What would an Arabian mining town look like?

I haven't made anything because I haven't figured out what makes sense. FWIW, I don't own City Designer just yet, but I was about to download it when I realized I don't know the answer to this question.

Imagine an oasis owned by nomads in the desert right at the foot of the mountains. This is in Forgotten Realms, specifically near Calimshan. They have tents and they move in and out, but it's also along a road that is somewhat useful for trade. They make one or two small buildings and make a little money by charging travelers for lodging and water.

Then nearby someone discovered rubies. A lot of people come out to mine this place, and the oasis has no choice but to grow into a small town to support mining operations. It is profitable, and there's a good bit of trade going through. Ten years pass... What does it look like? What's the equivalent of an old west mining town in an Arabian setting? It will have to remain small because the water supply is limited by the oasis and kind priests.

I know this is a fairly stupid question and that it can be whatever I want it to be, but I want something that makes sense. Would it remain primarily tents? Permanent structures build from... umm... rock? Yurts? Assuming deep wells would help pull up some water, would it be isolated groups focused around these wells? I'm picturing a wealthy sheik building himself a smallish palace, but that's the only constraint I have right now.


I'm planning on ruining my adventuring party's day here, so I'm just trying to come up with something that makes sense and is interesting. Thanks.

Comments

  • edited September 2009
    Try Google images and search for "desert town"

    You will get pictures like this:

    http://www.exodus.co.uk/picfiles/03473.html

    http://www.minamar.com/images/siwa_shali01.jpg

    That will at least give you some inspiration.



    I don't think the town will remain mostly tents once it grows and turns into a more permanent settlement. The people will build their houses with material that's readily available though. Maybe brick (there should be mud available), wood (probably not enough trees) or stone. The residents will want to remain close to the oasis as that's where the water is and it will be the most pleasant.
  • I lived in the United Arab Emirates for five years. The vision you describe sounds a lot like a place called Al Ain which is an oasis town right next to a rocky mountain named Jebel Hafeet. The oasis is used to feed intensive date cropping and has many small canals to distribute the water in the old style. The town is beyond the date plantations, implying irrigation takes priority over water supply for human consumption. Old world Arabian houses are square with a flat roof and have a square turret above that acts as air conditioner. Basically the wind blows into open spaces on the turret and down into the building below. When its really hot, wet sacking is hung from wooden racks inside the turret (mounted in a criss-cross from the corners) to cool the wind as it passes downward. Its amazingly effective. A mosque would be a central feature in the settlement. Here are some links that might help...

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Ain ... shows the mountain and date plantation by the oasis
    http://www.travelblog.org/Photos/3297294.html ... shows a reproduction vintage arabic house with the wind turret above
  • Thanks, guys! I'm not sure how I'd draw the walls like Ait Benhaddou, but I've got some time to puzzle it out after I finish going through the tutorials.

    They had wind powered swamp coolers? That's awesome. I'm sure they didn't call them swamp coolers, but that's absolutely amazing.
  • I have my town drawn for the most part, but now I'm wondering... How do I show a change in elevation from overhead? I'm not an artsy person so I can't even figure out what it should look like, let alone make it happen. Of course I could put in contour lines so it's technically there, but I don't think that would look very good.
  • MonsenMonsen Administrator 🖼️ 46 images Cartographer
    Use contours with different fill colors. If you place each contour on a different sheet, you can also experiment with sheet effects (perhaps a bevel) to make it look even more like an elevation. It is also possible to use the basic drawing tools to draw an escarpment or two, but this can be a bit tricky to make it look good with the map.
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