Air Temple Island

Air Temple Island is located off the coast of Republic City in Yue Bay. The temple was originally built by Avatar Aang himself.

Comprised of several structures, Air Temple Island is home to Tenzin, his wife Pema, and their four children Jinora, Ikki, Meelo, and Rohan as well as the Air Acolytes. Also residing on the island are colonies of flying bison and ring-tailed winged lemurs.

History
When Avatar Korra was in need of an airbending master, she moved to Air Temple Island to be taught the ancient art by Tenzin. For the Avatar's airbending training, Tenzin used the temple's airbending gates to teach her how to move like a true airbender and be able to switch direction on a moment's notice. This proved to be a real challenge for Korra, and she ended up destroying the two-thousand-year-old gates with firebending, though it was later repaired by the Air Acolytes.

Tarrlok, who was attempting to persuade Korra to join his task force, made a visit to the island, rudely interrupting the dinner of Tenzin's family and Korra. He left the island though after being turned down by the Avatar herself, and then decided to send the council page to deliver his gifts to Korra on the island.



After Hiroshi Sato was discovered to be an Equalist, Mako, Bolin, and Asami moved to the island following Korra's invitation.

During the Equalists' siege of Republic City, the Equalists were able to capture the island, despite the efforts of Lin, Tenzin, Korra, their friends, and the White Lotus sentries. After successfully taking control of the island, Amon used the temple as his main location to take people's bending away and one of the rooms as a place for Tarrlok's imprisonment. However, after the defeat of Amon, the Equalists were driven off the island, and Tenzin and his family returned soon after.

Description
Air Temple Island houses many structures, including a large tower, several smaller buildings with blue roofs, a library, a dining hall, a greenhouse, and several flying bison caves. An open practice area with airbending gates can be found outside along with a meditation pavilion. Upon Avatar Korra's arrival, a part of the temple was reformed to accommodate the White Lotus sentries, who serve as her bodyguards.

Dining hall


The dining hall is a large room used for dining by the Air Acolytes and the rest of the island's residents. It overlooks Republic City and the Pro-bending Arena.

The structure features several minimalist wall ornaments and supply shelves along with numerous low eating tables and seat cushions. The room is simplistic, with primarily geometric shapes lining the interior and the many windows on either side of the hall.

According to Ikki, only vegetables grown on the island are consumed by its residents, mainly because all Air Nomads follow a vegetarian diet.

Airbending training area


The airbending training area is located on the upper portion of the island surrounded by a dense bamboo garden. It features an ancient contraption dating back two thousand years known as the airbending gates. The mechanism is assembled on top of a raised circular platform and used primarily to teach airbending pupils of the bending art's fundamental principles. The gates are initiated by a gust of air, and pupils maneuver their way through the gates by employing circular movements.

Meditation pavilion


The meditation pavilion is a small wooden gazebo located atop a cliff overlooking Yue Bay. It is an area of spiritual reflection and the site of daily meditation for many of the temple's residents.

As meditation is crucial in airbending training, Tenzin's children, along with Korra spend a considerable amount of time meditating in the pavilion. The act promotes discipline and patience while urging pupils to let their minds and spirits be free.

The pavilion is intricately patterned with an array of blue and gold swirls. The colors and the general aesthetic feel of the structure are very reminiscent of Southern Air Nomad architecture.

Dormitories
Reflecting how the four ancient Air Temples were exclusive to a specific gender, Air Temple Island has separate quarters for men and women.

Women's dormitory


The women's dormitory is a large building containing a series of hallways that lead to various rooms for the female Air Acolytes. The hallways sport wooden floors, and the rooms are all rather small, containing only basic furnishing and one window. The rooms are separated from the hallway by sliding doors.

The dormitory holds both Korra and Asami's quarters.

Men's dormitory
The men's dormitory houses the male Air Acolytes. Upon the arrival of Asami, Mako, and Bolin, the dormitory now also serves as the bending brothers' new homestead.

White Lotus sentries' quarters


The sentries' quarters are residence for the Order of the White Lotus sentries stationed at Air Temple Island for Avatar Korra's protection. It is rectangular in shape with a protruding side extension that serves as a roofed terrace. The building stands separate from the main temples, but offers a magnificent view of Republic City and the Pro-bending Arena nonetheless. The sentries often remain at their quarters and listen to pro-bending matches over the radio.

Sky bison caves
The flying bison live in a series of caves located on the island.

Greenhouse
All the vegetables consumed on Air Temple Island are grown here.

Temple


Located at the center of the island is a large temple built by Avatar Aang, with its most noticeable feature being its large, pagoda-like tower. Located at the top of the tower is an attic, with a cell that was once used to contain Tarrlok when the Equalists had control of the island. The temple also contains a basement, where White Lotus sentries kept Equalist invaders prisoner during the Battle for Republic City.

Plaza
When Korra was hiding her true feelings about joining Councilman Tarrlok's task force, she spent some time practicing her airbending stances on a small plaza overlooking the bay. The plaza had a few tiers of stairs that Tenzin and Korra sat and conversed on top of.

Trivia

 * The temple is described as a "sanctuary" by Michael Dante DiMartino.
 * According to Ikki, there are 10,552 trees on the island.
 * Like the other air temples, Air Temple Island is an all-vegetarian location.
 * Air Temple Island is the fifth air temple to be attacked by an enemy, but this time the enemy was the Equalists instead of the Fire Nation.
 * There are at least four sky bison known to live on the island.
 * Air Temple Island is the second known landmass in the series which was created through man-made means, as Aang built the island. The first was Kyoshi Island.
 * Both the Southern Air Temple and Air Temple Island have a similar color palette and structure.