Caemlyn

"Forward the White Lion"
   —Battle cry of the Queen's Guard

Map of Caemlyn

For other uses of the word "Caemlyn," see Caemlyn.

Description

"Caemlyn is one of the most beautiful cities in the land, second only to Tar Valon, though its natives may argue that ranking. Like a gleaming crown upon its gently rolling hills, the city is actually made up of two sections, the New City, built well under two thousand years ago by the hands of man alone, and the ancient Inner City, much of which bears the mark of Ogier stonemasons. A great fifty-foot wall of silver white stone surrounds most of the official perimeter of the city, broken by tall round towers that flank massive arched gates. Outside the wall, buildings cluster thickly like lichen to a log, spreading outward from the glittering mosaic of the city in a gradual dispersion. Within its outer walls the city is laid out in a crazy quilt of streets and byways, with towers and domes gleaming white and gold in the sun."
   —The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time

The 50 foot city walls stretch more than 24 miles, and the area of the city is 53.82 square miles. Before the city's destruction, it held a population of roughly 300,000 inhabitants.

Travel

The Whitebridge Gate to the west of the city leads to the village of Four Kings. The road north leads through the Braem Wood to Tar Valon. The south road leads to Far Madding through the Far Madding Gate, and the eastbound road leads to Aringill. The southwest gate leads to Lugard via the Lugard road. The main entrance to the Inner City is the Origan Gate. Another gate to the Inner City is the Mondel Gate. The outer part of the city is called the New City. The heavily populated area outside the city walls is called Low Caemlyn.

A portion of Caemlyn.

Inner City

"On the highest hills at its center rests the glittering Inner City, encircled by its own shining white wall and bejeweled with even more beautiful towers and domes. The broad paved streets of the Inner City are carefully designed to follow the natural curves of the hills, spiraling ever upward to the crowning glory of Caemlyn, the Royal Palace."
   —The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time

The ancient Inner City was constructed by Ogier. The most impressive building in the Inner City is the Royal Palace, which serves as the seat of government for Andor. The inner city also holds a massive underground cistern that is fed by an aquifer, thus Caemlyn cannot be cut from fresh water when besieged.

The Inner City is surrounded by a white stone wall, effectively walling the upper class from the rabble. The Origan Gate leads into the Inner City, "a great white marble arch in the gleaming white wall."

The Royal Palace

The Royal Palace from WoT Comic

"The Palace is both the seat of government for the nation of Andor, and the architectural rendering of her heart and soul. A shining example of Ogier craftsmanship, the Palace’s snowy spires and stonework appear as delicate as lace, yet are as strong as iron. Within the Palace grounds extensive gardens bloom almost continuously, with many rare flowers and plants."
   —The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time

New City

The New City is less than two thousand years old, and was built by humans to surround the Inner City.

Alleys in the New City, called "crossing runs," are narrow and often muddy and have an unfortunate smell. Buildings rarely have entries into the crossing run, the few that exist are rarely used, and no windows face into the derelict passages.

A fifty-foot gray stone wall, six leagues in length, surrounds the New City, walling the entire city of Caemlyn safely away from invaders. (Need Source for this)

Low Caemlyn

The heavily populated area outside the city walls is called Low Caemlyn, consisting primarily of farmers.

Establishments

• Royal Palace of Andor
• Crown and Lion
• Queen's Blessing
• Crown of Roses
• Culain's Hound
• Dead Man's Breath
• The Dusty Wheel
• The Farrier's Green
• The Grand Hike
• The Greeting Hall
• The Happy Throng
• Hoop and Arrow
• The Seven-Striped Lass
• The Silver Swan
• The Two Apples

Parallels

Caemlyn may be a reference to Camelot, the most famous castle out of Arthurian legend. Camelot was ruled by King Arthur. This is similar to Rand al'Thor's connection to the Andoran royal family and the fact that Rand did rule in Caemlyn for a time.

Additionally, the name Caemlyn may be an allusion to Camlann, the site of King Arthur's final battle with Mordred, in which Arthur slew Mordred but was mortally wounded himself.