Levant

The Geography

Levant centres on the eastern Mediterranean, from Anatolia and Cyprus to Syria, Palestine, Egypt and the northern Arabian approaches. Its square 2000×2000 field is 54% land and uses 15 medieval powers, including the Crusader states, regional emirates and neighbouring empires. Cyprus sits offshore while coastal plains narrow between mountains and desert.

The History

The Levant has linked Mediterranean and inland empires since antiquity. After crusaders captured Jerusalem in 1099, they established the Kingdom of Jerusalem and other states represented on this map; regional Muslim powers gradually reconquered them, with Acre falling in 1291.

The Battlefield

The Mediterranean coast forms a busy north-south spine, but inland routes let larger powers approach from several directions. Cyprus can build separately before projecting across the sea, while the narrow coastal states face immediate pressure. Ports are valuable, yet a purely coastal empire is easy to split. Secure one inland anchor and treat the sea as a flank rather than your only route.