The Levant

Al-Andalus, Barbary Coast, Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt, Mesopotamia, Ottoman Empire, Persia

Covering thousands of miles, from Southern Iberia to the Gulf of Oman, this is a vast region. Yet Persian poetry and Turkish military tactics are widely known, if not always imitated successfully, and the teachings of the Khadim Alnuwr, always in Arabic, are found everywhere, even Zoroastrian Persia. Much of the region is desert, but it also contains forests, mountains and river valleys. And while the Levant is known for its nomads, it also has many farmers and townspeople, with a number of large cities.
These lands are strange to people from Europa (generally referred to as Franks) for many reasons, not just the heat or food. The Sultans of the Ottoman Empire and Egypt own their principle soldiers and administrators, who, while slaves, can rise to positions of great power. Religion is of course different, and while the hierarchy and elaborate institutions of the Holy Church are absent, the Eternal Light is every bit as influential. And there is bathing, a common habit in the cities of the Levant that is still something of a novelty farther north.
The wizards are also different. Sha'ir, who can command the mighty genie and there kin. Elementalists who specialize in the elements of sand, sea, flame or wind. Dervishes and Magi, who blur the line between priest and wizard, and the wise woman of the villages, who offer love charms and protection from the Evil Eye.

7th - 14th Century North Africa and Middle East