artistic and merchant classes, it is almost a point of honour not to abandon those who “walk between”.
As one Mahrah proverb puts it:

“The Flame burns in many shapes; only the fearful insist it must all look the same.”

In Jannatari culture, courtship is traditionally seen as a dance of respect, patience and wit.
Open declarations of desire are rare; affection is usually expressed through small, persistent gestures—shared tea, favours, poetry, and the careful management of who is seen with whom, and where.

Traditional Ways of Meeting

Historically, people met potential partners through:

• Extended family and neighbours – introductions at weddings, festivals, and in shared courtyards.
• Markets and caravanserai – merchants and travellers noticing one another over repeated visits.
• Bathhouses and salons – especially in cities, where conversation, music and poetry gathered mixed company.
• Temple and guild circles – shared apprenticeships, study, or ritual duties.

Arranged marriages certainly exist, especially among the wealthy, but even then it is considered proper to allow the pair at least some chance to speak and observe one another before a final agreement is sealed.

Signals and First Steps

The first moves of courtship are usually subtle and coded:

• Lingering eye contact and quick, private smiles.
• Offering favoured foods at communal tables.
• Borrowing and returning small items—books, tools, scarves—as pretext for repeated meetings.
• Quoting a line of poetry with a slightly different emphasis, to see if the other hears the invitation beneath the words.

For more serious interest, a person might:

• Ask mutual friends or elders to “speak well of them” to the desired party.
• Send a small gift (perfumed oil, a carefully chosen sweet, a ribbon, or a sprig of fragrant herb).
• Invite the other to walk together in a courtyard or garden, where conversation can be more candid.

Love, Consent and Negotiation

Traditionally, a relationship is not considered truly begun until there has been clear, mutual consent—spoken or unmistakably implied.
Even when families or matchmakers arrange a union, it is expected that both parties will at least agree to the match; forcing a reluctant spouse is socially disapproved, even if technically legal.

Among the Jannatari, a good partnership is imagined as a negotiation of balance:

• Who will travel, who will tend the household, who will oversee business or land.
• How wealth, work, and future children (if any) will be shared.

A partner who listens, compromises, and keeps promises is valued more highly than one who merely fulfils a stereotypical role.

Queer and “Hidden” Courtship

Before the reign of Rahim III, same-gender and plural partnerships were part of Zahiran social life, especially in cities. Their courtship followed the same patterns—poetry, gifts, favours—though often with more discretion.

Now that such unions are criminalised, queer courtship tends to unfold:

• In coded language, inside poems, songs, and jokes that can be read as “innocent” by outsiders.
• In semi-private spaces—back rooms of hammams, artist salons, military quarters, and Zayyuh circles.
• Through the exchange of “shadow names”, intimate nicknames or pen-names used only in letters and quiet conversation.

A hand held a moment too long, a shared cup, a deliberately chosen verse can carry more weight than any public embrace.

The Zayyuh and Courtship

For the Zayyuh, courtship is often coloured by their elemental aspect and role:

• Some bonds begin after Motivation, Victory, or Moral Dances, when a Zayyuh offers a token to a chosen soldier or admirer.
• Others grow from long campaigns shared, or from training halls and temple service.

Because their bodies and powers are both feared and desired, Zayyuh often learn to read subtlety very early; they balance duty, attraction, and danger with greater care than most.

Official Morality vs. Private Practice

Under Rahim III, public courtship is expected to be chaste and rigid:

• Men as formal suitors, women as modest and reserved.
• Meetings arranged and supervised by families; gifts carefully “proper”.

In reality, most Jannatari still follow older instincts: they flirt, test, and build trust quietly, behind the façade the law demands.

A common saying sums up the Zahiran attitude:

For the Jannatari, the ideal relationship is not defined by a single structure, but by balance, consent, and mutual support.
Love is seen as one of the ways in which a person’s inner flame is guided and refined, and partnerships are valued as shared stewardship of life rather than simple possession.

Traditional Models

Historically, Al-Zahira recognised several relationship forms:

• Monogamous partnerships – the most common model, especially among farmers, artisans, and urban middle-class families.
• Polyamorous households – extended unions of three or more partners, often formed for emotional, economic, or practical reasons (shared business, child-rearing, land management).
• Same-gender partnerships – accepted in both law and custom, particularly in cities and among scholars, artists, and the Zayyuh.

In all these models, the core ideal is the same:
clarity of consent, honesty of intention, and shared responsibility.
Who earns coin, who manages the household, who raises children or tends to elders is treated as a matter of negotiation, not fixed by gender.

What Makes a “Good” Relationship?

A well-regarded relationship is expected to:

• Maintain trust and discretion – partners do not expose each other’s vulnerabilities without permission.
• Honour promises, whether public vows or private agreements.
• Support the wider household – caring for elders, children, apprentices, and those who have no other support.
• Preserve balance – neither partner should be crushed or erased; each should have room to grow.

Open resentment, chronic jealousy, or public humiliation of a partner are seen as signs that a relationship has lost its flame, even if it remains legally intact.

Community & Social Role

Relationships and households form the basic social and economic units of Jannatari life:

• Households pool income, labour, and reputation, forming the backbone of guilds, neighbourhoods and caravans.
• Partnerships often anchor business ventures, religious patronage, or artistic salons.
• The choice to enter or dissolve a union has ripple effects through extended family and trade networks.

Because of this, even love matches are rarely viewed as purely private matters; they are understood as nodes of obligation and care within the wider community.

Legal Disruption under Rahim III

Under the current rule of Sultan Rahim III, the traditional diversity of relationship models has been violently narrowed:

• Only heterosexual monogamous marriage is legally recognised.
• Same-gender and plural unions have been criminalised; existing unions have no legal standing and may be used as grounds for persecution, loss of property, or blackmail.
• The older legal framework that once allowed flexible family naming and household leadership is now applied unevenly, with moral courts favouring “conventional” arrangements.

Officially, the state promotes a rigid ideal: the solemn, heterosexual couple, modest in public and devoted to raising children and obeying the Sultan’s laws.

Reality Behind Closed Doors

In practice, many Jannatari quietly ignore or work around these restrictions:

• Some couples maintain hidden same-gender relationships alongside a “public” marriage of convenience.
• Polyamorous arrangements survive as “extended households”, with only one pair formally recognised on paper.
• Lovers and partners may be written into wills and contracts as “trusted companions”, “advisors” or “dependent kin” to protect them within the limits of the law.

Within private circles—especially among merchants, artists, Zayyuh units, and elements of the priesthood—the older ideal remains:
a relationship is worthy when it is mutual, honest, and sustaining, regardless of who shares the bed or how many chairs are set at the family table.

Cultural Tension

This creates a deep tension in Zahiran society:

• The state insists that only one model is moral.
• The culture remembers many models as legitimate, and still quietly honours them in stories, jokes, and coded toasts.

A popular saying sums up the Jannatari attitude:

“The law decides who inherits the house.
The heart decides who feels at home inside it.”