The Harbors and the River Al-Sarif
There are actually two harbors in Huzuz. The largest, the Trade Harbor, is open to all ships of whatever port. The other, the property of the Grand Caliph, is naturally called the Caliph's Harbor. Most natives refer simply to "the Harbor," and their profession and task determines which harbor they mean. A mamluk who refers to a trip to the Harbor probably means the Caliph's Harbor, while a merchant would almost certainly mean the Trade Harbor.
The harbors themselves teem with activity. The Caliph's Harbor holds berths for his great barge, as well as for any military ships that happen to be in port. Though the Grand Caliph keeps a navy of over 100 ships, the majority have duty in the Golden Gulf and on the Al-Sarif River, patrolling for pirates, the first duty of the Admiralty.
The Trade Harbor is in constant motion, most of it toward the Grand Bazaar. Ships from the Pearl Cities, Qudra, the Free Cities, the Pantheon, and distant Medina al-Afyal dock here as a matter of course. The fame of the Grand Bazaar has spread far afield, and the docks sometimes hold even vessels from the barbarian countries far to the north, such as Durpar, Lantan, Calimshan, Shou Lung, or Halruaa. Dock workers do not bat an eye at the many unusual ships that make port here. Legends still speak of the first time a spelljamming ship flew down from the sky and landed at a dock. The inhabitants were tall hippo-like men who carried large swords and devices they called "wheellocks." The beings, "giffs" as they called themselves, purchased a load of fine silk and sailed back into the sky, never to be heard from again. Such tales are sometimes attributed to tavern talk, but several flying ships have landed at the docks since that day.
The Harbor District also includes the cheapest living accommodations in the city, and the quality matches the price. Here a traveler can find a flophouse for as little as three bits a night. Such cheap accommodations are not without risks; many a poor sot has flopped onto a cot to sleep it off, and awakened to find that he had a new career, at the oars or in the mines, as a slave. Not all of these low-cost places are untrustworthy, however. For instance, Benji Sadira has a good reputation at his House of Safe Rest, but there are many more unscrupulous people who sully the reputation of the entire district.
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