It’s more a problem that the game “is a historical game” but the story doesn’t always turn out the way we want it to. Unlike Christian kingdoms, during the Middle Ages many Muslim kingdoms “didn’t last” long enough to create a country identity, or they did so but through countless kingdoms (Similar to Rus).
Therefore, to represent only one only makes sense if its Army or some attribute of the same gives enough unique units for a civ of its own, but if not, better as you say, as an ethnic group or the country that currently most resembles them and from which they derive.
I recently made a concept of Al-Andalus( Al-Andalus Civilization Concept for AoE IV_By GoldenArmorX v1.02 (English)), precisely to represent the Muslim kingdoms of the peninsula Ibérica, but only those from Ibérica (Spain).
Those of the Maghreb (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia) I would divide them into 2 variants:
- Sultanate of Morocco (Almoravides, Almohads, Marinies, Saadi)
- Sultanate of Ifriqiya (Kingdoms of Tunisia and Algeria: Haffsides)
It is a pity for the Zayanids or Temples of Algeria, but the reality is that during most of their existence, Algeria was part of either Morocco (1307-1359) or Tunisia (1401-1411), or a vassal state of the same (1423-1500) and even a vassal of Spain (1500-1556) and of Kingdom they only had the name.
You are not the only one. Many people when hearing about the variants, the first thing that was suggested was to make Mamluk Sultanate, so that they could finally have a unit called “Mamluk”, and that is well represented:
- Mamluk: On horseback, such as horse archer or heavy cavalry or a hybrid, but on a horse.
Although currently the Abbasids and Ayyubid have Ghulam to represent Mamluks on foot, the unit we expect, from the Mamluk Sultanate, does not yet exist, and there are several reasons.
In fact, the Abbasids have a stigma, that of the camels, also a result of the theory of “The beta of the game” Do you want to hear it?
Abbasid in the Beta
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Publicity Campaign: The Primordial Eight: Camels
One of the key words of the civ. They had to put camels in, no matter what, to be the camel civ of the “primordial 8”. That’s why their build was largely conditioned by camels, and they didn’t have any other unique unit from the Rashidun or Abbasid Caliphate. -
Unique Units limited to less than 3
They could have given them only one camel, but they gave them two.
And what was the third unit? The Imam, a supposedly unique unit without any unique ability or new stats, which, on top of that, if they had considered in advance that there would be future DLCs, they would have realized that Ottomans, Morocco, Mali, Kanem Borgu, Andalus, Morocco, Sultanate of Ifriquiya, all had Imams as a common religious unit. Yep, they made a mistake here.
That’s why there were no “Mamelukes”, that’s the big truth.
On top of that, in order not to overshadow the camels (because if there were Mamluks as heavy cavalry they would be overshadowed) they were simply not included directly. We have to use suspension of disbelief to see the “Abbasid Lancers” as Mamluk soldiers, but without any special bonus or anything.
HOW DO WE FIX THIS?
Happily, the camel thing can be justified by the fact that they were troops from the Maghreb, the “Maghariba”. The Ghulam, in the game, added only in Season 5, are Mamluks on foot. They would also have more unique units of their respective era. Also, variant now are a possibility.
In the future, a 2nd variant for Abbasids can also be released: The Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt:
- No House of Knowledge, but “Citadel Complex” (4 new wings)
- Focus changes from “Camel” to “Cavalry”.
- Unique Units: Mameluke Lancer, Mameluke Horse Archer, Camel Drummer, Counterweight Mangonel, Super-Trebushet (the one from Sultan Ascend level 7), Royal Mameluke or Sultan’s Mameluke.
– Unique Camel Unit is Camel Drummer, support with a larger camel aura, but does no damage.
– Unique Lancer with bonnus aggainst other heavy cavalry.
– Unique Horse Archer with “Stationary Shot” ability, which improves when not moving.
– Super-Trebushet as a unique building unlockable by the Citadel, to be built as a building, but it shoots like Trebushet, slowly but with a devastating range.