Section IX: A Quick Reference Codex
A quick reference to the World of Alor, with a timeline of Sindh and the Islamic world from c. 570 to 750 AD.
📆 Updated — 2026•10•07 | v3.0 | IX-Codex
World of Alor — Quick Reference Codex
A Consolidated Guide to Geography, Culture, Government, Conflict, and Symbolic Order
“ This Quick Reference Codex is a concise guide to the foundations of the World of Alor, for readers who want to find their bearings quickly while reading the Alor Trilogy. It gathers geography, culture, government, conflict, society, faith, and symbol into one frame, together with a timeline of the age. ”
Section IX · A note on history & imagination
This codex sums up the eight sections before it. Items marked (novels) belong to the imagined world of the trilogy; everything else rests on the historical record. The timeline follows the dates generally accepted by historians, many of which are approximate for this period.
Geography — Sindh (c. 610–715 AD)
Core Geography
- Kingdom of Sindh: reaching Kashmir (north-east), Makran (west), the Arabian Sea (south), and the uplands of Kurdan and Kikanan (north-west).
- Mehran (Sindhu, the Indus): the lifeline of the realm — for farming, trade, and, in the novels, the river who narrates.
Capital and Provinces
- Alor: the capital, on its ridge above the river.
- Brahmanabad: the fertile south.
- Siwistan: the western frontier.
- Iskandah: the road to the north.
- Multan: the northern province, home of the Sun temple.
Trade and the Sea
- Debal, the chief port, linked Sindh with Arabia, Persia, and Sri Lanka.
Culture and Faith
Faith Traditions
- Brahmanical: the faith of the ruling house; the worship of Surya and Shiva.
- Buddhist: monasteries, compassion, and learning; strong in many towns.
- Jain and Zoroastrian: smaller communities of trade.
- Islam: brought first by traders; established as a ruling faith from 712.
Language
- Before the conquest: Sanskrit for learning and the court; Prakrit and Apabhramsha in daily speech.
- After the conquest: Arabic for government; Persian influence over time; Sindhi slowly taking shape.
Festivals and Rites
- Seasonal festivals such as Vesakha and Navaratra.
- River offerings and the floating lamps of Sindhu Deepam (novels).
Government and Society
Court Offices (novels)
- Raja: the king.
- Mantri: the royal council.
- Senapati: commander of the army.
- Mahamatra and Lekhaka: administration and records.
- Governors of the four provinces.
Law and Justice
- A council of justice joining religious and civic law (novels).
Revenue
- The king’s share of the harvest, trade duties, and temple dues (novels, after classical Indian practice).
After the Conquest
- Arab governors, the diwan, the treasury, qadis, kharaj, and jizya; local officials kept in office.
The Road of Conquest
Makran to Multan, 711–713
Makran
→
Debal
→
Nerun
→
Siwistan
→
Indus crossing
→
Raor
→
Brahmanabad
→
Alor
→
Iskandah
→
Multan
- Led by Muhammad ibn Qasim, sent by al-Hajjaj; Sindh became a province of the Umayyad caliphate.
- In the trilogy, events are compressed around Alor, where Dahar’s fall is set (novels).
Forts and Armies
Key Forts
- Alor — the royal citadel.
- Brahmanabad — the great southern fortress.
- Siwistan — the western frontier stronghold.
- Bet — the island fort on the river.
- Raor — where Dahar made his last stand.
- Multan — the northern citadel and temple city.
Armies
- Sindh: infantry, cavalry, and war elephants.
- Umayyad: cavalry, camel troops, siege engines, and support by sea and river.
Daily Life and Material Culture
Town and Village
- Brick and mud houses, markets, and courtyards with wells.
- Cotton clothing, dyed with indigo, turmeric, and madder.
Economy
- Farming: rice, wheat, cotton, indigo, and sugarcane.
- Trade with Arabia, Persia, and India; horses imported from the west.
Arts
- Textiles, pottery, metalwork, and manuscripts.
- Music of the vina, the drum, and the flute.
The Natural World
Plants
- Riverside trees: tamarisk, babul, neem, and pipal.
- Crops: rice, cotton, and sugarcane.
Animals
- River: the palla fish and the Indus river dolphin.
- Plains: cattle, buffalo, horses, and elephants.
- Desert: gazelles, foxes, and birds of prey.
Seasons
- Six classical seasons, which the novels fold into five.
Transition and Synthesis
Core Dynamics
- Negotiated change rather than sudden erasure.
- Shared moral ground across Brahmanical, Buddhist, and Islamic traditions.
- Sacred places kept, taxed, or converted over time — not uniformly destroyed.
- Language and culture blending over generations.
In the Novels
- A passage from inherited ritual to revealed law.
- Local tradition living on beside Islamic institutions.
Symbol System — The Alor Quadrivium (novels)
| Element | Symbolic Core | Voice |
|---|---|---|
| Wind | Faith and law | Kasim |
| Water | Memory and ruin | Dahar |
| Fire | Knowledge and defiance | Bai |
| Clay | Care and rebuilding | Ladi |
| The river (Water) | Memory and witness | Sindhu, the narrator — who at times speaks for Dahar |
This elemental design runs through the narrative arcs of every book. See the Alor Project for the full account.
Key Dates
- 711–712: Debal stormed — the first great engagement.
- 712: Raja Dahar killed in battle near Raor.
- 712–713: Brahmanabad, Alor, and Multan surrender.
- 715: Muhammad ibn Qasim recalled; he dies in Iraq.
- c. 730s: Mansura founded near Brahmanabad as the new capital.
Using this codex
For readers of the trilogy
While reading
- Place a town, river, or fort on the map.
- Recall who ruled when, and who is related to whom.
- Follow the road of conquest stage by stage.
While reflecting
- See where the novels follow history and where they invent.
- Trace each voice of the Quadrivium across the books.
- Read the timeline beside the story.
Chronological Timeline
(c. 570–750 AD)
The Islamic world and Sindh, side by side
This timeline sets the rise of the Islamic world beside Sindh’s dynastic and political changes, so that the events of The Alor Trilogy can be placed in their time. Dates before 711 in Sindh are approximate, as the sources give few firm years.
Six movements of the age
570–610 · two worlds apart
→
610–632 · revelation
→
632–661 · expansion
→
661–711 · parallel rule
→
711–715 · collision
→
715–750 · synthesis
c. 570–610 AD — Before the Revelation
| Year | Islamic world | Sindh |
|---|---|---|
| c. 570 | Traditional date of the Prophet Muhammad’s birth in Mecca | The Rai dynasty rules Sindh from Alor |
| c. 580–610 | Tribal Arabia; trade with India active | Rai kings consolidate Sindh; Debal a busy port with Arab merchants |
Note: Sindh and Arabia were already linked by trade long before Islam.
610–632 AD — The Revelation and the Last Rai King
| Year | Islamic world | Sindh |
|---|---|---|
| 610 | The first revelation to the Prophet | Rai Sahasi II on the throne |
| 622 | The Hijra to Medina | Sindh stable under the Rai kings |
| 630 | The conquest of Mecca | Arab trade with Debal continues |
| 632 | Death of the Prophet | About this time, Rai Sahasi II dies and Chach, his chamberlain, takes the throne and marries Queen Suhandi |
632–661 AD — The Rashidun Caliphate and the Rise of Chach
| Year | Islamic world | Sindh |
|---|---|---|
| 632–634 | Caliphate of Abu Bakr | Chach secures his throne against rivals |
| 634–644 | Caliphate of Umar | An Arab naval raid reaches Debal (c. 636); Arab armies take Makran (c. 643–644) |
| 644–656 | Caliphate of Uthman | Chach campaigns to fix his borders, from Kashmir to Makran |
| 651 | The Sasanian empire falls to the Arabs | Sindh now borders the caliphate directly |
| 656–661 | Caliphate of Ali | Sindh stable under Chach; Arab raids on the Kikanan uplands |
Parallel: as the caliphate expands, Chach consolidates a new dynasty in Sindh.
661–680 AD — The Early Umayyads and the Succession
| Year | Islamic world | Sindh |
|---|---|---|
| 661 | Mu‘awiya founds the Umayyad caliphate | Chach firmly established |
| 660s–670s | Umayyad raids on the eastern frontier | Repeated fighting in Kikanan and Makran |
| c. 671 | — | Chach dies after a reign of about forty years; his brother Chandar succeeds |
| c. 679 | — | Dahar, Chach’s son, becomes king |
680–705 AD — Dahar’s Reign and the Gathering Tension
| Year | Islamic world | Sindh |
|---|---|---|
| 680 | Death of Mu‘awiya; Yazid I; the tragedy of Karbala | Dahar secures his rule; Sindh outside these conflicts |
| 694 | Al-Hajjaj becomes governor of Iraq and the east | — |
| 690s–700s | Umayyad power consolidates | Tension along the Makran frontier |
Context: Arab forces press on Makran and its uplands, but do not yet enter Sindh.
705–715 AD — The Conquest of Sindh
| Year | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 705 | Al-Walid I becomes caliph | Damascus |
| c. 710 | Ships carrying Muslim women seized near Debal; two Arab expeditions fail | Debal |
| 710–711 | Muhammad ibn Qasim sent by al-Hajjaj; the army marches through Makran | Shiraz → Makran |
| 711–712 | Debal stormed; Nerun and Siwistan submit | Lower and western Sindh |
| 712 | The Indus crossed; Dahar killed in battle | Near Raor |
| 712–713 | Brahmanabad surrenders after a long siege; Alor surrenders | Southern and central Sindh |
| 713 | Iskandah taken; Multan surrenders | The north |
| 714 | Death of al-Hajjaj | Iraq |
| 715 | Death of al-Walid; Ibn Qasim recalled, imprisoned, and dies | Iraq |
Heart of the story: the axis of Kasim: Sands of Conquest and Alor: The Fall of All.
715–750 AD — Aftermath and Synthesis
| Year | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| c. 717–720 | Under Caliph Umar II, Jaisiah son of Dahar and other princes accept Islam | Sindh |
| 720s | Umayyad governors restore Arab control | Sindh |
| c. 730s | Mansura founded near Brahmanabad as the new capital | Lower Sindh |
| 750 | The Abbasids replace the Umayyads; Sindh passes to the new caliphate | Iraq, Sindh |
The Books in Time
Where each book sits
- Chach
- The Rise of a Soul — c. 632–671 AD
- Dahar
- The Fallen Kingdom — c. 671–712 AD
- Kasim
- Sands of Conquest — 711–715 AD
- Alor Reckoning
- One rain-swept night in 712, holding some eighty years of memory
Words in Their Time
A guide to which terms belong to which moment:
- Before 711 — no Arabic terms of government in Sindh.
- 711–712 — Arabic military words appear on the frontier.
- After 712 — diwan, kharaj, jizya, qadi, and amir come into use.
- Persian administrative influence grows in the following centuries.
