azAZ

AzAZ is a fictional city-state and cultural center created for speculative fiction, worldbuilding, and role-playing games. The name is often written in uppercase to signal its emblematic status and symmetry, and it appears in various settings as a nexus of maritime trade, crafts, and urban philosophy.

AzAZ is described as lying at a strait where two harbors meet, with an old quarter perched on a rocky promontory and a modern mercantile district on the opposite shore. A series of stone bridges and canals weave through districts, separating residential neighborhoods from workshops and markets. The city’s topography favors two principal districts—the hillward quarter and the lowland bazaar—connected by terraces and stairways.

In fictional chronicles, AzAZ emerged as a free port in the early medieval era and later formed a bicameral republic. The Traders’ Council governs commerce and foreign relations, while the Elders’ Council oversees culture, religion, and public order. Executive authority rotates among members chosen from both chambers, a system intended to balance mercantile and civic interests.

The economy centers on shipbuilding, glassware, textiles, and spice trade. AzAZ is renowned for mirrored glass products and for a festival of light and reflection held each spring. The population is described as bilingual, speaking Azazi and a common lingua franca, with two writing scripts used for trade records and literature.