Order of Assassins

The Order of Assassins was the medieval Nizari Ismaili community centered on mountain strongholds in Persia and Syria. Its targeted killings of political opponents gave its members a fearsome reputation in European accounts.

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Alamut: A mountain fortress in northern Persia that became the principal center of Nizari Ismaili power. It served as the community’s leading stronghold and political center.
Nizari Ismailism: A branch of Shia Islam that recognizes Nizar ibn al-Mustansir and his descendants as imams. The Order was the political and military expression of this religious community.
Hashshashin: A medieval Arabic designation associated with the Nizaris and later adapted into European words for assassins. The label’s uncertain origin differs from the community’s own religious identity.
Alamut Castle: The ruins of the fortress in northern Iran that served as the Nizari Ismaili center. Its surviving remains anchor the history of the Persian community in a physical site.
Nizari Ismaili state: A network of Nizari Ismaili territories and fortresses established in Persia and Syria from the late eleventh century. The Order’s strongholds belonged to this wider political formation.
Nizar ibn al-Mustansir: An Ismaili prince whose disputed succession to the Fatimid caliphate gave rise to the Nizari branch. His claim became the defining allegiance of the community.
Marco Polo: A Venetian merchant whose travel account helped circulate European stories about the Assassins. His account popularized the tale of drugged followers and a secret garden.
Nizari Ismaili imamate: The hereditary spiritual leadership recognized by Nizari Ismailis as descending from Ali and Muhammad. The imamate continued after the medieval state and its fortresses fell.
Rashid al-Din Sinan: A Nizari Ismaili leader who governed the Syrian community in the twelfth century. His leadership made the Syrian branch a significant regional power.
Hasan-i Sabbah: A Persian Nizari Ismaili missionary and leader who established the community’s center at Alamut. He organized the Persian movement and took Alamut in 1090.