1
Understand game structure
The game plays over 3 seasons with 4 rounds each
2
Identify the start player
The player holding the round tracker (camel) is the start player for that round
3
Follow the four phases
Each round proceeds through: Keshi Selection & Assistant Deployment → Keshi Acquisition & Placement → Use Assistants → River Bonus & End of Round
4
Select keshis secretly
All players simultaneously choose 3 keshis from behind their screen
5
Reveal selections
When all players are ready, everyone reveals their chosen keshis
6
Deploy assistants
In turn order, each player places their 3 assistants on their player board in areas matching their chosen keshi colors
7
Use red keshi as wildcard
Red keshis (water sellers) have no corresponding area; place 1 assistant in any area of your choice
8
Combine keshis
After all assistants are placed, one player collects all revealed keshis and drops them into the cube tower simultaneously
9
Sort emerged keshis
Organize keshis that exit the tower base by color for the next phase
10
Take keshis in turn order
Each player chooses 1 color and takes up to 2 keshis of that color from the tower base
11
Place keshis immediately
Position acquired keshis on your player board in the matching color area
12
Handle special cases for full areas
If the matching area is completely filled, you cannot select that color
13
Handle limited space
If only 1 space remains but 2 keshis of that color exist, take only 1 and leave the other
14
Handle unavailable colors
If the only selectable colors have their areas completely filled, skip this phase for remaining picks
15
Continue drafting
Players continue taking turns claiming keshis until the base is empty
16
Receive placement bonuses
When placing green, pink, or brown keshis, immediately receive the bonus shown on that space
17
Place red keshis (water sellers)
Each area (except Souk) has 1 water seller space; place exactly 1 red keshi there
18
Activate assistants in any order
Use your 3 assistants one at a time in any sequence you choose
19
Complete each assistant fully
Finish one assistant's work before starting the next
20
Remove used assistants
After use, remove the assistant from your player board
21
Choose one of two options per assistant
For each assistant, either:
22
Gain water from water sellers
Before choosing your option, if the area has a red keshi (water seller), gain 1 water from general supply
23
Souk assistants
Can take yellow, purple, or orange keshis and place on matching spaces; can use exchange office once or acquire 1 luxury good per assistant
24
Move fisherman
For each fish keshi, move your fisherman 1 space forward on the river track
25
Pay water to move further
Spend water to move additional spaces equal to water paid
26
Handle occupied spaces
If ending on another player's fisherman, move back to the nearest empty space
27
Reach the pier
Upon reaching the pier (final river track space), stop at highest-numbered empty space and gain those victory points immediately
28
Gain ongoing bonus
After reaching the pier, gain 1 victory point for each additional space you would move on the river this season
29
Claim round end bonuses
At each round's end, select 1 bonus from spaces your fisherman has crossed
30
Collect dates
For each date picker keshi, gain 1 date from general supply
31
Placement bonus
When placing a green date picker, gain 1 victory point immediately
32
Use exchange office
Spend 1 yellow, purple, or orange keshi (return to supply) to receive resources shown on the exchange tile
33
Acquire luxury goods
Spend the yellow, purple, and pink keshis shown on a tile to purchase it
34
Refill depleted stacks
When a Souk stack empties, take half (rounded down) from the largest remaining stack and place at the empty shop
35
Rotate spectator disc
Turn your disc clockwise 1 section
36
Select entertainer
Choose 1 space with an entertainer (pink) keshi
37
Receive bonus
Gain the bonus shown on that space, multiplied by the number of spectators indicated in the current disc section
38
Placement bonus
When placing a pink entertainer, gain the bonus shown beside that space once
39
Goods acquisition rule
When gaining multiple goods keshis, they must all be different colors
40
Move on Mosque stairs
For each cleric keshi (black), move your piece 1 space up the Mosque track
41
Move on Palace stairs
For each noble keshi (white), move your piece 1 space up the Palace track
42
Gain line bonuses
When crossing into a new area (line), gain 1 dinar and 1 connection bonus immediately
43
Select connection bonus
Choose 1 bonus from the line extending from your piece's current area
44
Gain multiple line bonuses
If crossing multiple lines in one move, gain 1 dinar and connection bonus for each line crossed
45
Handle track completion
When reaching the final space, remain there permanently; gain 1 victory point for each additional space you would advance
46
Check scholar requirement
The scroll's top-left shows minimum gray (scholar) keshis needed (1, 3, 5, or 7)
47
Pay dates
Spend up to 3 dates as shown on scroll's top-right
48
Acquire scrolls
Take any scrolls your scholars and dates qualify for
49
Keep scrolls
Place acquired scrolls in front of you
50
Refill empty academy stacks
When a stack empties, take half (rounded down) from the larger same-color stack
51
Exchange top scrolls
Before the first purchase each round, pay 1 dinar to swap any color's top scroll: place current top at bottom, reveal new top; must take at least 1 scroll this way
52
Use scroll effects
Effects vary by activation timing:
53
Acquire guards first
When gaining beige (guard) keshis, place them in the watchtower on your player board
54
Purchase city gates
For each guard in your watchtower, you may buy 1 city gate from any of the 4 workshops
55
Pay dinar cost
Pay the amount shown on the gate's top-left
56
Gain/lose victory points
Immediately gain or lose points shown on the gate's top-right
57
Place the gate
Put the city gate on an empty gate space on your player board, and move the corresponding guard from watchtower to that space permanently
58
Gain matching color keshi
Take 1 keshi matching the gate's color from general supply, place beside your player board
59
Gain color match bonus
If gate color matches the area color (gate space is also colored), gain 2 victory points immediately
60
Purchase multiple gates
Buy as many gates as you have guards in the watchtower
61
Place keshis after purchases
After all gate purchases are complete, place any gained keshis on your board (gaining placement bonuses if applicable)
62
Consider Medina completion
The Medina counts as fully filled with 8 guards plus 1 water seller, regardless of gate count
63
Handle remaining guards
At game end, guards still in the watchtower are placed on empty gate keshi spaces
64
Discover oases
When placing brown (caravan) keshis, flip adjacent face-down oasis tiles face-up
65
Use starting oasis
The bottom-left space holds 2 caravan keshis; this oasis is pre-discovered (no tile placed during setup)
66
Understand path structure
Paths branch into 2 directions (left/right) with 3 oases connected (including starting oasis)
67
Claim oases
During the Sahara area action, pay resources shown on a discovered oasis to claim it
68
Place claimed oasis tiles
Move to the storage area on the right side of your supply board
69
Gain keshi from claimed oasis
If the oasis space shows a keshi, place that color keshi on your board immediately (gaining placement bonus if applicable)
70
Use exchange icons on oases
When claiming an oasis with the exchange icon, return 1 keshi from your board to supply and gain 1 different colored keshi immediately
71
Use scroll icons on oases
When claiming an oasis with the scroll icon, gain 1 scroll requiring exactly 3 scholars without paying dates
72
Claim multiple oases
You may claim as many discovered oases as you can afford during one action
73
Score oases at game end
Claimed oases meeting their tile conditions provide victory points
74
Understand water seller bonus
When using an assistant in an area with a water seller (red keshi), gain 1 water from supply immediately
75
Resolve river bonuses
After all players use their 3 assistants, the round ends
76
Award river track bonuses
Each player whose fisherman crossed at least the first rapid gains 1 bonus shown beside any crossed rapid
77
Understand river bonus options
Bonuses include: 1 victory point, 3 victory points, 1 resource of choice, or 1 yellow/purple/orange keshi
78
Fishermen remain in place
After selecting bonuses, fishermen stay at their current positions
79
Pass the round tracker
Start player passes the camel to the player on their left
80
New start player
The player receiving the camel becomes start player for the next round
81
Keep season tracker stationary
Do not move the Stefan Feld figure between rounds
