Zamora
Zamora lies at the edge of the western Hyborian world, with Corinthia on its western fringe and wealthy Turan in the east. It also shares borders with Brythunia in the north and Koth to the south.
Geography
Zamora lies at the edge of the western Hyborian world, with Corinthia on its western fringe and wealthy Turan in the east. It also shares borders with Brythunia in the north and Koth to the south.
Cities
Howard named three cities of Zamora in his Conan stories: Shadizar, Arenjun, and Yezud.
Arenjun is the capital city of Zamora. Conan first arrives here while searching for the most vile cesspit of cities, where he begins observing the ways of civilization. The Zamorians he encounters here are inhabitants of the Maul, a section of the city where thieves and rogues gather.
L. Sprague de Camp, in his re-written Conan story "The Hall of the Dead", adapted from an unfinished draft by Howard, introduced a fourth Zamorian city: Larsha. For many years, Larsha (which is in the east of the country) was synonymous with the City of Thieves. However, Dale Rippke, using evidence from The Tower of the Elephant, argues convincingly that Howard's City of Thieves resides near the western border of Zamora where the Road of Kings enters Corinthia, placing the city all the way across Zamora from Arenjun.
History and politics
The history of Zamora traces its beginnings in the Thurian Age. After the devastation of the Cataclysm, non- Valusian remnants of the Seven Empires, known as the Zhemri, dwelt in the southeast of Thuria.
Around 2000 years after the Cataclysm, their descendants began interbreeding with members of an unknown tribe. This new bloodline gave the Zhemri a sense of impetus, with begun to revive some faint shadow of their ancient culture. They formed the kingdom of Zamora southeast of the ancient Hyborian kingdom of Hyperborea.
It seems that for a couple of centuries much of the fate of Zamora was dominated by the evil sorcerer Yara. Even the King of Zamora reportedly kept himself silent at all times, because of his fear towards Yara.
During the rise of Aquilonia, Zamora entered an alliance (along with Brythunia and Koth) led by Nemedia, aiming to crush the greedy Aquilonia. However this alliance coincided with a Hyrkanian invasion. Riders from Turan swept over Zamora. Aquilonia reconquered Zamora and placed soldiers to anticipate more invasions, while also keeping the Zamorians subjected. This made no difference to the Zamorians, as Aquilonian or Hyrkanian master was the same for them. The borders of Zamora saw three more invasion attempts.
When the Picts invaded Aquilonia, legions stationed in Zamora were recalled to fight the invaders. This was what the Hyrkanians waited for. After a few thrusts, Zamora fell easy prey and its largest city became the capital for the Hyrkanian kings. Fleeing Zingarans were settled in Zamora as subjects.
When the Hyrkanian empire was destroyed by the Nordic drift, they took along Zingarans and Zamorians to the east with them and they were settled together forming a mixed race. Millennia later they would become the gypsies.
During the time of Conan, Zamora is ruled by King Hadranor.
Population and culture
Robert E. Howard used the adjective Zamor i an instead of Zamoran for anything related to Zamora.
Zamorians are dark-skinned, being from a race more ancient than the Hyborians. Zamorian women had been captured by Hyperborea as slaves, contributing to their mixed blood of the Hyperboreans. Zamorians have been intermarried with eastern Brythunians.
The strange and mysterious Zamorians have a reputation for deviousness and thievery. Although Zamora has a rich culture and centres of higher learning, it is the dark alleys and seedy taverns that give it its reputation.
It's possible that they are based on Tamil people or Moors. They seem more akin to darker South Asians than Africans and have a clearly Dravidian culture. What is known is that they are strangely out of place in the West and possible a migrant of Eastern ultimate origins. They may also be an older people that simply predates the emergence of Hyborian and other migrations into the high West. Zamorians might be the last of a truly ancient race or an early offshoot of Stygian-like people.
