Great Helion Desert

File:Helion Desert sands.png

Sands of the Great Helion Desert

The Great Helion Desert (Mazanic مؤذ الصحراء) is the world's largest desert connected to, but technically distinct from the smaller Serion desert to the east. Located in northwestern Tarephia The region spans roughly 2 500 000 km² and is generally considered to be one of the world's harshest and driest regions and despite the enormous land area is home to less than one million inhabitants.

Etymology

The origin of the Ingerish name of the Great Helion desert is contested, the leading theory is that the Mazanic name of the desert is مؤذ الصحراء which roughly translates to 'The mischievous desert' at some point evolved from 'mischievous' to 'Rapscallion' and further to 'Hellion' as an older Ingerish word for a young treacherous individual. This name may then have stuck as the 'Great Helion Desert'

The Mazanic name (مؤذ الصحراء) or the 'Mischievous Desert' refers to the often time treacherous and harmful nature of the scorching sands

Geography

The majority of the desert is covered in unending dunes of sand with barren rocky mountains dotted across the landscape. Large basins of sand and dunes reaching altitudes of -200 meters below sealevel.

History

Short mentions of important events in the Great Helion desert by era

Prehistory

The Great Helion Desert is believed to have been significantly more humid in the distant past and may have once resembled a steppe, supporting early hunter-gathering populations as early as 200 000 years ago.

2000BCE - 500BCE

Served as the eastern border of the Athya Empire bronze age empire. Was inhabited by early ancestors of the Badauan nomadic cultures.

500BCE - 1000CE

Served as a spreading medium for Islam through Badauan caravans

1000CE - 1500CE

Demirhan, Franquese and Castellanese colonies Badauan tribes officially absorbed into surrounding nations and colonies

1500CE - 2000CE

Demirhan, Franquese, Castellanese and Ingerish colonies Gharbiyan war of independence

Modern history

Gharbiyan civil war [War between Gharbiya and TA024]

List of countries in the great helion desert

Country	Area in the great Helion	Population in the great Helion	Native name of the desert
	470000 km²	367000 ppl	صحراء هيليون العظيمة
TA024
TA020a
TA010b
Castine	50000 km²

List of cities in the great Helion desert above 10000 inhabitants

City	Inhabitants	Country	Location	Remarks
Dunha	231,000		Coast of the Hesperis sea
Aratzaheed	13,000		Aratzaheed oasis
Lahrlan	19,000		Lahrlan Valley

Infrastructure

Name	Country(s)	Type	Year of completion	Remark
Great Transhelion Railway	, Castine	Railroad	1981	800km long railway between Dunha and Atlashville
Western Helion Railway		Railroad	2002	500km long railway between Lahrlan and Aratzaheed
Gharbiyan M4		Highway	1934	Fully paved road between Lahran and Aratzaheed
Gharbiyan M9		Highway	1986	Fully paved road between Dunha and [مدينة كبيرة]
Gharbiyan M11...	, TA024, Castine	Highway	1999	Fully paved road between [Location in TA024] and [Location in Castine]	}