(#68, Version 5.0)

"I gazed down upon the city. In such places came together the complexities and the poverties, the elementalities and the richnesses of the worlds. In such places were to be found the rare, precious habitats of culture, the astonishing, moving delights of art and music, the truths of theater and literature, the glories and allegories of architecture, bespeaking the meanings of peoples, man-made symbols like mountain ranges; in them, too, were to be found iron and silver, and gold and steel, the chairs of finance and the thrones of power. I gazed at the shining city. How startling it seemed. Such places were like magnets to man; they call to him like gilded sirens; they lure him inward to their dazzling wonders, bewitching him with their often so meretricious whispered promises; they were symbols of races. In them were fortunes to be sought, and fortunes to be won, and fortunes to be lost; in them there were crowds, and loneliness; in them success trod the same pavements as failure; in their plazas hope jostled with despair, and meaning ate at the same table with meaningless. In such places were perhaps the best and worst that man could do, his past and future, his pain and pleasure, his darkness and light, come together in a single focus." (Mercenaries of Gor, p.256-257)
 

Time

Most cities maintain their own calendars, often naming the years according to the name of the city ruler. For example, it might be the seventh year of the Administrator Hector of Thentis. A number of cities though have adopted the calendar system of the city of Ar. Ar's calendar is denoted "Contasta Ar" which means from the founding of Ar, over 10,000 years ago. It does not maintain its calendar according to its rulers. Most calendars are calculated from vernal equinox to vernal equinox though some cities, like Turia, calculate their calendars from summer solstice to summer solstice. Most cities have their own names for the months of the year though they generally agree upon the names of four specific months, conncted to the equinoxes and solstices. These include En'Kara (the vernal equinox), Se'Kara (the autumnal equinox), En'Var (the summer solstice) and Se'Var (the winter solstice). Again, some cities have adopted the names of the months used by Ar.

Within each city, there are often time bars that are rung to signal each Ahn. An Ahn is the Gorean equivalent of an Earth hour though it is longer than an hour. An Ahn is generally about 72 Earth minutes long. There are 20 Ahn in a Gorean day, and that day is the same length as an Earth day. In most cities, the Ahns are all of the same length. Yet, in some cities, the length of an Ahn varies. In those cities, they assign ten Ahn to the daytime and ten Ahn to the nighttime. Thus, the length of each Ahn will vary according to the season. For example, during the summer, a daytime Ahn will be longer than a night time Ahn.

Each city also celebrates its own list of holidays each year. Different cities may celebrate the same holiday at different times. The Planting Feast of Sa-Tarna is a complex holiday celebrated by most Gorean cities, including Ar. It is celebrated early in the growing season, timed to occur when all three moons are full, and it is basically a prayer to insure a good harvest. Kajuralia, also known as the Holiday of Slaves or Festival of the Slaves, occurs in most northern cities once a year except for Port Kar. The date differs from city to city. In some cities, it is celebrated on the last day of the Twelfth Passage Hand. But, in Ar and other cities, it is celebrated on the last day of the fifth month, the day before the Love Feast. The "Love Feast" is the common name for the Fifth Passage Hand. It occurs in late summer and is the greatest period for the sale of slaves. This Hand is also a time of great feasting, tarn races and games. In many cities the Twelfth Passage Hand is a time of carnival, just before the more sober period of the Waiting Hand. Some cities also celebrate a holiday on the birthday of the city ruler.
City Construction