Rabiah
| Rabiah | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Information | |
| First seen | Arabian Nights |
| Last seen | Arabian Nights |
| Planeswalkers |
Fatima Taysir |
| Rabiah Scale | 10by definition, see Rabiah scale |
| Status | Unknown |
| Scryfall Statistics | |
Rabiah is a collection of one thousand and one originally identical planes, all refracted off of the original Rabiah during the Thousandfold Refraction.[1] It is for this reason that Rabiah is known as "the Infinite". Over the centuries, these planes have since developed independently of each other. However, there are some general features that are consistent across almost all variations of Rabiah.
General features
Rabiah is a desert world. Where Rabiah's touches another plane, the severe environment often begins to "infect" its neighbor. However, that rarely worries Rabiah's inhabitants, since they are hardy desert dwellers. Planar links in Rabiah often appear in the form of giant desert twisters. Such dust storms violently propel any who venture too near them into the particular plane the gates link to. One plane often linked to Rabiah is Wildfire; another one is Dominaria, in particular the continent of Jamuraa.
Although most Rabian cultures are patriarchal and Arabic in feel, the vast range of Rabiahs also includes matriarchy. Furthermore, one plane, known as Dark Rabiah, has been taken over by sinister forces and is as evil a place as even Phyrexia.[2]
Rabiah was the setting for the Arabian Nights expansion, and was based upon the One Thousand and One Nights collection of stories.
Known denizens of Rabiah
A variety of characters are connected to the multitude of planes which compose Rabiah:
Notable locations
- Alexandria - site of the famous library[3]
- Library of Alexandria
- where endless wisdom is kept[3]
- Library of Alexandria
- Baghdad[4]
- Bazaar of Baghdad - the largest bazaar in Rabiah[4]
- Bazaar of Baghdad
- Bassorah
- a city inhabited by Bird Maidens, Desert Nomads and Gypsies[5]
- Bazaar of Bassorah - the second largest bazaar in Rabiah[5][6]
- Mosque Quarter of Bassorah - an area of temples and mosques.[6]
- Cairo - where Ali is from[7]
- City of Brass
- a city in the far reaches of Rabiah which reflects the sunlight, burning unwary visitors[8][9] - Crags of Jaruq
- a plateau of rough crags and cliffs, overlooking the Castle of El-Hajjâj.[10]
- Castle of El-Hajjâj - a wizard's citadel half-hidden behind an illusion[6][10]
- City in a Bottle - a tiny city contained within a lamp[11][10]
- City in a Bottle
- Castle of El-Hajjâj - a wizard's citadel half-hidden behind an illusion[6][10]
- Crags of Sana'a - a mountainous region[6]
- Nailah's Keep
- fortress of the Sorceress Queen Nailah, formerly known as Castle of El-Hajjâj.[6][10]
- Nailah's Keep
- Fa'adiyah (fah-ah-DEE-ah[12])
- a forest, home to seers and to the Shepherd Taysir, who was killed there by the Apprentice Taysir at the Sorceress Queen Nailah's command.[6] - Island of Wak-Wak - home of winged people and strange, speaking fruit[13]
- Karun Desert - a desert populated by nomads. This was where Nailah and the Apprentice Taysir found the Nomad, and where the duel between the Apprentice and Nailah took place.[6]
- Sea of Sand - a sun-blased, interminable desert[14][15]
- Serendib
- an island populated by djinni and efreeti[16]
Races
- Humans
- Camels
- Elephants
- Giant Fish
- Giant Tortoises
- The Djinni
- The Guardian Beast
- Ogres
- Devils
- Bird Maidens
- Jackals
- Apes
- Rukhs
- Asps
- Singing Trees
- Wolves
- Brass Men
- Dancing Scimitars
- Bees
- Horses
Planeswalker
Native
Rabiah scale
Mark Rosewater stated that Rabiah would likely never be revisited in a Standard-legal set, due to the fact that it is not Wizard's own intellectual property.[17] Continued prompting on this subject led him to create the Rabiah Scale, as a planar equivalent of the Storm Scale, on which Rabiah holds the highest (least likely) rank by definition.[18][19] Even with the advent of the Universes Beyond creative treatment, Rosewater maintained that the plane as designed is not revisitable, but a mythology-inspired plane would have better odds.[20] However, in September 2025 he finally wouldn't rule out that a new Middle Eastern inspired set would take place at Rabiah (provided it would receive a treatment like Neon Dynasty got for Kamigawa).[21] It even could be “the plane formally known as Rabiah, now with a new name”.[22]
Trivia
- Outside of its plane card, Rabiah is only referred to by name in the flavor text of Sorceress Queen and Suleiman's Legacy (Visions). Although Sorceress Queen was first printed in Arabian Nights, only its Fifth Edition reprint has flavor text.
- The plane is alluded to in the flavor text of Tempest Djinn (Dominaria).
In-game references
- Represented in:
- Referred to:
References
- ↑ Brady Dommermuth (March 19, 2008). "The Known Mutliverse (sic)". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Encyclopedia Dominia - Rabiah (archived).
- ↑ a b Library of Alexandria
- ↑ a b Bazaar of Baghdad
- ↑ a b Eater of the Infinite
- ↑ a b c d e f g Susan Wright and Jeofrey Vita (1995), "Arabian Nights Volume 1: A Time to Gather", Armada
- ↑ Ali from Cairo
- ↑ Encyclopedia Dominia - City of Brass
- ↑ Encyclopedia Dominia - City of Brass Entry
- ↑ a b c d Susan Wright and Jeofrey Vita (1995), "Arabian Nights Volume 2: And then There Was One", Armada
- ↑ Trick Jarrett (May 13, 2014). "City in a Bottle!". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on January 28, 2022.
- ↑ Matt Cavotta (March 22, 2007). "Speak the Word, the Word is All of Us". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on May 11, 2017.
- ↑ Island of Wak-Wak
- ↑ Sea of Sand
- ↑ Doug Beyer (September 02, 2009). "The Planes of Planechase". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on August 12, 2016.
- ↑ Serendib Efreet
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (November 26, 2016). "What /would/ be a 10 on the hypothetical plane equivalent of the Storm Scale? Ulgrotha? Rabiah?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (November 26, 2016). "So, the plane storm scale would be the Rabiah Scale, right?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (November 29, 2016). "The Rabiah Scale". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (February 28, 2021). "Now that Universes Beyond is a thing, how's Rabiah looking on the Rabiah Scale?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (September 20, 2025). "Chances of a Middle Eastern inspired set on an original plane that isn't Rabiah?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (September 21, 2025). "A lot of people ask about a return to Rabiah, but I feel like the plane's name doesn't really meet the standards of modern Magic plane names.". Blogatog. Tumblr.