The Qiraji are an ancient in lore (though appearing quite recently) humanoid insectoid race that dwell in southern Silithus.

History: At the ancient continent Kalimdor’s center was a mysterious lake of incandescent energies, the Well of Eternity. It was the true heart of the world’s magic and natural power. From this magical ether the Silithid (see below) were born. As the fallen Old God C’Thun recognized their appearance, he attempted to sunder the world that he once held in his unmerciful grasp. The Old God created avatars from the Silithid in his own image. These avatars were to be known as Aqir (see above). The Aqir later split into the Qiraji and the Nerubians. While the Nerubians were driven by the Trolls into Northrend, the Qiraji stayed in Silithus in service of C’Thun. Sentient and with purpose, the Qiraji worked feverishly to build a force capable of laying waste to the world that would betray their god, with the Silithids as their minions. The great fortress city of Ahn’Qiraj was created in southern Silithus to house their growing armies and prepare for the coming of C’Thun. The Qiraji spent the next thousands of years building an army capable of exacting revenge upon the whole of Kalimdor.

Only the night elves, who once inhabited Silithus, stood in their way. The War of the Shifting Sands rages for long, agonizing months. The night elves were always on the defensive, always outnumbered, always being driven back. The whole of Silithus was soon engulfed by the Silithid and their Qiraji hosts. The night elf army was pushed back through Un’Goro, to the borders of the Tanaris desert. Out of desperation the night elven leader Fandral Staghelm sought the aid of the elusive bronze dragonflight. Their initial refusal to interfere was reversed when the brazen Qiraji attacked the Caverns of Time, home and province of Nozdormu the Timeless One. Nozdormu’s heir, Anachronos, agreed to enlist the bronze dragonflight against the marauding Qiraji. Every able-bodied night elf joined the cause, and together they forged a campaign to retake Silithus. Even with the might of the dragons backing them, however, the sheer numbers of the Qiraji and silithid proved overwhelming. And so Anachronos called upon the progeny of the remaining flights. Even so, it seemed that the numbers of Qiraji and silithid were never-ending. So the dragons and Fandral hatched their final, desperate plan: to contain the Qiraji within the city, to erect a barrier that would confine them until a more hopeful stratagem could be devised. With the blessing of Elune the barrier was erected before their eyes, rock and stone and roots from beneath the sands emerging to create an impenetrable wall. Even the winged soldiers who attempted to fly over the barrier met with an invisible obstruction that they could not pass. The Qiraji who remained outside the wall were quickly slain. The dragon told Fandral that should any mortal ever wish to pass the magical barrier and access the ancient city, they need only strike the scepter against the gong and the gates would open. He then handed the scepter to the Arch-Druid.

Now the unmentionable Old God slowly awakens from his slumber beneath Ahn’Qiraj. The terrible fate that awaits Azeroth could come in days or years; time has no meaning for beings of his power. Both the Alliance and the Horde work together to reopen the Gates of Ahn’Qiraj and to face the Qiraji once more

Society: The capital city and main concentration of Qiraj is Ahn’Qiraj in Silithus, which in World of Warcraft is two instances. Different types of Qiraji are referred to as castes with a life-long occupation and responsibility in society. It seemes to be that every caste has a leader, who in turn are under the command of the Twin Emperor rulers of Ahn’Qiraj, Vek’nilash and Vek’lor, who in turn are under the command of C’Thun.

The three most notable castes are the humanoid fly-like Battleguards, led by Battleguard Sartura, the humanoid scorpion-like Gladiators, led by General Rajaxx and the humanoid cockroach-like Prophets, led by The Prophet Skeram.

The Qiraji are able to create servants of living obsidian stone, the Obsidian Destroyer, the Anubisaths, and the Horusaths.

The Silithid race, from which the Qiraji are supposedly descended from via the Aqir, is apparently inferior to the more humanoid and intelligent Qiraji. The Qiraji are apparently the Silithids’ rulers. Silithids live alongside the Qiraji in Ahn’Qiraj, and serve their place in the Qiraji military; however, the Silithids appear to be treated more like fodder and servants than friends and equals. The truly respected members of the Qiraji military are the Gladiators, and Silithids seem to be little more than front-line, overwhelming battle-fodder. Although the Silithid hives not in Silithus and Ahn’Qiraj are devoid of Qiraji and seem to work independently from them, there are communication crystals in them from which they appear to take orders from the Qiraji.

Culture: Qiraji culture, judging from their capital city of Ahn’Qiraj, is roughly based upon real-life Egyptian and middle-eastern cultures, only with a strange, evil, twisted, insectile overtone. The Qiraji and their servants wield items made with the rarest and finest materials: bones from gargantuan ancient creatures, gems from the depths of the earth, metals pure and strong. The most powerful Qiraji wield items of such might they’d give pause even to a dragon. The rings worn by the Qiraji lieutenants are rumored to grant them formidable abilities. The corrupted gems that adorn them could, in theory, be swapped out with more pure materials to create uncorrupted versions of the rings. It seems to be that female Qiraji must constantly keep their face covered. Obelisks, Scarab Beetles and Temples seem to be popular aspects of Qiraji architecture.