Ikan

A street in Ikan, c.2089

Ikan is the capital of the Empire of Ishan and of the Province of Khaita. It is the most populous city in the Empire, having 14,566,731 people in the city-proper. In terms of it's metropolitan area, it is also the largest, not only within the empire, but in Arkhai as a whole. It is the political and economic center of the country, as well as the seat of both the Emperor and of the national government as a whole.

Originally built around the Citadel of Clan Sherkoz (or as it is known in Murai, the "Sherkozi'shun"), it rose to prominence in 1488, when the new Eshai-va, Arkan I ve Sherkoz, was enthroned and moved the capital to the city. From the early 18th to the late 21st centuries, it also served as the official capital of the Marshal's regime, though real power was held in the neighboring city of Nishre to the south. The city was devastated as a result of the Battle of Ikan, though it was *mostly* rebuilt within the thirty years that followed. Some important structures, such as the Walls of Arkan, were left in such a damaged state that they couldn't be repaired, remaining in the state they were left to the modern day.

In recent years, the city has hosted the 2196 Summer Paichnidia, as well as a several other athletic tournaments, both national and international. It has, at the same time, grown to become one of the wealthier cities on the planet, though it is outclassed by a few cities in Ekros, Rumas, and Stezhia. The city is divided into several wards, each operating, in effect, as smaller cities within the city itself.

## Geography and Government

Ikan is comprised of twelve wards, those being as follows: Eshvai, Karatan, Sharik, Kalat, Arkat, Varik, Sokhor, Likhan, Okhet, Aranat, Sikeran, and Ikara. The Eshvai ward is home to the Imperial Palace and many of the structures used in the governance of the Empire, while Karatan and Kalat are home to much of the shipping in the city. The rest of them are home to the city's population and commerce, helping to compose the vast majority of the populated areas of the city. Several landmarks can be found throughout the city, of course, which will be discussed later down the line.

### Government

As previously mentioned, there are twelve special wards in Ikan, with each electing a mayor and two representatives for the City's council. Incidentally, the city, having special status in the Empire alongside Ishkot and Khoros, is also given representation in the Chamber of Deputies *and* the Imperial Senate. Below is a list of the wards and their mayors.

Alongside having their own mayors, the wards have their own police departments, although due to reforms made in the 2110's, their jurisdictions overlap with each other so as to ensure that criminals cannot simply cross into a different district to avoid justice.

### Landmarks

There are several landmarks in Ikan, both old and new. Symbolic of the city as a whole, the *Sherkozi'shun* is a fortress in the Eshvai ward and official residence of the Imperial family. While the original structure was mostly destroyed in the late First Imperial Period, the original throne-room and a pair of watch-towers continue to stand. Otherwise, the vast majority of the palace was built in the 16th century, during the later end of the reign of Arkan I ve Sherkoz, though a few additions, including a more modern residential structure, were built in the 21st century.

Surrounding the Eshvai district, the Walls of Arkan continue to stand, if, up until recently, in a state of disrepair. Built in the years before the enthronement of Arkan I as Eshai-va, they proved to be a formidable fortress in the event of revolt, as evidenced by the difficulty of the Royalists in getting past them during the Siege of Ikan. Nonetheless, after the siege, the walls, now ruined in several sections, fell into a state of disrepair for over a century. Only through the painstaking efforts starting in the 2180's were the walls slowly rebuilt.

There are also a few landmarks built in more recent times, though one *might* be more notable than the others. The Ikan Spire is the tallest structure in the city, as well as formerly the tallest building in the world from 2159 to 2167, standing at a height of 407 meters. It was succeeded in height by the Exairet tower in Myra. Even then, it lingers on as a major tourist attraction in the city, even if it's often overshadowed by the city's older structures.

## Cityscape

Architecture in Ikan is as varied as it's denizens, with older sections of the town having distinctly Murai *and* Avosai styles of construction. In some of the districts built up during the Post-Restoration period, buildings of Ekroi and Nodriketi styles were built as well. The traditional styles, while being kept around, were somewhat abandoned in the city-center, which has largely been replaced in modern times by skyscrapers, though care was taken to avoid destroying structures that were deemed "culturally or historically significant".

## Trivia

* Ikan is, despite being the political capital of the Empire of Ishan, not it's cultural center.
	+ Rather, this honor is ascribed to the city of Khoros, the former capital of the First Empire.
		- Ikan is also *not* the Murai spiritual capital, that honor being given to the city of Ekrit in Kirin.

* Ikan was formerly the site of an Avosai village known as "Ka'iken", the name of which would, under Murai rule, initially be used to refer to the area around the mouth of the Kheilat river, but over time, the name would be applied to the Murai settlement around the Sherkoz clan's fortress, evolving first into just "Iken" by the 15th century and then to the modern *Ikan*.
* The Okhen ward is notable for it's canals that connect to the Kheilat river, formerly serving to provide easier transport through the former village. Nowadays, however, it is fairly popular among tourists from around the world.