Al-Tana

There are many ways to enter the Al-Kubra, but the best known and easiest to access is through the town of Al-Tana. Located in central Saba, Al-Tana is built into the walls of a blind canyon in the Jibal Al-Junun, the mountains that surround the Al-Kubra. While other entrances require climbing high into the mountains and descending into the Al-Kubra from above, Al-Tana stands at the mouth of a underground passage through the mountains and into the desert beyond.
Locating Al-Tana is simple, but gaining permission to enter is not. The Malikate of Saba governs all traffic to and from the town, and turns away more would-be visitors than it permits. The road to Al-Tana is marked by pillars of black glassy stone that were erected by the Malika herself, and passing near them tends to give people the impression that they are being watched. Some may dismiss this feeling, but none contend that all those who approach by the road are intercepted shortly after passing the first pillar, to have their credentials and permissions inspected. Those who try to circumvent the pillars find it difficult, as they grow larger and more frequent as you approach the mouth of Al-Tana canyon, with a semi-circle of seven gigantic pillars at the actual canyon entrance. 
Inside the canyon, the sandstone walls are carved with elaborate designs from before the founding of the Malikate. Open doorways invite the visitor into the cool darkness of the town's interior and away from the harsh sun. This area of the town is usually empty during the day except for the soldiers of the Malikate who guard the entrances to the caverns beneath, and even they tend to remain within the shadows until required to emerge and confront any visitors who enter between the pillars unescorted. The impression is of a place abandoned, with a hundred empty doors and windows reaching up on either side of the viewer. 
Once permitted into the town, the sense of it being abandoned drops away. The corridors and caverns of Al-Tana proper are not packed with people, but there is always a few people going about their business. The larger rooms within the city are public spaces, lit by enormous brass lamps burning a sweet-scented oil. The smaller rooms are shops and homes for the permanent residents of the town. 
The largest chamber is called the Khalif Raat, and it is the heart of Al-Tana. It is dominated by the vast and still pool of water that fills the center of the chamber. This water is completely still, and reflects the light of the lamps like a mirror. Alchemists prize the water from this pool, claiming that it has never been touched by sunlight, and that this gives it special properties that are useful to their art. The pool provides the main source of drinking water to the town. 
At the far end of the Khalif Raat is the entrance to a long and winding tunnel into the Al-Kubra. It branches a dozen times along its way, with some branches that loop back on the main passage, some that end abruptly, and a few that connect to a deeper set of tunnels that are only partially explored. Wise travelers will pay attention to the marks carved into the stone to guide them on the path that eventually emerges into the desert beyond the caves. Sometimes strange creatures emerge from those caves and wander into the town - the Malikate guards are usually able to drive these monsters away with minimal damage to the city's populace. 
One oddity of Al-Tana is how it impacts a visitor's sense of time. It is very easy to lose track of time within the city, to such a dramatic extent that some claim it is supernatural. A person might linger over a meal for over a day, letting their mind wander, or they might find that events are crowding up against each other, rushing by before they get a chance to think. Many visitors report frequent and intense sensations of déjà vu, along with other strange distortions of perception. Old friends might seem suddenly unfamiliar to the viewer for a few minutes, or visitors might report feeling like they are repeating the same events over and over, but without clear memories of the previous iterations. Long-term residents are often surprised to hear of new developments in the outside world, and claim to have lost track of their ages or birthdates. The Malika has exempted the residents of Al-Tana from the Malikate's census for reasons known only to her, and this decision fuels much discussion about what may be happening in the caves under the Jibal Al-Junun.
Most of the travelers passing through Al-Tana are either treasure hunters who have received dispensation from the government, or they have been hired by the government itself. The Al-Kubra has many secrets and treasures hidden within its bounds, and many people wish to seek their fortunes within. The explorers employed by the Malikate are mostly charged with retrieving relics from the ancient ruins in the desert, but they may also have additional responsibilities imposed by either the Malikate or the Malika. For example, one such employee was charged with mapping the constellations from within the Al-Kubra. This person performed their job admirably and provided detailed charts of the stars as seen from within the desert, at a great personal cost. After their third mission into the desert, they claimed that the stars had begun to look back and take notice of his charting them. He eventually was found obsessively bathing his eyes, claiming he had to scrub them until they no longer saw the watchful stars. Since then, visitors have been cautioned not to scrutinize the night sky of the Al-Kubra overmuch.  
Beyond the treasures found within the ruins of the Al-Kubra, the desert itself contains many species of plants and animals that can be useful, especially in the alchemical arts. These are collected by the residents of the town, and either sold or used to manufacture alchemical formulae. The trade in alchemical ingredients is the main economic support of the town.

Demographics

Most of the residents are of the Naga ethnicity, although the soldiers and officials from the Malikate are typically either of Kaphtori or Telmun descent.

Government

The town is ruled by the military governor appointed by the Malikate. The current governor is Gouliélmos Vaféas.

Type

Town

Location under

Saba

Owner/Ruler

Malika of Saba

Owning Organization

Malikate of Saba