Shara
The land bordered by mountains to the west (the Aiel Waste is on the far side of them), and to the north by the Great Blight.
The Sharans, much like the Aiel, are secretive of their ways among
outsiders. But the people of Shara take this a step further than their
neighbors to the west. Outsiders are only allowed to enter several
specially designated trading towns. These towns are surrounded by high
walls, with no view of the outside world. Outsiders who attempt to
ascend the wall, or leave the trading towns, are killed immediately.
Seafarers who land on the Sharan shore, by choice or not, are similarly
executed.
Jain Farstrider indicated in his writings that lying to outsiders
actually seemed to be a part of Sharan culture. Folk trading with the
Sharans have learned to check their purchases, as Sharans obviously
believe they need not tell outsiders the truth about the goods they are
purchasing. Trading with the Sharans is a dangerous business, though
one that is extremely profitable. For the most part, the Sea Folk
conduct all trade with the Sharans.
Like everywhere else, there are those in Shara who can channel the
One Power. These people are known as the Ayyad. They live in towns
separate from the rest of the Sharan people; other Sharans intruding in
these towns are killed. Male Ayyad are not killed immediately. Instead,
they serve as breeding stock for female Ayyad. These males are kept in
ignorance of the outside world, and are killed as soon as they show
signs of channeling.
The Sharans are ruled by a monarch, called Sh’boan if female and
Sh’botay if male. The Sharan monarch dies every seven years, which the
Sharan people simply accept as the "will of the Pattern." At this
point, the monarch's widow(er) remarries and becomes monarch; the new
spouse will be widowed in an additional seven years and reign in turn.
Unknown to most, the monarchs are actually killed by the Ayyad. The
Ayyad are the true power in Shara.
It is hardly surprising that a society as twisted and convoluted as
this supports slavery. The entire Sharan culture is built upon the
enslavement of the many by the few.
source : <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shara#Shara" target="_new">Wikipedia</a>
