The Ancient City of Giruvegan, also known as the Holy Realm, is a location in the land of Ivalice in Final Fantasy XII. It is an ancient city that has faded from memory. Though many have sought to rediscover this forgotten settlement, dense Mist permeates the entire region where the city is believed to be located.

The city does not follow the standards of other cities in Ivalice. The city consists of a giant pit, at the very bottom of which is the Great Crystal. Around the sides of this pit are platforms, going down the way. These platforms are connected by invisible platforms, that appear only when approached. The only other way to travel the city is by the many waystones.

Above the city, only accessible by a waystone guarded by the Esper Shemhazai, the Occuria reside, keeping a watchful eye over all of Ivalice. Never to leave this place, only people deemed worthy may actually see the Occuria.

Once the center of Ivalice centuries ago, Giruvegan was ruled by the immortal Occuria. For reasons known only to them, the Occuria closed the gates to the city and let it fall into ruin. As such, not much is known about the once great city. Now, a dense Mist covers the city, and monsters wander its many corridors.

Dr. Cid of the Archadian Empire came to Giruvegan during his search on nethicite and met the rogue Occurian Venat and teamed up with it. Venat came with Cid to Archades where the being taught him the secrets behind nethicite that led to the development of manmade nethicite.


Giruvegan.

Years later, Princess Ashe and her party come to Giruvegan on their hunt for Dr. Cid who has fled the capital with the Empire's pieces of deifacted nethicite in his possession, claiming to have headed for Giruvegan to acquire more nethicite. They cross the Feywood and summon the Esper Belias to open the gate to the ancient city. Not seeing Cid anywhere, the others wish to wait, but Ashe spots an apparition of her late husband Rasler that beckons her to continue further. They travel through the ancient city until they reach the Great Crystal within where Ashe is summoned to the realm of the Occuria where they brand her the new Dynast King and give her the Treaty-Blade with a mission to seek out the Sun-Cryst and carve pieces of nethicite from it to use as a weapon to crush the Archadian Empire and in turn, the rogue Occurian Venat.

Ashe is left unsure of what to do, with her companions wondering where Cid is. Balthier realizes they had been duped and Cid was never heading to Giruvegan. Instead, his goal had been to lead Ashe to the Occuria.