Illian, the capital city of the country of Illian, is a major seaport and a manufacturing center for fine rugs, textiles and leather goods.

Illian has no massive defensive walls around its perimeter; rather, the city is protected by the marshes that surround it. The pale stone towers and palaces seem to rise out of the huge marshy grassland that they sit on.

From a distance, the city seems to be made of nothing but towers and palaces, many of them unmistakeably Ogier-made. These large buildings dwarf the multitude of smaller buildings that make up the bulk of the city. Buildings are generally made of pale stone, a few appear to be covered with plaster, and the tiled roofs are a multitude of colors.

The city has a port district known as the Perfumed Quarter; its "perfume" is the stench of hemp, pitch and harbor mud. The Perfumed Quarter is mostly cut off from the rest of the city.

Ever since Tarmon Gai'don, people from the rural areas of nations have been gathering in the captial city of their nation for protection. The same goes for Illian though there are not near as many people occupying Illian than there are in Caemlyn and Cairhien.