The Middle-Easterners

The latest culture to appear in Wars of Liberty consists of Khedivate and Arabian peoples. The Middle Easterners bridge the land gap between Europe, East Asia and Africa and bring a great load of unique gameplay features such as the Warlord, which substitutes the role of the Officer and instead of exceling in treasure hunting and providing farsight into the map it instead favours a specific military unit from the military roster by copying its traits and boosting them in combat among other things. Nevertheless, efficient map exploration can still be achieved with Nomads, a unique unit that musters at your Citadels over time and which can easily scout the map as well as herding nearby herdables.

The most noticeable feature that the culture comes with is probably the aforementioned building, the Citadel, which replaces the Town Center and which merges its functions with the defensive powers of western Fortresses. Citadels have a permanent attack enabled by default, are highly upgradable and their stats improve as the player Advances through the Ages.

And speaking of advancing through the Ages, the Middle East also provides a unique system that sets them apart: a culturally-shared building called the Madrasah is available for the players to build and to research technologies at. These are divided into three categories: military, economic and socio-religious. Ageing-up is done by researching any combination of an ever-increasing amount of these techs.

The Middle Easterners also feature a very distinct late-game economy centered around Fountains, a building that generates trees or bushes over times and which the player can individually set to produce either coin or food plants.

There is much more to the Middle Eastern culture that you can find out playing Wars of Liberty, or checking our wiki

Afghans

The Afghan people found themselves at the volatile epicenter of the "Great Game," a geopolitical tug-of-war between the British and Russian Empires. This era was defined by the Anglo-Afghan Wars, where local tribes fiercely resisted foreign incursions to maintain their independence. Internally, the century saw the rise of the Barakzai dynasty, most notably under Dost Mohammad Khan, who struggled to centralize power within a fractured landscape of competing tribal loyalties. Despite the constant threat of colonization, the Afghan people successfully leveraged their rugged terrain and warrior culture to remain a "buffer state," though at the cost of immense social displacement and economic isolation. By the century's end, under the "Iron Amir" Abdur Rahman Khan, the borders of modern Afghanistan were largely fixed, albeit through a mix of brutal internal consolidation and external diplomatic pressure.

In Wars of Liberty the Afghans are an intense gunpowder civilisation that provides the player with the tools to hold their ground stubbornly.

The leader of the Afghans is Dost Mohammad Khan, who was a central figure in the formation of modern Afghanistan. After the decline of the Durrani Empire, he emerged as the Emir of Kabul in 1826, eventually reunifying fragmented regions like Kandahar and Herat into a single state. His reign was defined by the "Great Game," where he skillfully balanced Afghan independence between the imperial interests of Great Britain and Russia. Despite being deposed and exiled to India by the British during the First Anglo-Afghan War, he was restored to the throne in 1843 and ruled until his death. He is remembered as a brilliant strategist and the "Great Emir" who laid the foundations for the centralized Afghan state.

Bonuses

• Jirga. Blue Madrasah technologies provide Mahallas with special abilities.
• Ten-Rupee Jezails. All Afghan ranged units have extra range and do extra damage at that extra range.

Unique units and buildings

• Malik: their warlord who favours Jezailchis in combat.
• Jezailchi: Skirmish infantry armed with a jezail. Capable of causing severe damage if kept safe from close-quarter combat.
• Dawatallab: Irregular scout infantry armed with a pulwar and a shield.
• Khodaspa: Spammable maneuver cavalry armed with a jezail.
• Ardali: ultimate line unit that discharges their weapon before engaging in hand combat.

Persians

Persia (modern-day Iran) was ruled by the Qajar Dynasty during a period marked by significant territorial losses and the struggle to modernize against European encroachment. Hemmed in by the Russian Empire to the north and the British Empire to the east, the Persian people saw vast swaths of their Caucasian and Central Asian lands ceded through humiliating treaties like Gulistan and Torkamanchay. Internally, the era was defined by a growing tension between traditional Islamic governance and the push for Western-style reforms, leading to the establishment of the Dar al-Funun university. However, the monarchy’s habit of granting lucrative economic concessions to foreigners sparked widespread popular unrest.

In Wars of Liberty the Persians are a diplomatic civilisation that plays around foreign interfierence.

The leader of the Persians is Naser al-Din Shah Qajar. He was the longest-reigning monarch of the Qajar dynasty, ruling Persia for nearly 50 years. He is often recognized as the first modern Persian monarch to visit Europe, a move that inspired his attempts to introduce Western-style reforms, technology, and postal services to his country. A patron of the arts and an avid photographer, he brought a unique cultural shift to the royal court before his assassination. Ultimately, his legacy is a complex mix of early modernization and the preservation of absolute traditional autocracy.

Bonuses

• Gate of All Nations. Two courtiers can be picked in each Age. Five foreign courtiers are available instead of two.
• Gradual Reform. Military unit upgrades also make the upgraded unit train faster.
• Militia Musters. Each Mahalla can levy three Iljariun instead of two.

Unique units and buildings

• Sardar: their warlord who favours Janbazan in combat.
• Janbaz (Janbazan): Ranged line unit armed with a musket.
• Nizam Atli: Scout cavalry armed with a lance.
• Joushan Pushan: Assault cavalry armed with a lance and a shield.
• Mussak: Unique rocket artillery that replaces the Mortar.
• Qazzaq: ultimate rading cavalry.

Saudis

The Saudi state experienced a cycle of collapse and recovery. The period began with the First Saudi State being destroyed in 1818 by Ottoman-Egyptian forces. This defeat was a response to the expansion of a movement that sought to purge Islam of perceived innovations and return to a literalist interpretation of scripture. In 1824, the Second Saudi State was established in Riyadh. Governance relied on the alliance between the Al Saud and the Wahhabi movement, which enforced a strict and exclusive religious identity. This period saw the further radicalization of religion as a tool for political mobilization and social control over tribal populations. The century was marked by shifts between centralized administration and tribal autonomy.

In Wars of Liberty the Saudis are a mobile civilisation that brings an asymetrical gameplay to the table.

The leader of the Saudis is Abdullah bin Saud, who was the final ruler of the First Saudi State, leading the Emirate of Diriyah during its most desperate years. Ascending to power in 1814, he was immediately tasked with defending his realm against a massive Ottoman-Egyptian invasion led by Ibrahim Pasha. He was forced to surrender in 1818 to prevent the total slaughter of his people. He was subsequently taken to Istanbul, where he was publicly executed, marking the temporary end of Saudi rule in the region. His reign paved the way for the rise of the Second Saudi State.

Bonuses

• Desert Oasis. Oasis replace Fountains. They produce an ever-increasing amount of plants with each spawn cycle.
• Caravans. Most buildings are replaced by mobile caravans.
• Wahhabism. Temple technolgies improve the combat of military units. (Will be implemented with the future religion rework)

Unique units and buildings

• Sheikh: their warlord who favours Jammalum in combat.
• Muttawa (Muttaween): Massable skirmish infantry.
• Ikhwan: ultimate manoeuvre camelry that exceels against any shock unit.
• Bedouin: Unique nomad. Merges the roles of the generic Nomad and the Mahalla.

Uzbeks

The Uzbek people were divided among the three independent states of Bukhara, Khiva, and Kokand. These entities functioned as Islamic monarchies where power was held by Uzbek dynasties ruling over diverse ethnic populations. Throughout the century, these states engaged in frequent internal warfare and border disputes that weakened their collective defense. This fragmentation occurred while the Russian Empire expanded its borders southward into Central Asia. To justify conquest, Russia cited the need to stop slave trading and secure trade routes. By the 1860s and 1870s, Russian forces captured key cities, including Tashkent and Samarkand. The Uzbek states were forced to become Russian protectorates or were annexed directly into the empire. This transition introduced Russian administration and shifted the economy toward large-scale cotton production. Traditional religious and social structures remained, but they faced increasing pressure from both imperial policy and internal reform movements. By the end of the century, the Uzbek territories were fully integrated into the Russian colonial system.

In Wars of Liberty the Ubeks are a defensive, urbanised and diverse civilisation.

The leader of the Uzbeks is Nasrullah Khan. He was the Emir of Bukhara known for his iron-fisted rule and his role in the high-stakes diplomacy of the Great Game. Often nicknamed "The Butcher" by Western contemporaries, he consolidated power through extreme ruthlessness, eliminating rivals and centralizing the Emirate's authority. He is most infamous in European history for the imprisonment and execution of British officers Charles Stoddart and Arthur Conolly, who were sent to negotiate an alliance but were instead cast into a "bug pit". Despite his brutal reputation, he successfully defended his borders against neighboring khanates and maintained Bukhara’s independence during a period of intense Anglo-Russian rivalry. His reign represents the peak of the Manghit dynasty’s power before the eventual Russian conquest of Central Asia.

Bonuses

• Urbanized Community. Citadels increase the hitpoints of nearby buildings
• Timurid Citadel. Citadel initial build limit is 2 instead of 1.
• Poetry. Madrasah initial build limit is 2 instead of 1.
• Nomad Vassals. Nomads can be settled into unique structures. There are three types of nomads available.

Unique units and buildings

• Aqsaqal: their warlord who favours Jigits in combat.
• Aq Uyli: Archaic foot archer.
• Mergan: Skirmisher that fights better in closeness to Citadels.
• Shagird Pisha: Their ultimate unit, a ranged cavalry unit armed with a serbacha.
• Karakul Sheep: Unique coin herdable.
• Karakalpak Nomad: Unique nomad that has a great line of sight.
• Turken Nomad: Unique combative nomad.
• Kyrgyz Nomad: Unique nomad mounted on a Bactrian Camel.
• Tam: Karakalpak mud settlement that prevents enemy players from building close to it.
• Alaman: Turkmen outpost that attacks and spawns aggresive Alamaniyas over time.
• Kibitka: Kyrgyz yurt that attracts nearby huntables.