The Valleys of the Assassins
The Order of Assassins (Arabic: حَشّاشُون, romanized: Ḥaššāšūn; Persian: حشاشين, romanized: Haššāšīn) was a Nizari Isma'ili Shia Islamic military order founded by Hasan-i Sabbah in 1090. Based in the Nizari Isma'ili state, which comprised a network of mountain castles in Persia and Syria, they conducted several high-profile assassinations throughout the Levant during the Crusades. The Assassins held a strict subterfuge policy in the region and are believed to have killed hundreds of people who were deemed enemies of their state over the course of 200 years, including other Shias (the Fatimids), as well as Sunnis (the Abbasids and Seljuks) and Christians (the Crusaders) alike. The English word assassin is derived from the Arabic word hashshashin, which shares etymological roots with the word hashish, supposedly referring to the order's tactics and a common but contested belief that many of their assassinations were carried out by individuals under the influence of the plant. The two primary divisions were of the Persian Assassins in Alamut Castle and of the Levantine Assassins in Masyaf Castle. In 1253, the order began to collapse as a result of the Mongol campaign against the…
