Aisha Caliphate

* Flag
* Seal

The **Aisha Caliphate**, also known as just the **Caliphate** and briefly as the **Rashidun Caliphate**, is a sovereign state on the Countries SMP. It is one of two currently existing entites on the server that does not control any territory, the other being Capitel. It was originally proclaimed by Craft on May 7th, 2022 on the Countries Discord under just the name "Caliphate". The next day, it was given the name "Rashidun Caliphate" in the lore. However, after some changing, the name Aisha Caliphate was settled on.

## Etymology

The term 'Caliphate' originates from the historical Rashidun Caliphate. The term was used to refer to large Islamic empires that were considered the legal successors to the Islamic State of Medina ruled by the Prophet Muhammad. Aisha was the name of the Prophet Muhammad's third wife, leading to Craft deciding to name her Caliphate after Aisha. This gave it the name "Aisha Caliphate".

## History

### Proclamation

After a short conversation with Felix on the Countries Discord, Craft (then known as Malcolm-X) proclaimed the creation of the Caliphate. This was, according to Craft, the Countries SMP's legal successor state to the real world Ottoman Caliphate. However, at the time, an official name beyond just "Caliphate" was not settled on.

### Hijra

*Main article: Hijra*

On May 8th, 2022, a day after the proclamation of the Caliphate, Craft declared Hijra. This was an exodus from Syran, where Craft was living at the time, in the general direction of KiwiVille to find unclaimed territory where the Caliphate, then officialy given the name "Aisha Caliphate", could begin to exist. Hijra is currently ongoing.

## Politics

### Government

The Aisha Caliphate functions in the context of a Caliphate. This effectively means it is an Islamic theocracy. Beyond this, not much has been defined in terms of the Aisha Caliphate's governance.

### Political parties

No official political parties exist in the Aisha Caliphate. However, the "House of Aisha" is the official ruling dynasty, making it a *de facto* political party.

## Symbolism

### Flag

The Aisha Caliphate is one of the only two nations that has an official flag, the other being Capitel. The flag of the Aisha Caliphate, unlike Capitel's, however, is not a complex design. The design is simply a plain black banner, often called the "Black Standard". It does not have any details beyond that. The flag is derived from the one flown by the Prophet Muhammad in Muslim tradition.

### Seal

The Aisha Caliphate is the only nation on the entire Countries SMP that has a seal. The seal is based off the main influence for the Caliphate's name: Aisha. The seal itself is based off of the Islamic calligraphy for her name. The calligraphy is written in Arabic. The calligraphy reads: "Mother of the Believers Aisha". This is due to the fact that Aisha is often called the "Mother of the Believers" in Islamic tradition.

### National Anthem

The Aisha Caliphate is the only nation on the entire Countries SMP that has an official national anthem. The anthem is called "Arabian Winds" and it is the same as the national anthem of the real-world historical Umayyad Caliphate.

## Foreign relations

The Aisha Caliphate does not have any foreign relations.