* This article might contain spoilers for fellow Travelers.

For a casual player that has been playing since version 2.0, the latest update of Genshin Impact had me fueled up with joy. The long awaited 3.0 update is finally here with the new region, Sumeru. Described as a tropical land with rainforest combined with desert, this region is said to be based on the Middle East. Yet as I dig into it deeper, I found out that these references are taken from ancient civilizations of Persian, Arabic, and Hindi cultures, which is very interesting to see a game put so much details on its content. 

 

The new Genshin Impact update is available worldwide on August 23rd, and players are enthusiastic to explore the new region and do new quests. When you step into The Land of Wisdom, you will be greeted by an amusing green landscape and spectacular botanical scenery that makes you think like you just stepped into a fairy tale world. Unfortunately, this does not count as touching grass, despite the wide variety of trees. So, if you still need to touch some grass, you can go outside and find the nearest green landscape to touch.

Below I will show you guys some trivial content you can find while stepping into the land of wisdom, Sumeru.

Local Specialties

The first batch of specific references on the land of wisdom is its’ Local Specialties. This includes plants, food, and animals that can be found in Sumeru. Entering the outskirts of the city, you can find Harra Fruit and Zaytun Peach, which in real life Harra means green in Hindi and spicy in Arabic. The description said that this fruit can be turned to spices because of its spicy taste. Meanwhile Zaytun Peach could be a reference for olive combined with peach, since in Arabic, Zaytun means olive.

Next is Sumeru-themed food (which looks appetizing, really) that takes references from Middle East food. You can actually find dishes with similar names that exist in real life. They have Panipuri, Masala Cheese Balls, and Shawarma Wrap that are similar to local dishes in India. Biryani is also a dish from India that is a mix of rice, meat, and Indian spices.

The next local specialty that took over real life references is this flower, Nilotpala Lotus, that can be found in river banks in Sumeru. In real life, Nilotpala is a blue lotus, commonly found in India.

Animals you find in Sumeru also have specific references to animals that lived in tropical countries. Tigers, crocodiles, parrots and so on can be found in this region. Watch out not to get bitten though.

Sumeru City Surroundings

As I mentioned before, Sumeru is based on the Middle East area which is divided into rainforest (green area) and desert area. For this version, the desert area is currently unavailable yet.

The city is surrounded by water and pictured to stand in a big tree. The architecture in Sumeru is very likely to have Middle-East design that you can find in real life, including in our country as well, as Indonesia has a variety of cultures that also adapt from Middle East customs. The roof of the buildings actually looks like the upper part of a mosque. There are also bazaar merchants that sell carpets, spices, and food, similar to what you can find in Arabic. The city is also surrounded by palm trees, and a wide variety of plants. Other details you can find is the NPC (Non-Playable-Character) clothing that probably had Middle East touch to it.

Not gonna lie, this city is too pretty!

If you come to the Grand Bazaar area in Sumeru City, you can find the dance that is a mix of Persian and Hindi style.

The amusing part is the NPC names, which I swear to God you might at least know one person with these names. Whether it is your uncle, father, aunt, friends, or even acquaintance, you have to know someone named Effendi, Reza, Mansur, or Amal in real life. You might find yourself selling fruits in Sumeru. It is amusing. 

Cultural References

From the first ever Genshin Impact trailer, the story chapter of Sumeru had already been referencing the Indian language, Sanskrit. You can find places, people, or even things using this language in Sumeru.

 

If you look up, the name ‘Sumeru’ might be named after a sacred mountain in South Asia called mount ‘Sumer’. Some also said that it is named after the Sumer civilization, as the name of Sumerian gods is similar to some characters in the game. The desert part of this region is actually inspired by the Sumer civilization too., with a touch of Egyptian mythology. They will put a pyramid on the upcoming version 3.1, and we could see the old Egyptian relics and antics as well.

To conclude, this region is taking a lot of cultural references from the old Persian, Arabic, and Hindi. There are still a lot of little details scattered around the game that I could not possibly fit in this article, or else I could write a whole book to analyze Sumeru alone.

If you want to know more about the specific references on Sumeru Character, you can check out this link -> A documented Thread about Dehya from genshin impact and her amaziɣ inspirations, made by a kabylian

Well, guess we had already reached the end of this article! If you’re a Genshin Player, tell me how you enjoy Sumeru so far? Because I think this region might be my favorite among all four regions that have already been released.

Of course, take your friends if you want to stroll around, I swear it’ll be fun.  (And I wish you a very good luck for your 3.0 pulls <3)

REFERENCES 

★      Information gathered from the Genshin Impact twitter community

★      In game pictures, honorable mention to user Imera & Pleu for some of them!

★      Genshin Wiki - Sumeru Dishes

 

Writer: Ghinaa Atsiil Rachmania

Editor: Ias Aprilia