Tarsus is undoubtedly the foremost city in the Zoroastrian world.
It has a population of over five hundred thousand, and during the peak of the Sassanid Dynasty, including travelers, the settled population reached over a million.
Unending caravans from the East and West conduct trade here.
Nomads from the North, chiefdoms from India, Turkic Tribes from Asia Minor, and mountain villagers from the Caucasus come year after year to pay tribute.
This is the origin of the title "King of Kings" of the Sassanid King.
The white-robed eunuchs shoulder the imperial palanquin, and the esteemed King of Kings sits cross-legged on this gilded ivory palanquin, overlooking the majestic Tigris River below the city walls.
He tosses a transparent pomegranate into his mouth, chewing as he asks, "How goes Saladin's offensive?"
Palace Minister Mustafa responds respectfully, "He is still firmly blocked at the gates of Kaler Castle, unable to advance an inch."
