Astapor

Astapor
Information
Type	Mercantile city-state
Location	Slaver's Bay, Essos
Population	Ghiscari
Rulers	King Cleon Astapori ruling council (deposed) Good Masters (deposed)
Religion	Ghiscari religion
Places of note	Plaza of Pride Walk of Punishment

"We'll be in Astapor by nightfall."

―Ser Jorah Mormont

A map showing the location of Astapor on the continent of Essos.

Astapor, also known as the Red City, is the southernmost of the three great city-states of Slaver's Bay and a noted stopping point for ships bound from Qarth to the Free Cities and Westeros. Astapor is home of the infamous Unsullied, eunuch slave-soldiers. Astapor's sigil, like that of the other cities of Slaver's Bay, is that of the harpy, the ancient symbol of the Ghiscari Empire, of which Astapor was once part. Though culturally still identifying itself as Ghiscari, Astapor is an independent city-state and is not aligned with New Ghis, which seeks to restore the Ghiscari Empire, to the south.

The flag of Astapor bears the Ghiscari harpy holding between its talon a chain with open manacles on both ends.

People and things from Astapor are known as "Astapori".

History

Season 2

While in Qarth, Ser Jorah Mormont informs Daenerys Targaryen that he has procured transport on a ship bound for Astapor. However, Daenerys refuses to leave without having first recovered her dragons from the House of the Undying.

Season 3

Daenerys is convinced to travel to Astapor to procure the services of the eunuch slave-army known as the Unsullied. In Astapor she is nearly assassinated by the use of a manticore, but is saved by Ser Barristan Selmy, who pledges his service to her.

Daenerys later visits the Walk of Punishment, where slaves who have committed transgressions are tortured and put on display as a warning to others. Daenerys attempts to comfort a slave who has been condemned to death with water.  He instead begs her to be allowed to die.

After purchasing the entirety of Unsullied of Astapor, as well as the slave-boys still in training to become Unsullied, Daenerys double crosses the Good Masters. Under her command, the Unsullied put all slaver masters in the city to the sword, sparing only the children, and liberate the slaves, while Drogon, Viserion, and Rhaegal are also unleashed.

While meeting with Razdal mo Eraz outside of Yunkai, Daenerys demands the release of every slave in the city or she and her army of Unsullied will take it by force. Highly offended, Eraz spits back that Yunkai is not Astapor or Qarth, and that the Yunkai'i have "powerful friends" who would take great pleasure in bringing Daenerys down.

Season 4

Ser Jorah Mormont reports that the council she left behind to rule the city in place of the Good Masters has been overthrown by a butcher named Cleon, who has installed himself as king.

Notable residents

• Cleon, a former butcher and now King of Astapor.
• {Kraznys mo Nakloz}, one of the Good Masters of Astapor. Burned alive by the dragon Drogon during the Sack of Astapor.
  • Missandei, his slave and translator, a Naathi. Now a handmaiden to Daenerys Targaryen
  • Grey Worm, of the Unsullied. Now a follower of Daenerys Targaryen.
• {Greizhen mo Ullhor}, another Good Master. Killed during the Sack of Astapor.

Gallery

Astapor as it is depicted in the title sequence.

The harpy, the sigil of Astapor, as it appears in the title sequence.

The Walk of Punishment along Astapor's harbor.

A giant Ghiscari harpy atop a building in Astapor

In the books

In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, Astapor is culturally and historically Ghiscari in origin. Like its sister-cities Yunkai and Meereen, Astapor was founded as a colony of the Ghiscari Empire, one of the earliest civilizations in the known world. Following the Empire's defeat by the Valyrian Freehold nearly five thousand years ago, the capital city of Ghis was razed to the ground, but Astapor, Yunkai and Meereen survived, becoming major centers of the Valyrian slave trade. After the Doom of Valyria, the three cities reasserted their autonomy and reestablished their Ghiscari traditions, but have not joined the resurgent Ghiscari nation based at New Ghis.

Astapor is located at the mouth of the Worm River. It is ruled by the Good Masters, slave-owners and traders who have become immensely wealthy. They live on large, stepped pyramids similar to those in Meereen, but not as large. It is called "the Red City" for the red brick its buildings are made of. The city contains fighting pits and slave markets.

Slaves who displease their masters are tortured and displayed in the Plaza of Punishment, which is the first place a new slave brought into the city sees.

The trade of slaves is usually conducted in the Plaza of Pride, an open market where the slavers take their customers to view their purchases. In the center of the plaza stands a red brick fountain with a hammered bronze version of the Astapori harpy standing in its center.

Of the three slaver-cities, Astapor is bigger than Yunkai, but Meereen has a bigger population than Astapor and Yunkai put together. The population of Astapor is not as big as that of Qarth or Pentos.

See also

• Astapor on A Wiki of Ice and Fire (MAJOR spoilers from the books)

References

Template:Regions of the Known World Template:SlaversBay