Final Fantasy 14’s desert city-state’s bustling streets invite visitors from all corners of the realm due to its industry, gambling, and no shortage of fighting arenas. The city is also known for its leadership, with Nanamo Ul Namo as sultana and the Syndicate as those with great power over the laws and decisions of the city. The city’s history begins with its precursor city, Belah’dia.
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The Split And Civil War Of Belah’dia
The ancient city of Belah’dia was purely Lalafell, and it fell to a civil war between its two princesses, Sasagan and Sasawefu, who both wanted the throne for themselves. The war eventually split the city in half in 969 during the Sixth Astral Era, creating Ul’dah and Sil’dih. Each was ruled by one of the twin princesses, and they continued their war for decades.
In the year 1000, Ul’dah began to hire Highlander Hyur and Hellsguard Roegadyn to join their military for the war. It was this that eventually made U’ldah get its gladiator guild and coliseum. The civil war went on and worsened in 1162 when the ruler of Sil’dih gained control of the water needed for both city-states and used floodgates to make the water only go to Sil’dih. Ul’dah then faced a terrible drought and fought all the harder for both the civil war and for getting control of the water back.
In 1181, the alchemists of Ul’dah made a breakthrough. They found a way to make corpses into zombies and used said zombies to turn the tides against Sil’dih. Their rival city was no more.
The Thorne And Ul Dynasty
The sultan of Ul’dah, at the time they defeated Sil’dih, was Sasagan Ul Sisigan the Third. He founded the Sultansworn and used the Immortal Flames to kill all the zombies in Sil’dih after they were unleashed and did their damage. He spread the lie that the Sil’dih citizens were to blame for the zombies and fell to their own creations. This lie came to light in 1224 by a man named Lord Balurf Thorne. Thorne imprisoned the old sultan away for the rest of his life, making Thorne the new ruler of Ul’dah. This began what is known as the Thorne Dynasty.
In 1267, Little Ladies’ Day (an annual Final Fantasy 14 event) was made an Ul’dahn tradition when Thorne’s own daughter disappeared. Three years later, Thorne decided to move Ul’dah to the top of the Sil’dih ruins. This caused some issues in 1353, as it turned out zombies still survived under the ruins of Sil’dih. Thorne recruited Amalj’aa beastmen to help purge these zombies and decided two years later to hand the rule of Ul’dah back to the Ul Dynasty, whose descendants still lived.
Drama quickly became a trend of the second Ul Dynasty. In 1388, the younger sister of the new sultana failed in an assassination attempt for the throne. Infighting broke out among rich merchants, which eventually gave rise to the Syndicate being established in 1401 with the purpose of giving advice who whoever was on the throne. At first only advice was given, but slowly the Syndicate gained more influence than the sultans themselves. This influence came from Ul’dah’s culture becoming greatly rooted in its economy and growth.
The Growth Of Ul’dah
In 1415, Mythril deposits were discovered around Thanalan, which sparked the beginning of Ul’dah’s prosperity. Miners from all across Eorzea came to Ul’dah to make a fortune. In 1276, modern-day Chocobo coaches were invented and made a trade boom occur among travelers, all of whom went to Ul’dah to sell and trade. It was around this time all Eorzean city-states decided to adopt the currency of gil for the use of trading between their borders. Airships were invented in 1522 and allowed for even more economic growth since.
In 1555, the current sultana, Nanamo Ul Namo was born. Ul’dah decided to get stricter with its dealings with outsiders and beastmen. The Syndicate forced a law through that forbade any dealings with beastmen in the city walls. Nanamo was crowned sultana at a young age due to her parents perishing in an accident while traveling abroad.
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