Great Malek of Saba, may Illmaquh bless your reign.

Once the Malek sof Saba were called Mukarrib and their word was law from the oceans of sand to the ocean of waves. All the sha`bs bowed their necks in submission, from the nomadic tribes of the deserts to the north to the dark skinned Hadramawt in the east. Even peoples across the waves in the land of D`mt respected the authority of Saba. Today only a few sha’bs continue to respect the rule of the Malek of Saba. The city of Maryab remains the center of the realm as always, but our rule does not reach far beyond its walls. The Minaeans and Hadramawt pay lip-service to our authority, but it out of respect for tradition rather than for our might, and truthfully they do as they please. Even worse the treacherous people of Qataban no longer even show us the traditional respect, but rather they look towards our riches with covetous eyes and our city with dreams of fire and pillage.

We are not at their mercy yet though; far from it. What was once ours may be so again. While our subjects are fewer than in the past they are still numerous, and can provide soldiers both plentiful and varied. From the city of Maryab and her environs come the citizen soldiers who form the core of your army. Tough and loyal spearmen can be called upon from the lower classes, and the nobility can provide both horse and heavy infantry. The desert tribes that still call you master can provide a wide array of light infantry and cavalry to augment your citizen army and to battle in the searing heat that quickly exhausts your urbanite forces. Across the waves the kingdom of D`mt is long fallen and people long for stable rule. They still remember the days of Mukarribs and should you return to their lands they would doubtless provide loyal and effective soldiers for your armies. Further north the Bedouins who trouble our caravans are fierce warriors. A wise ruler would much rather see them fight for him rather than against him. He would also do well to remember that might of Saba has never rested solely on the arms of her own people, but on getting others to bear arms for them. We are the most populous of the sha’bs without doubt and certainly the most courageous, but even so we are few, and if we are to rule over a vast realm and many peoples, we must let them bear their share of the arms.

If you are to expand your rule and bring back to Saba the glories of past days, the fertile lands around Maryab and her famous dam must be secured. The first task of the Malek has always been to watch over and expand the great irrigation works that harness the monsoons rains and feed him and his people. But if we are to regain our glory we must look beyond the soil of home and gain complete control of the trade routes between far off Egypt and India. The caravan routes have always passed through our territory but of late the Minaeans have been exerting more and more control over the caravans, we must check their ambitions and remind them who their rulers are. The sea routes have become increasingly important of late; we must be ready to seize control of this trade as well, lest our domination of the caravan routes proves to be little more than the conquest of a dried out oasis. The source of the aromatics that remain the core of the trade network should also be reclaimed. To the east a mere two days journey are the first of the precious groves of Myrrh trees and beyond them abound both groves of Myrrh and Frankincense trees. The people of Egypt especially have an unquenchable thirst for the aromatics, and will pay many times their weight in gold for them. These endeavors will not go unchallenged though, Qataban especially desires to control the same resources. If we are ever to regain our former glory they must bend to our rule once more. The surrounding tribes and cities must also be brought to heel to make sure no one can threaten your heartlands and also that there are no competitors for control of the trade. But you should not only look to the nearby regions, but also across the sea and Ethiopia. These lands can be brought under your rule as they were before, but it will draw the attention of the Ptolemaioi, the new rulers of Egypt. If they ever find a good opportunity to send an army and navy down the sea, they will. "An enemy’s enemy is my friend" is a saying, but do not count the Seleukids your friends either. Should their war with the Ptolemaioi go their way, they might send armies down to conquer us, as whereas we control the trade to India by sea, they control the trade to India by land and might wish to be the only ones doing trade with the East. Either kingdom would doubtless like to continue the efforts of their glorious founder Alexander, who before his death cast his ever covetous eyes on what is rightfully ours. Our far ranging traders tell us that stories of our wealth and happiness abound in the outside world, we must be wary of those who are seduced by these tales. Secure your homelands Malek, expand and conquer your neighbours and always keep an eye on the kingdoms to the north, who would wish take our freedom and gold away from us.