Written by: Annie S.
Calimshan—big, bold, and one of the Forgotten Realms' most iconic locations. It’s a land of blazing deserts, impossible genie cities, and trade routes that glow at night with ancient magic. The Calimshan chapter of Adventures in Faerun leans hard into that sense of spectacle, presenting a setting where long journeys and extreme environments shape the story as much as any terrifying Big Bad.
This makes Calimshan a setting that thrives on battlemaps. Whether your party is crossing the Calim Desert, negotiating with genies, or getting swept away by the chaos of Calimport’s bazaars, the right map will instantly sell the scale and strangeness of the region. Below are ten Calimshan maps that perfectly align with locations described in the book, along with ideas for how they might fit naturally into a desert campaign.
1. Verdant Oasis — Calim Desert
Some of the most-used maps in any campaign aren’t combat maps—but the places where your players can sit down, rest, and talk about the plans to come. This idyllic Verdant Oasis map is perfect for the Calim Desert, where oases are described as crucial gathering places for Calishites of all kinds.
Use this when your party stumbles upon water (just in time!) after a brutal travel day, or as a shared resting place where merchants and strangers cross paths. It’s an excellent opportunity to introduce recurring NPCs and provide your group with a moment of relief in a land that does not give it freely.
Looking for a different desert travel map? Czepeku has a huge range of environmental maps filled with dunes, storms, ruins, and caravan cities. Just search Desert in the Czepeku Fantasy Map gallery to find the perfect map for your Calimshan campaign.
2. Mysterious Druid Grove (Desert) — Trade Way
The Trade Way is described as an ancient, enchanted highway, once marked by glowing spires that guided caravans across the dunes at night. The desert variation of this Mysterious Druid Grove map, with its luminous stones and strange runes, fits beautifully as one of these half-forgotten landmarks.
Drop this map just off the main route as a strange rest stop, as a reminder that Calimshan’s sands are layered with magic far older than trade empires and nomadic caravans.
3. Golden Cathedral Rooftop (Celestial) — Gozva Ka
Gozva Ka is described as a city that emulates the City of Brass—shimmering with polished stone, towering domes, and blinding reflections under the desert sun. This Golden Cathedral Rooftop map captures the scorching splendor of the efreeti capital, depicting a high-walled city that’s opulent, hostile, and just a little too beautiful to be safe.
This is a fantastic map for encounters tied to the efreeti culture of forgecraft and fire magic. Surrounded by azers, salamanders, and dragonborn drawn to the efreeti forges, the party should feel very aware that they are guests in a place built on heat, steel, and power.
4. Beach Town (Skytown) — Burin Bir
Burin Bir, the djinni city, floats high above the steppes on drifting clouds, with architecture tailored to creatures that can take to the air. The Skytown variant of this Beach Town map is perfect here, with plazas and shopfronts spilling out into the open sky, and docks meant for flying vessels.
This map shines in roleplay-heavy encounters. Visitors to Burin Bir are said to receive a warm welcome where “tales are exchanged like currency”, and rare goods from far-off lands change hands freely. Use this space for trading exotic magic items and give your players a chance to share their adventures so far to earn favor among the djinn.
5. Merfolk Marina — Maran Saya
Sailors tell stories of a city found only by moonlight, deep beneath the waves—a city whose vaults are filled with the spoils of countless shipwrecks. This is Maran Saya, the Coral Palace, and this Merfolk Marina map brings that legend to life beautifully.
Built directly into the coral reefs, this marina is alive with glowing runes, drifting lights, and flowing currents that act as the highway for sea-creature taxis. This is an excellent map for political intrigue in the marid court and secret dealings under Biha Babir’s watchful rule.
6. Underground Dwarven City Centre (Oil) — Olympus Dag
Olympus Dag, the dao fortress, is carved directly into the Marching Mountains, with vast caverns supported by spiraling stone columns and walls etched with history. This Underground Dwarven City map captures that sense of scale and power immediately, with stone-carved streets and towers lined with gold.
Here, skilled artisans forge intricate jewelry, weapons, armor, and tools. Use this map for tense trade negotiations and high-value commissions, giving your players a glimpse of the immense wealth and rigid hierarchy of a city ruled by stone nobles like Zabargad herself.
7. Marketplace Festival — Calimport Grand Bazaar
Calimport’s Grand Bazaar is the heart of the city, described as a sprawling marvel of trade that connects the entire realm. This Festival Marketplace map, with its wide stalls, vivid tarps, and central stage, captures that energy instantly.
Drop this map into your adventure as your players shop for magic items, commission mechanical wonders, chase rumors, or get swept up in the performances and announcements. It’s perfect for pickpocket chases, rival merchants causing a scene, or suspicious deals that draw more attention than intended.
8. Colosseum of Challenges — Manshaka
Manshaka’s Colosseum Triumphant hosts races, gladiatorial combat, wizard duels, and historical re-enactments—and this Colosseum of Challenges map does precisely what it needs to do: give your table a clean, dramatic stage for high-stakes moments.
With multiple variants available, ranging from monster pits to water-filled stages and fire trials, you can easily tailor the space to different competitions. Whether your players are betting on events, competing themselves, or trying to survive a rigged match, this map is sure to keep their focus on the spectacle and pressure.
9. Necropolis Entrance (Underworld) — Necropolis of Nykkar
The Necropolis of Nykkar is described as a vast, solemn city of the dead, guarded by Kelemvorite priests and soldiers. You’d be hard-pressed to find a map that leans harder into that mood than the Underworld Night variant of the Necropolis Entrance map, with its towering marble columns, looming statue of a death deity, and an eerie green glow that draws the eye.
Whatever business your players have here, this is an excellent map for scenes that demand weight and grandeur, and moments where the party is reminded that Calimshan’s prosperity rests atop generations of carefully guarded dead.
10. Drow Market Port — Lost Ajhuutal
The Lost Ajhuutal is a secret city far beneath the Spider Swamp, rebuilt by araneas and cloaked behind careful illusion. This Drow Market Port fits neatly as one of its few controlled points of contact with the outside world, with its shadowed docks, intricate architecture, and the ethereal sense that you’re only seeing what you’re allowed to see.
Having suffered at the hands of reckless adventurers, the city’s denizens are wary and withdrawn— but that caution can turn into opportunity. A good-hearted party might earn their trust through altruistic negotiation, or catch them in moments of need when survival matters more than secrecy.
Calimshan is a setting of burning deserts and lush coasts, brutal genie courts and bustling markets, ancient magic and cutting-edge wonders. The right maps will instantly set the stage, giving your players a clear sense of its beautiful and harsh environments.
If you’re looking for even more options, Czepeku offers over 6,000 beautiful hand-drawn fantasy maps and variants, covering everything from deserts and jungles to dungeons and cities. You can browse our maps on our website and subscribe for access to the entire collection to keep your D&D campaigns fresh, varied, and visually striking.
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