Zanarkand

Zanarkand is one of the cities in Final Fantasy X. It was a huge machina city created over one thousand years before the start of the game. The city was much bigger and more advanced than any of the other cities at the time, which eventually sparked rivalry from Bevelle. Although Zanarkand's technology was superior overall, they had very little military technology, instead relying on their summoners to protect them. Summoners were people who had learnt the art of summoning Aeons, divine creatures of extraordinary power. The main entertainment in Zanarkand is blitzball. Thousands of people flock to the stadium to see blitzball games which are common occurrences in Zanarkand.

At the beginning of the game, Zanarkand is devastated by an aquatic behemoth known as Sin. Tidus, a star blitzball player, managed to avoid being killed by the initial assault, but is subsequently sucked into the beast. He awakes in the land of Spira, a world where Zanarkand was destroyed one thousand years previously by Sin, and whose ruins now stand as a holy place.

The ruins of Zanarkand are a vital location in Spira, for it is the final destination on a pilgrimage that summoners can take in order to defeat the ever-present Sin. Once a summoner overcomes the Cloister Of Trials within the ruins, he/she can obtain the Final Aeon, a creature with enough power to rid Spira of Sin, if only for a short while.