Tisroc

History

Calormen first appeared in a passing reference in chapter 2 of Prince Caspian, where it was spelled Kalormen in the first edition. In that book, after the Telmarine kings cut Narnia off from the sea, the Lone Islands fell into the Calormene sphere of influence, becoming a major source of slaves and adopting the Calormene Crescent as currency. After Caspian the Seafarer restored Narnian rule and abolished slavery, there was apprehension of war with Calormen, though the plot moves away without revealing if such a war occurred.

The Horse and His Boy, set a thousand years earlier during the time of High King Peter, places Calormen at the story's focus. The origins of Calormen are unclear; according to the Narnian timeline published by Walter Hooper, it was founded by Archen outlaws who crossed the Great Desert about 24 years after Archenland's founding. An alternative theory suggests the founders came from our world through a Middle Eastern portal that was later lost. The Calormenes speak a flowery version of standard English, and their culture shows ancient Arabian, Persian, Moorish, Mughal, and Ottoman Turkish aspects, contrasting with the European and Christian elements of Narnia and Archenland.

Tashbaan

Tashbaan, the capital of Calormen, is a walled city situated on a river mouth at the southern edge of the great desert that separates the empire from Narnia and Archenland. Described as one of the wonders of the world, the city is hot and crowded, with fine streets, magnificent palaces, and gardens. It is built on a natural slope rising to the palace of the Tisroc and the great Temple of Tash at the hill's pinnacle. The palace is magnificent beyond description and opens onto gardens running down to the river wall. Tashbaan is surrounded by a strong wall rising out of the water, reached by long bridges from both banks, providing the only crossing of the great river for many miles. The Tombs of the Ancient Kings, believed haunted, lie across the river on the desert edge.

Calormene Poetry

Calormene poetry is prolix, sententious, and moralizing, with quotations often used as proverbs. Calormenes disparage Narnian poetry for being about love and war rather than useful maxims, but characters raised in Calormen find Narnian or Archenlandish poetry much more exciting when they first hear it. Storytelling is prized in Calormen and forms part of the education of the nobility. The talking horse Bree, though not fond of most things Calormene, thoroughly enjoys a story told in Calormene style.

Accusations of racism

C. S. Lewis’s portrayal of the Calormenes has drawn accusations of racism. Theologian Paul F. Ford argued that Lewis, shaped by his era and class, unconsciously held unsympathetic views toward Middle Eastern cultures, using exaggerated, vaudeville-like stereotypes he likely would have reconsidered after 9/11. The Calormenes dwell south of a desert, wear turbans and pointed shoes, their nobles are called Tarkaans, they wield scimitars, and their currency is crescents. Kyrie O’Connor observed that Lewis’s time found humor in mocking other cultures, a practice now outdated. Defenders point to Lewis’s positive depiction of two Calormene characters and the absence of prejudice from Narnian nobility toward them. In The Last Battle, Lewis writes that virtuous worshipers of Tash are truly worshiping Aslan, while immoral worshipers of Aslan are actually serving Tash.