Patch 1.9.0: The Gates of Ahn'Qiraj is a content patch for World of Warcraft that released on 3 January 2006. This major content patch introduced the Ahn'Qiraj raid complex and its unprecedented realm-wide launch event as well as giving paladins a talent and balance overhaul. Additional changes included a revamp of the Timbermaw Hold faction, quests and NPCs, Soul Shard bags for warlocks, unification of the Auction Houses for each faction (and the "neutral faction") on each realm, a rework to the raid lockout system, improvements to the guild UI, and reworks of some racial traits, among many others.
The great desert fortress of Ahn'Qiraj, long sealed behind the Scarab Wall, was home to the insectoid qiraji, a savage race that had once mounted an assault to devastate the continent of Kalimdor. But something far more sinister lurked behind Ahn'Qiraj's walls: the Old God C'Thun, an ancient entity whose pervasive evil had suffused Azeroth since time immemorial. As C'Thun incited the qiraji to frenzy, both the Alliance and Horde prepared for a massive war effort. A mixed force of Alliance and Horde soldiers, dubbed the Might of Kalimdor, opened the gates of Ahn'Qiraj under the command of the indomitable orc Varok Saurfang. Their charge: lay siege to the ruins and temples of Ahn'Qiraj, and vanquish the terrors of ages past.