Location from Dune by Frank Herbert
Stilgar's sietch — the Fremen cave settlement deep in the desert that became Paul Muad'Dib's base of power and the heart of the Fremen revolution.
The first thing an outsider notices inside Sietch Tabr is the moisture. After the desiccating desert air, the sietch's recycled atmosphere feels almost tropical — warm, humid, carrying the smell of people, cooking spice coffee, and the yeasty scent of stillsuit recycling. The walls are alive with condensation channels that feed into the water system. Nothing is wasted. The sietch holds thousands of Fremen — warriors, water-makers, children, elders. The sound is constant: the murmur of conversation in Chakobsa (the Fremen secret language), children's laughter echoing from the deep passages, the rhythmic chanting of the Sayyadina during ritual. The communal spaces are warm and surprisingly welcoming; the Fremen are fierce with outsiders but generous among their own. The water treasury is sacred ground. The death-water of every Fremen who has died in service to the sietch is stored here — their bodies' moisture returned to the tribe. The quantity is staggering, representing generations of accumulated dead. It is both a treasury and a cemetery, and the Fremen treat it with appropriate reverence.
Hidden. The entrance is a crack in a rock face that looks like every other crack in every other rock face in the desert — until you know what to look for. Inside, the cave system opens into enormous natural chambers connected by tunnels. Moisture seals on every passage. Glowglobes cast warm amber light on walls worn smooth by generations of hands. The deepest chamber holds the water treasury — vast cisterns of liquid wealth guarded more carefully than any palace vault. Living quarters are carved alcoves with hanging tapestries. The air inside is humid, almost lush by Arrakis standards.
Also known as: Stilgar's sietch, the sietch, Tabr