Game of Thrones Map Guide: Every Location Explained

The Free Cities

Culturally, Essos varies wildly from Westeros, and the Free Cities of Pentos, Braavos, Volantis, Myr, Lorath, Lys, Tyrosh, Norvos, and Qohor are prime examples of the dissonance between the two continents. The Free Cities are merchant, self-governing city-states with no affiliation to another, higher authority. They are spread throughout the entirety Essos - some coastal, some inland and some, like Lys, on islands. While the books go into considerable detail regarding many of the Free Cities, HBO's Game of Thrones has focused most of its attention on the coastal cities of Braavos to the north, Pentos to the East, and Volantis to the south. Game of Thrones protagonist Daenerys of House Targaryen begins her journey in Pentos when she is sold in marriage to Khal Drogo by Illyrio Mopatis. Arya Stark spends months in Braavos training at the House of Black and White, and Jorah kidnaps Tyrion when he sees the dwarf and Varys at a brothel in Volantis.

Slaver's Bay

Slaver’s Bay distinguishes itself from Westeros because of its historic devotion to the slave trade. Slavery was outlawed in Westeros, but continued to thrive in the cities of Astapor, Yunkai, and Meereen seated east of Volantis. Located in the southeastern region of Essos, Slaver’s Bay is bordered to the north by the Dothraki Sea and to the east by Old Valyria. Dany’s journey eventually takes her to Astapor, Yunkai, and Meereen, and one by one, she forces an end to slavery in each city before finally setting up a semi-permanent base in Meereen to the north. Leaving Daenerys' lover Daario Naharis behind to rule in her stead, she departed Meereen at the end of Game of Thrones season 6.

Qarth

Qarth is a port city on the southern coast of Essos that’s prospered in part because of its prime location. Not only does it sit on top of a well-traveled trade route, but it’s protected from Dothraki raids by the Red Waste desert as well, which serves as its northern border. Under these conditions, and also due to the fact that Qarth is the last major city before the mysterious regions of the Further East, Qarth became renowned as a center of trade and commerce. Dany visits Qarth in Game of Thrones season 2 after making an inhuman trek across the Red Waste on foot. At first, she’s charmed by the wealth and comfort Qarth offers, but when it becomes clear everyone’s only interested in her in an attempt to possess her dragons, she leaves, but not before killing a few of the city's leaders.

Dothraki Sea

Also known as the Great Grass Sea, the Dothraki Sea is the largest semi-continuous region in Essos. Largely made up of prairie land, it occupies a huge area of inland Essos, stretching for thousands of miles in every direction and bordered by the Free Cities to the west and the Red Waste to the east. Because the Dothraki who control the area are nomadic, there aren’t any permanent settlements, save for Vaes Dothrak, a city on the northeastern edge of the region.

After the death of the beloved Dothraki leader Khal Drogo, Vaes Dothrak is where Dany burns and kills the entire Dothraki khalasar in Game of Thrones season 6. Traditionally, violence is forbidden within Vaes Dothrak, which served as a capital of sorts for the Dothraki, whose leaders met there to trade and settle disputes. Before Dany destroyed their temple and upended their traditions, Vaes Dothrak also served as the permanent residence of the dosh khaleen, widows of khals forced to live out their days as holy women in service to active khalasars.

The Valyrian Peninsula

At the southern coast of central Essos where the land meets the Summer Sea lies the Valyrian Peninsula, the former seat of the long-dead Valyrian Freehold, the last great civilization. Several centuries ago, the Valyrians ruled half of the Known World from the southern coasts of Essos, using magic to control the region's volcanoes - the Fourteen Flames - until they exploded during the Doom of Valyria, which killed most of the world's dragons.

This also resulted in the area's current geography, dividing it into more islands where only a handful of settlements survive. This includes the rumored criminal stronghold Mantarys, situated on the mainland's mountains. While traders and envoys avoid the peninsula for its brigands and assassins, it is Old Valyria that inspires fear even in the bravest of explorers. Nestled in the middle of the Smoking Sea, Old Valyria was the former seat of power of the Valyrian Freehold. Now, Stone Men infected with greyscale go there to die and claim the occasional adventurer. The Valyrian Peninsula is a ruined remnant of the age of the Valyrian dragonlords, whose last known living descendant is Jon Snow of the Night's Watch.

The Further East: Asshai & Yi Ti

One of the greater mysteries left unexplored by both the books and the Game of Thrones TV series is the easternmost region of Essos, known only as the Further East. HBO's show doesn’t go into great detail about this region outside of the first few seasons when Dany is bouncing around the Red Waste and Qarth, but the mysterious cities of Asshai and Yi Ti are both mentioned a few times. Yi Ti is located due east of the Red Waste and the Bone Mountain Range and bordered to the south by the Jade Sea, which also serves as Qarth’s southern border. Asshai is located on the southeast shore of the Jade Sea, and both cities are characterized by their advanced age and exotic cultures, although not much else is revealed about them in the Game of Thrones books. Asshai is typically associated with more mysticism than Yi Ti, and was the childhood home of Melisandre and presumably where she received her training to be a priestess of the Lord of Light. It's possible we'll get to see more of these regions in House of the Dragon.

House Of The Dragon Will Use The Same Locations 200 Years Before Game Of Thrones

House of the Dragon, based on George R. R. Martin's "Fire and Blood," chronicles the war of succession between rival factions within House Targaryen, which also takes place within Game of Thrones' map of Westeros. This includes places like King's Landing and Dragonstone where the Targaryens plotted each other's doom, and also the stronghold of Harrenhal near God's Eye, the massive stones of which were melted by the black flames of Balerion the Dread. The Targaryen Civil War was largely fought in the Riverlands and the Crownlands, but the series could also reveal how Dorne resisted Targaryen rule, or how the dragonlords' riches were kept safe in Oldtown during the Dance of the Dragons.

Everything We Know About House Of The Dragon

Game of Thrones' events occur around 300 AC (Aegon's Conquest), while House of the Dragon is set around 130 AC, which means the spinoff will reveal what happened in Westeros 170 years before the original series. Officially slated for release on August 22, 2022, House of the Dragon will star King Viserys Targaryen (Paddy Considine), his second wife Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke), his brother Prince Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith), and his eldest child Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy) - who King Viserys names as heir. After Viserys' death, the Targaryens and their subjects split into two factions: those who want Viserys and Alicent's son Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) to be the king, and those rallying behind Princess Rhaenyra's claim to the throne. House of the Dragons will also feature other key players during this era, including Lord Velaryon (Steve Toussaint), Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans), Ser Harwin 'Breakbones' Strong (Ryan Corr), Lord Jason Lannister (Jefferson Hall), Ser Harrold Westerling (Graham McTarvish), and Grand Maester Mellos (David Horovitch). House of the Dragon will stream on HBO Max.

More: House Of The Dragon: Release Date, Cast & Story Details