Nasiria

Nasiria (: ٱلنَّاصِرِيَّة, tr. Nāşirīyah; Tipsprek: Naserye), officially the Realm Dominion of Nasiri Aravania, is an overseas territory situated in North Kesh partially covering regions of Aravania and Mihranestan and bordering Aftarestan to the east, Asharistan to the west, and Qurac to the north across the Gulf of Qurac. The federated constitutional is a  of the Apostolic  Tiperyn and is a federation of one hereditary monarchy, two elective monarchies, and three provisional tribal confederations under Tiperyn Realm Defence administration. The northeastern disputed territory of Amedi is internationally recognized as being within Nasiria's borders, but is de facto administered by the Kaya-supported Amedis. Although the elective monarchies of Qaysia and Naqdia enjoy some administrative through the real union, the hereditary monarchy of the Nasir subdivision is considered to be the dominant in Nasiria's federacy and the dominion's ruling family. This asymmetric dynamic has historically been enforced in part with support from the Tiperyn military.

As of 2021, Nasiria's population was 22.9 million—being the smallest of its direct neighbours in population—with a GDP PPP of $609.6 billion derived mostly from petrochemical and mineral exports. The Keshan territory's economy is based primarily on resource extraction, namely oil and gas from the northern Great Aravan Desert and minerals in the southern mountainous region. Nasiri Aravania also hosts a significant agricultural sector, based primarily around irrigated farmland in proximity to the Nasir River. However, agriculture is considered to be a industry and Nasiria remains a net importer of food. Despite recent attempts by the Nasiria and Tiperyn governments to diversify the dominion's economy to combat, these attempts have largely failed due to civil unrest, low education, poor standard of living, and limitations of the labor pool. remained chronically high as of 2019 and its rating on the has worsened in the past decade due in part to escalation in the Nasiri Civil War in the dominion's southern Mihrani-dominant confederations.

Nasiria as a concept began in the early 18th century when Tiperyn stepped up its efforts to colonize the northern coast of Kesh. Although only partially successful, by 1732 it gained two treaty ports in what is now the Nasir capital area with the aid of a tribe that would eventually be known as the Nasiris. Most of what is now Nasiria was not so before the 20th century, being a part of the Maghreb region of the Caliphate inhabited by both Aravans and Mihranis. Following the Grand Campaigns, Tiperyn gained control of most of the Aravan-dominant regions of northern Nasiria while southern Nasiria was seized by nationalist and communist Mihrani groups in the wake of the Caliphate's collapse. These areas would be conquered by Tiperyn, the Nasiris and Kaya during the Great Kesh War, but the south has remained in an ongoing insurgency ever since. Because of the majority of Nasiria's southern provinces are active combat zones, these areas are nominally under the control of the Tiperyn military with only a token local council of tribal chiefs sympathetic to the North-South Concordant. Additionally, Kaya never ceded control of the northeastern province of Amedi after the end of the Great Kesh War and it is currently under autonomous local administration.

As a Realm Dominion of Tiperyn, Nasiria is considered to be a semi-autonomous polity. Although its government has nominal control over the northern areas, Tiperyn may reassert control over certain areas via military mandate without recourse. Additionally, Nasiria guard regiments may be called by the Realm to serve overseas, although this power has not been executed because of southern Nasiria's status as an active warzone. Nasiria is also a member of the North-South Concordant, an, through its dependency on Tiperyn.

Etymology
The formal name Nasiri Aravania is an that the Tiperyn government adopted for the region of North Kesh roughly north of the 5°N latitude and between the 46°E and 54°E longitudes following the foundation of the Realm City of Greater Nasir in 1732. Most of this area was a part of the Maghreb region of the Caliphate at that point. Nasiri Aravania is derived from the words Nasiri—an ethnonym for the people who inhabit the region of Nasir, which is in itself an exonym—and Aravania—an Anglicized name for the area in North Kesh inhabited by the Aravan peoples. The common name Nasiria is derived from Nasiryah, the Aravan word for the geographic region the exonym applied.

The word Nasir—an Anglicization of the Aravan word Nāṣir which means "helper" or "one who gives victory"—was the name Tiperyn applied to the conglomeration of tribes living near the mouth of the Nasir River—then called Nahr el hayat (River of Life)—after they aided Tiperyn forces in wresting control of two port cities in the region from the Caliphate. In reality, there was a diverse number of ethnicities inhabiting the area, living primarily from agriculture dependent on the Nahr el hayat's seasonal flooding. The dominant tribe of the newly formed Realm City of Greater Nasir, the Karimi, was favored by Tiperyn and thus became the local proxy rulers of what would eventually become Nasiri Aravania.

Although the demonym Nasiri is internationally applied to all peoples living in Nasiri Aravania, only the tribe Nasiri identifies with it domestically. Aravans living in Nasiri Aravania identify with their own tribe or their geographical location based on major landmarks such as deserts, peninsulas and mountains. In the southern provinces, only 10% of inhabitants are Aravan, with the large majority being Mihrani.

The Mihrani term for Nasiri Aravania is Naseristan, which is derived from the ethnonym Naser and the suffix -stan meaning "place of". However, Mihranis living in Nasiri Aravania rarely use this term to describe themselves, with the greater Mihranestan region encompassing parts of southern Nasiri Aravania and Asharistan being considered separate from Aravania.

Geography
Nasiria is characterized by deserts, hot steppe, large mountains and river valleys originating at high elevations.

Climate
Nasiria's climate is primarily influenced by the Eurybian Sea and the Kamarband mountains. The latter not only affect climate through elevation and bleed water seasonally, but also act as a blocking warm, moist prevailing winds from South Kesh. Nasiria's climate ranges from predominantly and  in the north, transitioning to cold steppe foothills and heavily mountainous regions in the south. The territory's southeast contains part of the northern edge of the Kamarband mountain range, which is dominated by punctuated by valleys characterized by  and  climates. These high altitude valleys trap moisture and experience snowmelt flowing down from the alpine regions. This snowmelt feeds the Nasir River—Nasiria's largest—and create alpine forests. Due to these fruits of glacial resources, Nasiria has relatively healthy water security—despite the popular conception of it as a desert country—and its mountain valleys can experience dramatic seasonal flooding. The bulk of Nasiria's population, from the mountainous Mihranestan to the desertous Aravania, are are based around major rivers fed by alpine flows and they form of the source of irrigation for Nasiri agriculture.

However, the bulk of the territory can be characterized by little rainfall, hot dry summers, and moderate winters. The exception is in the transition between the northern plains and southern mountains, where winters are typically colder and wetter. Snowy winters are not uncommon in the foothill regions, and the mountainous valleys and southern lowlands typically experience consistent and prolonged snow during the wintertime.

Government and politics
Nasiria is a federated constitutional monarchy and dependency of Tiperyn, an Apostolic semi-constitutional monarchy. Nasiria's federacy consists of three absolute monarchies and three provisional tribal confederations under Realm administration. The monarchies are all ethnically Aravan. These include the hereditary Princedom of Nasir under House Karimi, elective Sheikdom of Qaysia under House Tawfiq, and elective Sheikdom of Naqdia under House al-Amin. Each has varying levels of power over minor tribes within their territories. The most extreme is House Karimi (the national ruling family) which has near absolute power over smaller Aravan tribes within their boundaries. Meanwhile, the other two monarchies integrate minor tribes into the Sheikh selection process via a closed-list vote of eligible candidates from the ruling families. The tribal confederations meanwhile are all ethnically Mihrani and have no autonomy. These include the confederations of Madaristan, Darbandikhan, and Istakhr.

The nature of Nasiria's federacy is that of a de jure defined by treaty between the area's three largest Aravan tribes. The three provisional tribal confederations exist outside this treaty, and as such are not represented within territorial governance—altough they are subject to its decrees. Under this arrangement, the three main Aravan tribal chiefs make up the Dominion Council. This council is the primary governing body of the territory where matters concering the whole dominion and relations between the different tribes are discussed. In theory, policy within the scope of the governing treaty—including but not limited to inter-tribal trade, joint infrastructure projects, and water rights—require a two-thirds majority among the chiefs. Generally, powers that are not reserved by Realm law or Dominion Council decree are delegated to the tribes. However, there are exceptions. For example, the High Prince of House Karimi acts as the territory's first chief for the purposes of executing tariffs imposed by the Tiperyn government, administering the territory's Realm Guard regiments in lieu of the Governor-General, and representing the territory as a whole internationally or interterritorially. Control over Nasiria's indigenous military forces and the informal powers granted by Tiperyn government have effectively made House Karimi the dominant tribe with an outsized effect on territorial politics. This manifests in the Tiperyn monarch delegating many Realm-level responsibilities to the High Prince of Nasir, which completely override powers granted to Dominion and tribal governments under Realm law. Although Qaysia and Naqdia operate their own regional militias and law enforcement agencies, these pale in comparison in terms of power when compared to the Tiperyn-funded military forces under Nasir's control. Even so, relations between the tribal monarchies are typically cooperative in nature, especially with regard to matters of the territory's Mihrani population. Historically, disputes in the Dominion Council have typically been mediated or even arbitrated by the Tiperyn monarch-appointed Governor-General to ensure stability.

In addition to the semi-autonomous Aravan-majority monarchies, the three Mihrani tribal confederations in the territory's south have been directly administered by the Holy Tiperyn Realm and subject to martial law since 1999. Prior to 1999, these areas were administered by the Dominion Council with no local representation. Each confederation is made up of numerous nations, which further consist of up to several dozen tribes. Each tribe sends their tribal chief to be represented on Provisional Councils who provide counsel to the Dominion Council or Tiperyn authorities and pass non-binding resolutions via majority vote. In practice, Provisional Councils primarily interface with the Tiperyn military as they are under its administration. Additionally, councils do not maintain positive control over large swaths of their territories in rebellion due to the Nasiri Civil War and the fact insurgent groups are barred from sitting on Provisional Councils.

Administrative divisions
The Realm Dominion of Nasiria consists of three constituent monarchies and three tribal confederations, each split into numerous and at times vaguely defined tribal divisions negotiated at the provincial and local levels.

Foreign relations
Broadly speaking, as it pertains to Nasiria, the territory's Governor-General is the de jure chief diplomat representing the interests of the territory. As Nasiria is an overseas territory of the Holy Tiperyn Realm, foreign relations and policy as they relate to Nasiria are almost entirely under the purview of the Tiperyn Ministry of Diplomacy when working outside of the North Kesh region. However, as Tiperyn's largest modern territory and its largest source of petrochemical and mineral resources, the dominion does have a larger presence than other Tiperyn territories on the global stage. For example, Nasiria is one of only two Tiperyn territories to be represented at the Realm Compact, due to its level of autonomy, cultural distinctness, strategic importance, and economic productivity. Additionally, the administrations of Nasiri's Aravan nobility often make informal or inconspicuous state visits to strategic partners in the region, both sanctioned and not sanctioned by mainland Tiperyn. Generally speaking, over the course of the 20th century, Tiperyn has shifted from insisting on representating Nasiria regionally with Tiperyn diplomats exclusively to allowing Nasiri administrations choose their own diplomatic teams for missions specifically relating to Nasiria in the North Kesh region. In modern times, the High Princess of House Karimi—spouse to the High Prince—has become the territory's de facto chief diplomat to neighboring countries and mainland Tiperyn. Especially given the ongoing Nasiri Civil War and the increasing responsibilities placed on the Governor-General to manage the conflict, that monarch-appointed position ceased making frequent state visits in the early 2000s.

Perhaps the greatest national security issue facing Nasiria that it sometimes challenges Tiperyn policy over is that of Amedi. Officially, Nasiria and parent Tiperyn claim the disputed territory of Amedi as part of the Princedom of Nasir. However, since the Great Kesh War, the province has been under the practical control of a Mihrani government supported by Kaya, a fellow member of the North-South Concordant. This has led to numerous skirmishes between Amedian forces and Nasiri territorial military forces and police over the decades, although there has been no permanent territorial change since the 1950s. Nasiri zeal over the Amedi issue is generally regarded has being tempered by Tiperyn, which values their strategic partnership with Kaya in the region over Nasiri control of Amedi. The dissonance has elevated mistrust between the Aravans and Tiperyns who are viewed by some, particularly in the capital of Nasir, as betraying Nasiria to a degree. As a result, Tiperyn has not delegated as much autonomy with regard to regional representation when it comes to defense-related issues—it currently maintains a mainland Realm Armada representative for this purpose. Additionally, it's led to concessions to Nasiri demands with regards to the military, including one infantry regiment being kept directly under the authority of the High Prince in Nasir—unlike most others which are under Tiperyn operational control to aid in fighting the Nasiri Civil War.

Military
As an overseas territory of the Holy Tiperyn Realm, its territorial military forces operate under the auspices of the Realm Guard and Realm Air Service. During peacetime, Nasiria's contingent of Tiperyn military forces acts under directly under the High Prince of Nasiria and their administration. However, during wartime, part or all of the force can be placed under the command of the monarch-appointed Governor-General (a Realm Guard flag officer) who then subordinates those units to the appropriate theatre command. Since 2005, three of Nasiria's four maneuver regiments have been placed under the control of the Governor-General, with one infantry regiment remaining under control of the local territorial government. This unit, usually the №1 Territorial Regiment, is garrisoned in the capital of Nasir during its duty. This is primarily meant to be a means for the Nasiri government to react to civil unrest if necessary.

As of 2021, Nasiria's Realm Guard regiments included the following:
 * №1 Territorial "The Realm Desert Riflists" — Composed of four light and motorized infantry battalions. Conscripts from the Nasir region.
 * №2 Territorial "The Sheikh's Frontiersmen" — Composed of four light and motorized infantry battalions. Conscripts from the Naqdia region.
 * №3 Territorial "Eadvald's Own Rifles" — Composed of four light and motorized infantry battalions. Conscripts from the Qaysia region.
 * №4 Territorial "Lord's Camelry" — Composed of three heavy ruitery battalions equipped with Mamba and Black Mamba main battle tanks (to be replaced by Pit Adder light tanks by 2029. Conscripts from across the three Aravan regions.
 * №5 Territorial "Desert Cannons" — Composed of four artillery battalions equipped with towed 127mm and 152mm gun-howitzers. Typically split up to augment Nasiri or Tiperyn ground forces in Nasiria. Conscripts from across the three Aravan regions.

In addition to ground forces, Nasiria also staffs two fighter squadrons for territorial air defense, one airlifter squadron, and one helicopter squadron under the Realm Air Service. Its fighter squadrons operate the Siren A light multirole fighter.