City Image - Amar

StoneCrafting and BuildingSmithing are arts here. All buildings from the most humble to the most spectacular are things of aesthetic functionality.

All buildings here are stone, a native white marble, that is quarried not far from the city. The curved circular city wall of Amar takes best advantage of the stones appearance. The stone has a luster and partial opalescence that makes viewing the city at sunrises and sets (and to a lesser extend moon rises and sets) a spectacular view. Said stone is slick and resistant to things sticking to it (so dirt and dust slides off it), hence the 'A' groove in building stones, allowing them to lock tight with no mortice.

Most buildings here use the stone for their thick walls. Their roofs are normally flat, as the warm nights and beautiful make spending time on the roof a comfortable option. The buildings of the lower class, use reeds (and reed mats) over cross beams as roofs. These roofs are accessed by ladders. Buildings of the second and third tier of citizens have one to two story buildings with solid wood roofs. Those with pretenses, use the local blue clay to make deep blue tiles for the top roofs to mimic their betters. The fourth and fifth tier citizens have buildings made entirely of stone, with balconies, domes, and flat roofs made of stone, adorned with blue clay tiles. Local law prevents people from having homes taller than those of a superior tier, so the more noble the citizen, the taller their home... even if it is only with a spire.

All but the poorest homes and buildings have attached walls which create a patio or atrium. The lush plant growth from the hot, but not too hot, temperatures here, allows a family to create a beautiful retreat as well as grow decorative fruiting plants. Some families have ponds with fish in these areas. Those fish are both decorative and edible, allowing for the freshest food possible.

The blue tiles are made from the local clay. It is a brownish grey before firing, but after firing it turns a deep blue. Though used for roofs, the tiles normally find their way into houses on the floor. The floors of all public buildings and most home are made of blue tiles and small tile sized bits of the white stone. Most are arranged in a beautiful geometric pattern, but others use various colors to express pictures through the floor. While rugs are used, many people can not bare to cover up the works of art on their floor.

Given the Amarian ideal of beauty has to deal with symmetry and simplicity, the furnishings are fairly minimal. While the furniture can be artistically pleasing, there is normally less of it that one would expect given the wealth of Amar.

There are no glass windows here. Walls are thick and high ceilings help keep homes cool. The occasional storm is normally brief and usually warm anyways. The humidity of Amar allows for lush plant growth. This combined with the Amarian love of beauty and sensory treats means plants are tucked in any number of places... high window boxes, wall sconces, open nooks in walls.

The wide roads here are made from hexagonal blue tiles. The slight gaps in the tile allow water to drain slowly though them. They are often lined with lush plants and flowers. There are no sidewalks here, so pedestrians share the roadways with the occasional cart or rider. Given the generous size of the roads here, there is little conflict.

Since much of the city is two stories tall, some of the public areas have sidewalks of sorts at that second level. These wooden sidewalks (board walks in the local parlance) provide some shade to those on the road below. Beautiful arched bridges connect these walkways over the roadways below.

The city is beautiful by night as well. Hundreds of lamps are lit in the city, every night by young boys trained to the task, lighting every intersection and notable building. Add to this the light spilling from window, and the city glows well into the night. This night time beauty has only been possible in the last few centuries by the importing of Antioch Ball Lamps (circular globes with a nested smaller air pocket. The oil in the globe magnifies and distributes the light. DaVinci has a similar design).