Jabal Hajar

"We don't go up there at night. Seeing the death of an island is enough - we don't need to see its ghost."

— common sentiment on Akhaw

Jabal Hajar is the highest point on the island of Akhaw. While it is called Jabal (the Nagari word for mountain), it is actually a limestone plateau that looms over the village of Hazin. It is a part of the rocky highlands that dominate the interior of Akhaw.

When the Malika of Saba destroyed the island of Bhaw, the waves flooded the entire island except for this plateau, and even that was held back only through the intervention of Akhaw's Deva. A tall cairn marks the spot where the refugees camped and watched the destruction of the Akhaw's twin - this memorial is carefully tended by the villagers of Hazin, who regularly climb up to the plateau in order to maintain it. From this point, the entire island of Akhaw is visible, as well as all other nearby islands.

Notable Spirits

In addition to the Deva of Akhaw, the plateau is haunted by the spirits of lost Bhaw. At night, they can be seen in the waters where Bhaw once was, still struggling to escape the clutches of the sea. These ghosts are only visible from the highest point of Akhaw, where the refugees once watched their cousins drown, and many report that they can hear weeping while the tragedy repeats itself.

Geography

The plateau of Jabal Hajar is rocky and arid, with sparse vegetation. Shepherds huts made of the stone are scattered across the highlands of the island, including Jabal Hajar, and the hardy sheep and goats raised by the locals eke out a living on what grows there. The cairn at the plateau's highest point can be seen from anywhere on the island, and is considered sacred by all the inhabitants.

Type

Plateau

Location under

Akhaw

Geographic Details

Location: Southeastern Region
Latitude: 9.62 degrees North
Longitude: 34.33 degrees East
Elevation: 2,382 ft
Area: 3.15 sq mi