Capitol city of Calormen, from The Horse and His Boy, the fifth book of the saga of the Chronicles of Narnia.
The City of Tashbaan
Thesis Project
About Tashbaan:
In the book the city of Tashbaan is considered one of the great wonders of the world of Narnia, it is home to the temple of their God, Tash. It is located between the banks of a great river, and it is remembered for its many gardens, towers, and lights.
I based everything in the city on the golden ratio to symbolize the holiness of the city and its connection to nature.
Video of the 3d model
This video is meant to show the structure of the city rather than the atmosphere; this is due to laptop capacity.
From Shell to City
the city is structured like a seashell, symbolizing its sacred connection to deity and heritage, while maintaining ties to historical grandeur. The goal is to create a universally admired city for inhabitants from various kingdoms, including those of C. S. Lewis's fantastical realms.
1. Study of the shape of multiple shells.
2. Study Simplification of the shape of the shell, with focus on creating a spiral path that leads to the top.of the shape of multiple shells.
3. Further analysis of the shape of the shell, with focus on creating faster routes to go to reach the top.
4. Unification of the shape obtain previously, with the aim of creating a path that leads to the top and one that leads back down, as described in the book.
5. Comparison between the shape obtain and the final shape of the city. Next to it there is the explanation of how the floor-plan of the city gives shape to its stemma.
Technical drawings
The project of this city was not only meant to be artistically interesting and full of historical and mathematical references, but it was also meant to be functional: this city can be built, used, and walked in a fantasy world, for example, for the creation of a videogame.
This technical board shows all the possible paths that lead to the top and out of the city, including shortcuts, tunnels, and paths in the air.
This technical board shows all the different districts in which the city is divided and the number of people that live in each district, a number that follows the Fibonacci sequence, and that helped me find the dimension of the city.
This technical board highlights the parks and greenery and the water and irrigation paths. The water is what gives power to the city itself, but more about this later…
The City in Detail
The last part of the project goes deeper and deeper into the different elements of the city, analyzing in detail 10 different parts of the city:
1. The Levatoi Bredges
the city is located in the middle of a big river and these two bridges are the only way to cross the river for km. In this case, multiple big pillars with a big water mill in each of them activate the Levatoi bridge, using the power of the water to create energy for the city.
2/3. City Walls and City Entrance
All the water that runs down from the city is collected between the double layer of walls. The water then exits the city through some big water mills, creating the power that activates the transportation of the city (more on this later).
4. Trasportations
The city has a very strict social structure, divided between the rich (on top) and the poor (on bottom). The poor use the walking paths, while the rich use a system of ‘gondolas’ that are activated by the power of the water mills on the walls.
6. Social Structure
The city is divided between perifery, where the poor live (districts 1 and 2), the city centre, where the rich live (districts 3 and 4), and the sacred area, where the palace of the emperor and the temple are located. Every district has a different housing type that reflects the housing types in Ancient Rome.
6. Perifery
Here we find districts 1 and 2. They both look at the ‘insulae’ style of housing from Ancient Rome, the first one from the poorer kinds while the second one from the less poore kind. Every district is divided into levels. The first levels are also completely in the shadow of the walls: here, the poorest live.
7. City Centre
Here we find districts 3 and 4. They both look at the ‘domus’ style of housing from Ancient Rome, the first one from the rich kinds and the second one from the richest. The last levels are occupied by very few people, so the houses get very big and luxurious.
8. Palaces and Temple
In the palaces lives Tisroc, the emperor and god on Earth, while in the temple, symbolically, lives Tash, the God of the world of Calormen. On the outside is located the new palace that looks at the palace and the gardens in (ancient) Babylonia, while on the inside is the old Palace that resembles the Tower of Babele (narrated in the Bible).
9. The Towers
The city is full of towers that serve different purposes. They all have the same style but differ in proportions and some elements. They all have a fire on top and stairs on the inside, that can be hidden or not.
10. The house
This last part analyzes the house described in the book. This is the part that goes more in detail and shows how every aspect of Tashaan is based on the golden ratio and how, in the event in which i would have to continue this project, I would have to analyze every element in this same way.
Final Sketches
Want to know more about Tashbaan?
This was only the practical part of the thesis project! This city is based on a lot of research and it is all described in the theoretical part of my thesis. The original one is written in Italian, the file attached is only a translation.