Calimport Calimport was the sprawling capital city of the country of Calimshan . For most of its existence , it was by far the largest city in all of Faerûn . It was the long - time home of the assassin Artemis Entreri , known for his longstanding feud with Drizzt Do ' Urden . Geography and Layout . Calimport was between the Calim Desert to the north and the Shining Sea to the south . It rested at the mouth of the Calim River at the very southern end of the Trade Way . To the west of Calimport , the coast extended south , forming a natural harbor for the city . The metropolis was a huge place , measuring almost six miles from east to west and three miles from the coastline to the northern border . Architecture . Because Calimport had such a long history , including at least twelve times the city had been almost completely destroyed by fire or other calamity , most of the older buildings of the city had been rebuilt or merged into newer ones . One could find ancient byways , rooms , or other structures integrated into others . Defenses . Perhaps surprisingly , since the Seventh Age of Calimshan , the city did not have a full wall around it . Even so , the city would have been very difficult to place under siege due to its massive size . Moreover , because of its walled sabban s and drudach s — as described below — it would be next to impossible to march an army deep into Calimport . Organization . Drudachs / Sabbans / Wards . Calimport was built using the " drudach system " , an interlocking series of small brick - walled neighborhoods . All drudach s were organized into groups of two to five , called sabban s , which in turn were grouped into wards . Calimport was subdivided into 17 wards , 53 sabbans , and 166 drudachs . Daunting as it may seem for a foreigner , most locals rarely abandoned their home sabbans . Each sabban was a walled zone averaging 215 acres and 3 , 600 inhabitants , and worked as an self - sufficient town — it has its own water supplies , guards , markets , residences , and so on . The condition of drudach and sabban boundaries varied greatly between richer and poorer regions of the city . In upper - class regions , boundary walls might be improved by intricate stone work or glazing ; in poorer areas , the drudach walls had been trampled to mud and the sabban walls were little more than stepping stones . In these lower - class areas , were used instead to indicate the boundaries . In the three richest , central wards — Palace Ward , Jewel Ward , and Grand Ward — the ground level of the city had been elevated . Streets and courtyards were raised off the ground by stone and wooden supports and archways . Stairs led down to the original ground level , where slaves and the poor still moved about . The area below these " risen sabbans " was known as the " Upper Muzad " . As of 1370 DR , Calimport contained the following wards : The Pasha ' s Sabban , housing the syl - pasha ' s palace , was located in the center of Palace Ward but was not considered a part of that ward . The Undercity . The city contained many springs and wells to provide water for the population . These were heavily guarded by amlakkar and members of the Guild Arcane to prevent against poisonings . Calimport ' s sewer system was vast . It was constructed in the Seventh Age of Calimshan and emptied into the ocean south of the city . The primary tunnels were 30 feet wide with five - foot walkways on each side . Stepping stones over the sewage were located every 50 yards of length . Secondary tunnels were half as wide , with a pathway only on one side . There were also many other pipes ranging in diameter from one to eight feet . More than wells , sewers , and waterways , subterranean Calimport functioned as its own part of the city . It contained streets , buildings , and ancient , forgotten areas and was collectively known as the " Muzhajaarnadah " , the " city of shadow " , or simply the " Muzad " . The Muzad was anywhere from six feet to nearly a half mile deep . It was formed over the millennia from all the times that Calimport was rebuilt ; rather than clear rubble , newer sections of the city were often rebuilt atop the old ones . The Port . The port of the city was the largest in all of Faerûn . Massive , magical sea walls were in place to protect the docks , which could contain as many as 600 private vessels and an additional 30 military vessels . These sea walls were ancient , constructed during the Calim Empire by marid and dao . They were 150 feet wide at their bases 200 feet below the surface . They rose 20 feet above the surface during calm waters and were 30 feet thick at their peaks . The harbor itself was extremely deep , as the shore incline at Calimport was steep . Population . More than nine out of ten inhabitants of the capital were human s . A few percent each were Halfling s and half - orc s . This did not account for the millions of slaves also living in the city or for the many foreign visitors and merchants throughout the year . The population of the city could swell to as much as double during the spring and summer months when trade was at its peak . In the winter months , rich nobles would return from their cooler summer homes , increasing the summer population by a couple tens of thousands . Most humans had Calishite blood , descendants of the slaves brought from another realm by the Djinni Lord Calim during the foundation of the empire . A typical Calishite human was shorter and slimmer than Northerners , with darker skin , hair , and eyes . Corrupt and lazy to the eyes of Northerners people , the Calishites strove for only a luxurious life . Other ethnicities included Tethyrian and Chultan humans . The Tethyrians were more open to other groups than Calishites . Regrettably , most Chultans were cheap slaves kidnapped from the jungles of the south . Calimport included the only large population of free halflings in Calimshan . ( The majority of halflings in Calimshan were slaves , who worked in the countryside . ) Local halflings were worldly and prone to laziness , gathering in like - minded groups and absorbing some of the local Calishite values . The highest concentration of halflings could be found in the Dock Ward surrounding the Copper Ante gaming house and inn . Half - orcs enjoyed a better treatment here than in other realms — they were considered low class , nothing more , nothing less . Few half - orcs adopted the Calishite way of life , instead focusing on physical jobs or criminal activities . Religion . Calimport was truly a polytheistic society and was a major religious hub . The city contained over 300 religious sites . There were temples to gods of light and darkness , life and murder , freedom and tyranny , magic and war — just ask directions from the right people . The most prominent religions were those of Azuth , Bhaelros ( Talos ) , Ilmater , Savras , Shar , Sharess , Siamorphe , Tyr , Umberlee , and Waukeen . Government . Throughout its ancient history , Calimport had been ruled by a wide assortment of leaders . Since the Seventh Age of Calimshan , the ruler of Calimport has been called the syl - pasha . Most syl - pashas , however , ruled in name only , the true power being held by the syl - pasha ' s vizars . Immediately below the syl - pasha were the sultans , the princes who ruled over the wards . The ruler of each sabban was called a " sabbalad " , and each drudach was directed by a druzir , the bottom of Calimport ' s pyramidal administration . In 1359 DR , Ralan el Pesarkhal staged a coup that gave him full control of Calimport . The syl - pasha responded to no vizar or council ; he was the supreme ruler . Armed Forces . Calimport ' s domestic security forces were the amlakkar , the city watch , who were entitled to arrest any individual who broke the law or to interrogate suspects . A typical " amlak " carried a scimitar and a buckler and wore studded leather armor . Given the rich local tradition in arcane magic , it was not surprising to find wizards among the ranks of the amlakkar . Most wielded scimitars as well as standard guards and used scrolls of dispel magic and web , sleep bolts , and even wands of ray of enfeeblement . In 1370 DR , the city maintained 12 , 000 amlakkar and their officers , which was twice the usual amount one would find in other cities of Calimshan . This number , however , proved insufficient to deal with massive horde of people living in the city . The syl - pasha ' s army included 7 , 500 soldiers stationed in the city , and the navy included 2 , 000 sailors and naval workers . Rich nobles , including the syl - pasha , also employed large numbers of armed guards . Approximately , 15 , 000 such warriors were present in the city , in addition to the official troops . Justice . The city owed its legal system to the church of Anachtyr and its judges . There were two levels in the legal system : viziers , whose jurisdictions covered entire wards , and the magistrates , who worked inside the sabbans . Anachtyr ' s influence was obvious , given the presence of at least one acolyte of the Just God in each courthouse . Trade . One could find anything they wanted in Calimport , if they were willing to pay a high enough price . Calimport had more to offer in sales than even Waterdeep . The black market was alive and well in Calimport . The amlakkar tended to turn a blind eye to it . Memnon and Manshaka were close trading partners ; Manshaka by sea and Memnon by caravan . Sometimes the local traders made runs that went as far as Luskan . History . The Calim Empire . " Circa " - 7800 DR , the noble djinn i lord , Calim , and his human and halfling slaves arrived in Calimshan , in the area where Calimport would later be founded , and formed the Calim Empire . The slaves built Calimport and were the first inhabitants of the city , forming the culture of Lord Calim . Approximately ten years after its founding , Calimport was razed by a flight of dragons . The city was rebuilt with genie magic within a year . The First Era of Skyfire , began around - 6500 DR , as Calim warred against the efreet i Memnon . Their doom due to the intervention of the elves ended the Calim Empire and Calim ' s reign in Calimport . Coramshan . With Calim gone , the humans and the dwarves rebelled against the last of the djinn in Calimshan and by - 6060 DR ousted the last of the djinn from Calim ' s realm , forming the kingdom of Coramshan . While the dwarves founded High Shanatar , the humans once again rebuilt Calimport . The First Age of Calimshan . Sometime around - 5000 DR , Coramshan and the kingdom of Mir united to form the kingdom of Calimshan . The bakkal s of the First Age ruled from Calimport until the Sunset Plague in - 3332 DR nearly annihilated the population of the city . It remained empty for nearly a century after . The Second Age of Calimshan . The Tavihr bakkal dynasty of the Second Age was assassinated in - 2381 DR in a fire that also destroyed the western half of Calimport . This destruction was combined with a series of guild wars . When the Erehnir dynasty took power shortly thereafter , they rebuilt the city again . The Erehnirs were the ones who introduced much of Calimport ' s religious imagery and artistic style , with the building of great temples and monuments , which would remain present well into the 14 century DR . The Third Age of Calimshan . Two - thirds of Calimport was destroyed again at the start of the Third Age of Calimshan when , in - 1839 DR , Ylveraasahilisar the Rose Dragon conquered Calimport and sat herself on the throne of Calimshan . She ruled for over a hundred years until the humans rebelled once again by slaying the dragon in - 1726 DR . The leader of the dragonslayers , Rafak el Cajaan became the new ruler of Calimport and Calimshan . Calimport , along with the Cajaan dynasty , fell again in - 1428 DR , this time to an army of beholders led by Qyraaptir the Bloodeye . Qyraaptir " sat " on the throne of Calimport for 26 years . At the end of his reign , fires were set to Calimport , in an attempt to drive him and the other beholders away . Calimport was the first Calishite city freed of the beholder tyranny . The war with the beholders continued until - 1080 DR . By that time , Calimport was again the capital of all Calimshan , and a boost in trade saw the city to nearly double in size . The Third Age did not end well for Calimport , however ; a series of plagues wiped out half its population of slaves and 80 % of its total population . While never proven , it was suspected that the plagues were created by rival kingdom Jhaamdath . The Fourth Age of Calimshan . During the Fourth Age of Calimshan , drow slave raids in Calimshan were common , collectively being called the " Night Wars " . In - 691 DR , drow raided Calimport and destroyed the Caleph ' s Palace and slew the members of the Vihad dynasty . Several decades later , the Calishite army was ordered by the syl - pasha to set fire to Calimport , where they held control of a quarter of the city , in hopes of driving the drow out . Finally , in - 620 DR , the syl - pasha ' s trade negotiations with the drow succeeded , though it still took until - 530 DR for the Night Wars to cease entirely . - 446 DR saw another terrible tragedy to the city of Calimport , when a fire destroyed almost the entire Calishite armada stationed in the port and 70 % of the city . Yet a third major conflagration was attempted in this age , yet it failed . It was intentionally set in - 375 DR by Syl - Pasha Akkab el Evyrtaan in an attempt to control the Empire Plague , which had slain a third of Calimport ' s population by that time . The syl - pasha abandoned the city , and priests of Talona attempted to seize control . Few remained in the city except for rogue s . The followers of Shar fought back , resulting in many violent deaths . When the plague ended in - 370 DR , Akkab returned . He brutally killed many of the remaining population , seeking to remove any plague - carriers or the worshipers of Talona and Shar whom he considered traitors . Those who survived fled into the undercity . In - 339 DR , the Fall of Netheril caused the destruction of two entire sabbans , when magic ceased temporarily . At least 7 , 000 people died from this destruction . Despite these disasters , by - 227 DR , Calimport had grown to its largest size ever , with a population over 75 , 000 . For the next 800 years , it was the largest port city in all of Faerûn . The Fifth Age of Calimshan . The Fifth Age began in - 200 DR with the assassination of Syl - Pasha Kalil el Evyrtaan from thousands of viper bites . His successor , Asraf el Majizar , notably made Calimport into a more organized city with trade and workers ' guilds . Asraf ' s son , Malik el Majizar , was a rare good ruler . His leadership nearly doubled the trade to Calimshan . Even so , he was assassinated in - 188 DR . This began the Throne Wars . During this time , the ruler of Calimport no longer controlled all Calimshan , for the next two years saw a total of 39 different rulers take and lose the throne in Calimport . The Throne Fires , a series of seven separate burnings , were sparked during this time , and the flames consumed 43 % of the population and nearly two - thirds of the city . At last , in - 187 DR , Tasyn el Tarshaj from Manshaka took the throne and began to bring stability to the city and the kingdom again . The Age of Shoon . Only the first emperor of the Shoon Imperium ruled from Calimport , Akkabar el Shoon , from - 77 to - 2 DR . His successor , Qysar Amahl Shoon III moved the capital to Shoonach , and Calimport became an almost - deserted city . The undercity , ( nicknamed the " Muzad " , ) generated by dozens of fires and collapses , became more powerful than ever during this time . In 200 DR , rogue factions set fire to Calimport , killing 60 % of the population and destroying the temples of Bane , Mystra , and Talona . Another great fire occurred near the end of the Imperium , when the current qysar , Shoon VII burned most of the Muzad and sewers in an attempt to root out all criminal activity from Calimport . This fire slaughtered nearly nine - tenths of all undercity dwellers . Calimport would take more than three decades to rebuild itself . The Seventh Age of Calimshan . When Amahl Shoon VII was slain by King Strohm I of Tethyr in 450 DR , every city in Calimshan went into political upheaval . In Calimport , ultimately Fahd el Daosiin took the title of syl - pasha . Only seven years later , the new syl - pasha and his family were killed when the entire Pasha ' s Sabban was magically destroyed in an explosion that also set fire to the majority of western Calimport . By 533 DR , slave - soldiers known as mameluks led a revolution against the rulers of Calimport and were victorious . They took control , abolished slavery , and changed the capitol of Calimshan to Manshaka . The Port Fires of 733 DR destroyed the docks of Calimport . This was a ploy by the Rundeen to enact control over trade in the region . In 864 DR , deep below Calimport in a former drow temple , the Twisted Rune was founded by Rysellan the Dark . Within several decades , when some of the mameluks returned to Calimport in an attempt to reclaim power , the Twisted Rune manipulated events to place their agent , Bollus el Kahdan in power as syl - pasha . Through Bollus , the Rune planned the destruction by fire of much of the upper city , restoring a great deal of power to the Muzad . During this era , Calimport ' s massive sewer system was constructed . The Eighth Age of Calimshan . In 1018 DR , Calimport was attacked by Sapphiraktar the Blue , who weakened the Calishite Army so severely that it succumbed to an invasion by the Black Horde of orcs two centuries later in 1235 DR . The Black Horde conquered Calimshan , as well as most of the western realms , before the combined forces of Waterdeep , Silverymoon , and Baldur ' s Gate drove off the horde . Four decades of trade wars were responsible for the disintegration of Calimshan as a unified kingdom , as Calimport , Memnon , and Almraiven became independent city - states . In Calimport , el Djenispool family took the syl - pasha ' s seat . The Ninth Age of Calimshan . During the reign of the Djenispools , much of the power in Calimport was in the control of guilds , such as the one run by Pasha Pook , and criminal organizations such as the Shadow Thieves . The Tenth Age of Calimshan . When the Time of Troubles came in 1358 DR , the underworld of Calimport was thrown into chaos , as the Bhaal Death eliminated many thieves and rogues . The Darkstalker Wars erupted at this time , and Ralan el Pesarkhal from Manshaka used this opportunity to begin his rise to power . In 1359 DR , he had syl - pasha Rashid el Djenispool assassinated by one of his " jhasinnar " , and Ralan took the throne of Calimport . Second Era of Skyfire . When Calim was freed from his imprisonment , so too was Lord Memnon . This led to Calim retaking Calimport , while Lord Memnon would take the self - titled Memnon . In Calimport , the windsoul genasi took over and made all other races — including humans — slaves , forcing them to participate in gladiatorial games . Led by Marod el Arhapan , the windsoul genasi pledged themselves to the djinn . This led the djinn to view the genasi as children ; the earthsoul genasi formed the low caste of the genasi hierarchy , and the firesoul genasi became outlaws for pledging themselves to Lord Memnon . Rise of the Genasi . In 1450 DR the Second Era of Skyfire came to a close with both Calim and Lord Memnon disappearing , but the djinn of Calimport wished to bring Calim back to Calimport in order to invade both Memnon and Almraiven . The djinni Shahrokh took over as the vizier to Pasha Marod el Araphan . Marod began looking for his son , Cephas , in a plan hatched by Shahrokh to bring Calim back to the Prime Material Plane to start the Third Era of Skyfire . Cephas killed Marod , bringing an end to Shahrokh ' s plans . Shahrokh , however , began looking for a book that would free Calim . Sharokh ' s search for the book is currently ongoing , and it is unclear as of now if he has succeeded , failed or is still looking . Notable places . Bead stands , harems , and taverns lined the streets , but as usual there was always a top provider of both . As Calimport was such a large city , this section only lists its most notable sites . More places can be found in the articles for the individual wards of the city . Rumors and Legends . The great sea walls of Calimport , built by genies long ago , contain secret chambers , storing many treasures and riches . As of 1370 DR , only the Caleph Arcane of the city was aware of this .