Kamar-Taj

Infobox comics location


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publisher = Marvel Comics
debut = "Strange Tales" #110 (Jul 1963)
creators = Stan Lee
Dick Ayers
type = Asian country
country=Asian
residents = Ancient One
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subcat = Marvel Comics
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sortkey = PAGENAME

Kamar-Taj is a fictional location in the Marvel Universe. It first appeared in "Strange Tales" #110 (Jul 1963) and was created by Stan Lee and Dick Ayers

Kamar-Taj is a tiny hidden land in the Himalayan Mountains, in the land now known as Tibet. It is the homeland of Doctor Strange's mentor, the Ancient One, and the evil sorcerer Kaluu. Wong also stems from a family of monks living in Kamar-Taj.

Over 500 years ago, the man who would one day become the Ancient One was born in Kamar-Taj. With his friend Kaluu, he discovered the power of magic but the two friends disagreed on how to use it to protect their village. Kaluu sought to conquer neighboring villages and build a large empire. The two cast a spell eliminating sickness, disease and age from Kamar-Taj and shortly afterwards Kaluu was crowned king by the villagers under Kaluu's mind-control spell. The Ancient One tried to stop Kaluu and in their battle the village of Kamar-Taj was wiped out. Kaluu was banished to an alternate dimension. The Ancient One left Kamar-Taj and traveled the Earth for centuries, battling evil creatures, gaining the Amulet of Agamotto and the Book of the Vishanti.

He finally settled down in the Himalaya Mountains near Kamar-Taj, building a palace as his home with an order of monks to protect and assist him. In a tournament organized by the sorcerer Aged Genghis, the Ancient One won the title of Earth's Sorcerer Supreme. He took a student, who would one day become Mister Jip, but banned him from his home when he found out the student had been studying the forbidden books to increase his own power.

Feeling himself getting older and weaker, the Ancient One set out to find a student. He taught such beings as Doctor Druid and Baron Mordo but found his true apprentice in Stephen Strange, claiming that this boy would become the new Sorcerer Supreme. Mordo began to plot against Strange, though the Ancient One kept protecting him. Mordo soon left the palace and Stephen became the Ancient One's successor as Doctor Strange. The Ancient One would often assist Stephen, until Shuma-Gorath killed the Ancient One's physical body.

Kamar-Taj still today remains the site of the Ancient One's palace.