TAHARI OASES

By Hersius

INTRODUCTION

This Geography Department discusses the Gorean landscape in terms of latitudes, longitudes, and tectonic plates as a way of coming to terms with the immensity of the virtual landmass of the Gorean supercontinent. Those perspectives provide a basis for locating the various cultural geographic areas that serve as background for the sagas that span the series.

Norman defines areas in terms of their landforms, climate, and underlying geologic structures, and he shows the effects of human habitation on these areas. This and subsequent articles will identify an area and then showcase it by describing what it looks like and giving background information. A call for contributors for future collaboration on other areas will conclude each article. The purpose of the articles is simply to highlight the genius of John Norman in creating this world, to show where the various places are on Gor, and to show why each place is a special place to be.

All quotes are from Book 10 unless noted otherwise.

TAHARI OASES

Oases are not watering holes. Watering holes are seasonal or permanent springs surrounded by sparse vegetation, and they are found in the rocky hill lands. Pages 37, 72, 73, 161, 169, 278, 280. Oases are permanent communities built around stable sources of water. Oases exist both in the rocky hilly areas and in the dune country.

Oases are agricultural commercial enterprises in a region that may not see rain for years or even centuries. Pages 33, 152, 168. Oases engage in gardening and orcharding, watering the crops by cans, and consume most of their produce. Oases have two or more growing seasons. Some limited verr husbandry also takes place at oases, and many oases need to be supplied with verr meat by Tahari nomads. Meat consumption is not common at oases, indicating that animal husbandry is not a major industry and that any manmade transformation of the landscape is likely to involve crops for human consumption. Oases do not import much in the way of food from outside the Tahari other than tea, salt, nuts, and spices. Oases export dates, both in raw form and pressed brick form, to the rest of Gor. Pages 36, 37, 38, 40, 174, 175, 301.

Oases are often hundreds of pasangs apart. They vary in population from several hundred to several thousand inhabitants. They often contain fortresses and often are in effect towns with streets and business buildings. Many are seats of rulers within the hierarchy of desert tribes. Some have taxing and police powers. Pages 36, 37, 44, 87, 128, 151, 175, 176, 177. Oases become more rare as one moves eastward, at least in the parts of the Tahari covered in the story. Page 170.

Oases are linked by caravan routes. There are main routes and secondary routes. Pages 27, 37, 62, 63, 208. The Oasis of Two Scimitars, for example, is not on a main trade route. Page 158. In giving an order of travel from east to west, from the dune country to Red Rock to Two Scimitars to Nine Wells and then to Tor, it is stated that the portion of the trip from Nine Wells to Tor would be via a major caravan route. Page 342.

A number of oases are identified. The making of maps of the Tahari is forbidden. People of the Tahari learn the geography of their own districts, and without a guide, travelers can easily miss their destinations. Pages 101, 175, 179. The information given about the relative locations of these oases is therefore only general.

Tor itself is an oasis city and is easily the largest community in the Tahari. It is in a class by itself. Located in the extreme northwestern corner of the Tahari, barely within the rocky hill country and slightly south of where the Voltai Mountains proper end, Tor is a marketplace for nearby villages and the Teehra District as well as being the hub for caravans plying the Tahari and for merchants trading between the Tahari and the rest of Gor. Pages 27, 32, 36, 38, 39, 40, 44, 45, Book 8 Page 43.

The Oasis of Nine Wells is relatively close to Tor yet is several days travel away from it in an area ruled by the Aretai tribe. It is one of the larger oases, supporting some 20, 000 people. There are no other settlements for at least 50 pasangs in every direction and for more than 200 pasangs to the northeast. Pages 82, 100, 134, 135. Given that Tor is in the northwest corner of the Tahari and that other places, as shown below, are northeast of Nine Wells, it is most reasonable to believe that Nine Wells is southeast of Tor. Cabot left Tor from the south gate en route to Nine Wells. Pages 62, 68. Moreover, when Cabot journeyed to Nine Wells from Tor, riders approached the caravan from the west. Cabot had to turn his kaiila around to face them, which means that he had been traveling eastward. Pages 81, 82. As Cabot and the caravan journeyed toward Nine Wells, they were surprised by Kavar men, and as some 400 Aretai from the east approached them, with some 200 surprising them from the west as well, the Kavar group turned south to escape. Pages 97, 98, 99, 100. In order to fulfill his mission, Cabot needed to move eastward from Nine Wells, which places the other oases he would encounter east of Nine Wells. Page 101. When arranging for an apparent escape from Nine Wells, Ibn Saran advised Cabot to ride north, which would presumably have been the direction to travel if one wished to leave the Tahari entirely or return to Tor. Page 132. When Cabot did in fact leave Nine Wells, he rode to the northeast. Page 135.

The Oasis of the Stones of Silver is relatively close to Nine Wells in an area ruled by the Char, which is a vassal tribe of the Kavars. Page 94.

The tiny Oasis of Lame Kaiila is located more than 200 pasangs to the northeast of Nine Wells, and Nine Wells is the closest oasis of any size to it. Pages 135, 136.

The small Oasis of Two Scimitars lies to the northeast of Nine Wells, presumably farther from Lame Kaiila than Nine Wells is and so at least some 400 pasangs from Nine Wells, in a remote area ruled by the Bakah tribe, which is also a vassal tribe of the Kavars. Two Scimitars is located about six days travel from Nine Wells, as shown by Cabot having ridden for two days before watching the plundering of a caravan and then traveling four days before reaching Two Scimitars, and by the statement made at Two Scimitars that when the raid at the Oasis of the Sand Sleen had occurred six days previously, Cabot had been hunted at Nine Wells. Pages 135, 151, 152, 159, 160.

The Oasis of the Sand Sleen is located about six days travel from Two Scimitars in an undisclosed direction. Given that Nine Wells is some six days southwest of Two Scimitars, Sand Sleen must be in a different direction. The travel distance is shown by the news of the raid at Sand Sleen taking six days to arrive at Two Scimitars, and by the comment that it would take a hard ride to reach Two Scimitars from Sand Sleen in what amounts to five days. Pages 152, 153, 159, 160.

East of Two Scimitars is land ruled by the Tashid, a vassal tribe of the Aretai, and beyond that is the Oasis of the Battle of Red Rock, which is an outpost oasis populated by the Aretai and the Tashid. Other than the Tashid area, most of the land west and south of Red Rock is Kavar land. Red Rock refers to a large red sandstone outcropping. Red Rock is more than a 20 day journey from Two Scimitars and is the last major oasis before one enters the dune country. It borders the dunes. The next oasis of any size is some 2000 pasangs eastward, presumably within the dunes. Pages 167, 170, 172, 175, 176, 179.

The Oasis of Four Palms lies far south of Red Rock. Four Palms is farther from Red Rock than Klima is. Pages 270, 271.

Turmas is a Turian fortess and merchant oasis at the southeastern corner of the Tahari, apparently in the rocky hill borderlands. Pages 153, 179.

The Oasis of Farad is mentioned without any other information other than the implication that it is on the caravan routes. Page 55.

Oases in the dune lands tend to be small, infrequent, and located 200 or more pasangs apart. Page 179. The locations of the salt pits within the dune country are known only to a few, and that information is protected. Page 118. At least some of the dune country is considered to be unexplored, at least from the perspective of outsiders. Page 161. In addition to shifting sand dunes, salt crusts lie on the surface of areas near the salt pits. Pages 225, 226, 231, 233, 234.

The kasbah of Tarna lies some four days march from Red Rock in what begins as a secret location. Pages 188, 189, 207. It turns out to be located only two pasangs from the kasbah of the Guard of the Dunes. Pages 190, 196, 207, 224.

At the start of the story, the kasbah of the Guard of the Dunes regulated access to the scattered salt pits within the dune country from its secret location. Pages 207, 208, 209.

The plastered mud community of Klima lies more than a twentyfour day march from the kasbah of the Guard of the Dunes. Pages 220, 233, 235. Klima produces salt from brine accessed by mines. Page 238. Klima is described as being located deep within the dune country. Other than the water at Klima itself, there is no water within a thousand pasangs of Klima from any direction. Page 117, 118, 123, 125. Klima is southeast of Red Rock. Page 270. At the start of the story, its location was secret. Page 225, 271.

To stand in an orchard in an oasis is to stand with pride. Our ancestors made this, and our descendants will care for it. In the distance, the ever-present wind blows over hot rocks and dirt, and if you place a metal sheet in the sunlight, you can cook on it. Here, there is shade, soothing the eyes. Here, the earth is damp from being watered earlier, and as it dries, it will again be watered. The humid air is easier to breathe than the dry wind. Here, the trees cut the wind into an uneven pattern that scatters the coolness from the evaporation from the soil. Out there, the wind pushes with a rough hand. Here, it is more of a firm caress that graces us with the myriad of fragrances from the orchards and gardens. This is our oasis, and this is one of our orchards.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Oases are places where underground water sources erupted into springs or ponds and have then been tapped by one or more wells. Oases in the western part of the Tahari are watered by southeasterly underground flows from the Voltai. These fresh water courses may take more than 150 years to seep through the strata to where they are appropriated by the oases. Page 33. The fresh water from the Voltai has either pushed out any salt water beneath the rocky hill land or is found above any strata in which salt water may yet exist. Given that gravity is a principal mechanism enabling the underground flow of water, the existence of these oases testifies to the low altitude and bowl shape of the Tahari region. Oases in the dune country are fed by wells that tap into strata in which the salt water from the ancient inland sea has percolated and lost most of its saltiness. Most of the water in the Tahari is slightly salty and unclear when it is removed from the wells. Pages 57, 238, 239, 240.

The western portion of the Tahari is mostly rocky hill lands. Since caravans skirt the entire Tahari when traveling to and from Turmas, it may be that most of the eastern portion is dune country and that either rocky hill landscapes comprise the Tahari border or there is some other relatively easily traversed land bordering the Tahari. It may be that, overall, the edges of the Tahari are rocky hill areas and the center is dune lands, or it may be that the west is rocky and the east is dunes. In either case, the intersection of rocky areas and dunes is uneven, as shown by the route from Klima to Four Palms taking one out of the dune country more quickly than going from Klima to Red Rock directly, in spite of the fact that Klima is closer to Red Rock than to Four Palms. Pages 270, 271. Also, in either case, the rocky hill country covers more of the Tahari than does the dune country. Page 38.

Although the main topography of the dune country is sand dunes, sandstone rock is often exposed, and rock is plentiful enough to permit its use in building at dune country kasbahs. Pages 269, 207.

One cannot estimate actual distance between oases by kaiila travel time. In the dune country, a kaiila might cover 50 pasangs a day, yet in the rocky country under certain conditions, a kaiila might be able to cover 600 pasangs in a day. Pages 70, 71.

CALL FOR WRITERS AND RESEARCHERS

Future articles will highlight other areas. People who wish to work with me to provide Book research, heartfelt descriptions, and important background information relating to the area are encouraged to contact me at hersiusofthentis@yahoo.com.