Near East, middle Asia, like medieval Europe, experienced an acute political crisis in the 9th-11th centuries. In this region of the planet, the mass migration of peoples was much larger than on the European continent. The political map was being redrawn at kaleidoscopic speed. Following the Arabs, who managed to conquer vast territories, Turkic tribes came to these lands. Some empires and states disappeared, and much more powerful state formations appeared in their place. The political struggle had a clear religious connotation and sometimes took the most unexpected forms - conspiracies and coup d'état alternated with endless wars.

Political assassination is becoming a favorite tool of Eastern politics. The word assassin is firmly included in the everyday life of the political elite, personifying a merciless and tough hired killer. Not a single ruler of the East, a political figure, could guarantee himself complete security. At any moment, one could become a victim of an insidious killer. It is for this historical period the heyday of the most mysterious and closed religious-state formation - the Order of the Assassins.

The Order was a small public education, which became the most radical branch of Islam and was distinguished by extremely radical views. For the next whole century, the Assassins kept the entire Middle East at bay, personifying the most brutal methods of political pressure.

Assassin - who is it? A brief excursion into history

It has already been said above that the Middle East in the 10th-11th centuries was a boiling socio-political cauldron, in which sharp political, social, social and religious contradictions were combined.

The epicenter of an acute socio-political crisis was Egypt, where the political struggle reached highest point boiling. The ruling Fatimid dynasty could not cope with other political opponents. The country plunged into civil armed confrontation. Do not sit idly by, and aggressive neighbors. The Ismailis, the Shiite branch of Islam, found themselves between a rock and a hard place under such conditions, risking becoming a victim of an acute social, social and religious conflict. One of the branches of the Ismailis, the Nizari, was headed by Hassan ibn Sabbah. It was under his leadership that a large group of Nizari was forced to leave Egypt, going to seek refuge. The end point of long wanderings was the central, hard-to-reach mountainous regions of Persia, which at that time was part of the Seljuk state. Here Hassan ibn Sabbah, together with his companions, decided to found a new Ismaili Nizari state.

The fortress of Alamut, captured by the Ismailis in 1090, became the stronghold and center of the new power. Following Alamut, other neighboring cities and fortresses of the Iranian Highlands quickly submitted to the new owners. The birth of a new state coincided with the beginning of the Crusades, which plunged the entire Middle East into a long bloody confrontation. Using his influence, Hassan ibn Sabbah managed to bring into the structure government controlled new form - a religious order, which was based on religious cult, rituals and traditions of the Nazarites. Hasan-ibn-Sabbah headed the order, who received the title of sheikh, and the Alamut fortress became the symbol of the new order.

The rulers of the neighboring principalities and the central government of the Seljuk state treated the newcomers with disdain and looked at them as rebels and rebels. Companions of Hasan-ibn-Sabbah, the population of the new state and the Nazarites in general, were casually called by the ruling Seljuk and Syrian elite the mob - hashshashins. Subsequently, with the light hand of the crusaders, the Sunni name assassin came into use, which no longer meant a person’s class affiliation, but his professional qualities, social and social status, and religious and ideological worldview.

Sheikh Hassan I, thanks to his personal qualities, was well versed in the political situation. As a result of his foreign policy, the Ismaili state and the Order of the Assassins not only managed to withstand the confrontation with the central government. The internal political strife that engulfed the Seljuk state after the death of Sultan Malik Shah contributed to the rise of the order and the political influence of the Assassins on the politics of the world order. The Order became an unspoken political subject of foreign policy, and the Assassins themselves began to be considered religious fanatics who were capable of taking the most extreme measures for ideological motives, of course, for material and political gain.

The state of the Nizari existed for a century and a half, until 1256, having managed during this period to unite under its command the vast territories of modern Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Iran. This was facilitated by a fairly rigid system of governance, built on unquestioning obedience to Sharia law, and a communal system of social and public relations. There was no division into classes in the state, and the entire population was united in communities. The supreme power belonged to the supreme spiritual and religious mentor - the leader.

The centralized state of the Assassins was defeated by the Mongols who came to Iran from the east. The Middle Eastern possessions were under the rule of the Assassins for the longest time, which were lost in 1272 as a result of the military campaign of the Egyptian Sultan Baybars I. However, the loss of statehood did not mean the end of the existence of the Assassin order. Since that time, a new stage in the life of this organization begins, which completely and completely switched to conducting subversive, sabotage and espionage activities.

The origins of the real strength and power of the Assassins

At the peak of their power, the state and the order represented a real political force in the Muslim world. Assassin is not just a name for radical religious fanatics. Just one mention of them terrified the ruling and political elite. The Assassins, not without reason, were considered masters of political terror, professional killers and, in general, a criminal organization. The influence of the order was not limited to the borders of the Muslim world. The Europeans also faced the cunning and power of the order to the fullest extent.

Such a policy was the result of a well-thought-out ideological and political move. Hassan I, being the supreme leader of the Nazarites, realized that without a powerful army, any defense strategy is doomed to failure. An ingenious way out of this situation was found. Unlike neighboring states and principalities, which invest huge amounts of money and resources to maintain the army, Hassan created an order - a secret and closed organization, a kind of special forces of that time.

The task of the new intelligence service was to eliminate political opponents and opponents, whose decisions could negatively affect the existence of the state of the Nazarites. Political terror was put at the forefront of the politics of the Assassin Order. The methods and methods used to achieve results were chosen as the most radical - political blackmail and the physical elimination of the enemy. The main driving force of the order was the fanatical devotion of the members of the organization to their spiritual and religious mentor. This was facilitated by the technology of vocational training, which was mandatory for every member of the order.

The main conditions for membership in the order were the following aspects:

• complete indifference to one's own life, disregard for death;
• fostering a sense of self-sacrifice and devotion to religious ideals;
• unquestioning obedience to the will of the leader of the order;
• high moral and physical qualities.

In the order, as in the whole state, heavenly rewards were promoted in exchange for unquestioning obedience to the will of the religious leader. In the usual view of that time, an assassin is a young man of strong physique, selflessly devoted to the ideas of Sharia and sacredly believing in the high divine position of his patron. Teenagers of 12-14 years old were recruited into the order, who underwent the most severe competitive selection. From day one, recruits were instilled with a sense of being chosen to achieve lofty goals.

It is generally accepted that the ideological and religious aspects are the main aspects of the solid structure of the order. However, its real strength rested not only on the high moral qualities of its members. Professional training, which the assassins were engaged in from morning to evening, during breaks for prayer, gave excellent results. The warriors of the medieval special forces were fluent in any weapon and hand-to-hand combat techniques. The assassin was excellent at riding, could accurately shoot a bow, was distinguished by endurance and good physical strength.

In addition, the training program included practical and theoretical knowledge in the field of chemistry and medicine. The art of the Assassins in the use of poisons has reached perfection. There is a theory that Catherine de Medici, being a skilled master of poisoning, received lessons in this craft from the Assassins.

Finally

In a word, the training of spies and professional assassins from Sheikh Hassan I was put on stream. The results of such a thorough and comprehensive preparation were not long in coming. Notoriety about the power of the order quickly spread throughout the world. Thanks to his servants, Hassan I, nicknamed in the Islamic world and far beyond the Mountain Elder, managed not only to achieve his goals, but also to put political terror on stream. The Nizari state managed to exist for quite a long period, successfully playing on the political contradictions of its stronger neighbors.

As for the Order of the Assassins, this organization has become not only an instrument of Nizari foreign policy, but also a significant source of income. Rulers and politicians did not disdain to use the services of professional killers and spies different countries and states, solving their political issues in achieving certain goals.

Find out if the Assassins and Templars actually existed in history. Here you will find the opinions and comments of other users and specialists, whether there are assassins in our time.

Answer:

Assassins are a very popular topic in today's world. Are there assassins in modern realities? There is no reliable information on this. However, it can be assumed that there is a place for the existence of the so-called followers of this trend. We are talking about the Nizarites of today.

Today, Nizaris live in several countries around the world. They reach the highest density in the northern regions of Afghanistan, Gorno-Badakhshan and the lands of Tajikistan. Unlike most Muslim peoples, the Nizari did not oppose the achievements of Western civilization and defeated poverty, ignorance and rejection of faith.

From 1957 to the present, the Aga Khan IV has been the head of the Nizari. The Aga Khan dynasty built many educational, medical, sports facilities, residential buildings, banks and mosques. Progress has also been made in foreign policy. Aga Khan IV established a fund to help develop third world countries, and an institute for Ismaili research was founded in London.

Although the Nizari managed to maintain statehood, they did not achieve world domination, their worldview passed through the centuries, overcoming various difficulties and obstacles, and the community did not cease to exist in the shadow of larger groups.

Were there assassins and templars?

Throughout many periods of world history in different corners planets there were secret societies that had an impact on the development of civilization. Some of them were real, and some came from mythology. Let's talk about whether the Assassins and the Templars existed and about the history of their occurrence.

The mysterious sect known to us as the Assassins was organized in Persia in the early 11th century. Their name comes from hashish. Thanks to hashish, the leaders of the sect were able to control the minds of their followers. The Assassins were created under the auspices of Christianity, which contributed to their strong influence and power. They were associated with the Christian order of the Knights Templar, organized in the Middle East at the dawn of the Crusades.

The second Greatest mentor of the Assassins, Kiya Buzurg-Umid, maintained close ties with the Christian king of Jerusalem, Baldwin II, who was in close contact with the Templars. At the beginning of the 12th century, the Templars teamed up with the Assassins in order to capture Damascus, but the attempt to take the city was defeated.

For almost 200 years, this kind of secret organization of the Shiite Ismaili sect inspired fear and horror in the expanses of the Muslim world and Europe. They conquered and destroyed cities, overthrew powerful rulers and lords. The Iranian Assassins were defeated by the Mongol Khan Hulagu in 1256.
In Syria and Lebanon in 1272 they were finished off by the Egyptian Sultan Baybars I, but, nevertheless, they still exist, and some researchers believe that the modern Illuminati - the secret World Government - inherited their ideology ...

The aggressive sect of the Nizari branch of the Ismailis at one time received the name "Assassins" as a Europeanized version of the Persian word "Hashishin" (translated from Arabic - "using hashish" or "herbal eaters"), that is, a hashish consumer. What is characteristic - the term "assassin" was not a self-name of the members of the order, who called themselves fidai (literally - "sacrificing themselves"). This nickname with a clearly offensive meaning was given by their contemporaries. But it was the name of the movement as the Order of the Assassins that was fixed in contemporary chronicles and works of medieval authors.
In the heyday of its power, this paramilitary organization kept the entire civilized world of that time in fear and trembling. The word "assassin" has entered many Western European languages ​​and has become synonymous with "killer", "hitman", "political assassin", "ruthless villain", "criminal", and often "terrorist". So, for example, in France and Germany, terrorists, killers, serial killers are still called assassins. This word is often used in relation to such "heroes" in the United States.
Over time, depending on the political situation and the alignment of forces, the meaning of words in the life and activities of society undergoes significant changes. What is characteristic: the perception of the term "terrorist" and even "suicide bomber" in the recent Soviet past did not have a clear negative meaning. In these words, as it were, there was an aura of revolutionary romanticism and an example for the younger generation to follow. The terrorists Zhelyabov, Kalyaev, Khalturin and others, as well as the ideologists and perpetrators of the merciless "red" revolutionary terror of the 20s of the 20th century, were officially considered folk heroes.
Of course, the assassins are fundamentally different from modern terrorists in that, having failed in open military actions, they switched to individual terror, directed primarily against the top leadership - the bearers of real power. The actions of the ancient assassins were often international in nature and took place in the international arena, so the term "assassin" now has a generally recognized international meaning, it does not require translation for any European language.

Theological and historical excursion
At an early stage of the spread of Islam, approximately in the 8th century A.D., this religious doctrine was divided into two directions - Sunnism and Shiism. Sunnis gradually formed a universal system of public law - Sharia and were guided by it, and the caliphate community itself began to be regarded as the guardian of the Koranic tradition and Sharia.
The main figure of religious power for the Shiites is the imam - the spiritual heir of Mohammed. The Shiites believe that Mohammed appointed as his successor an imam who is endowed with a special spirituality and therefore has the right to interpret the Koran. They revere Caliph Ali ibn Talib, a cousin and adopted son, as well as Mohammed's son-in-law, who married his daughter Fatima, as the first imam. Shiites believe that Ali inherited from Mohammed special spiritual qualities - wilaya - and through the sons of Fatima Hasan and Hussein passed them on to his offspring - the family of hereditary imams.
Most Shiites are known as Imamis - they make up the main population of Iran and believe that the cycle of "wilayah" will last until the Last Judgment and end with a messianic return to the twelfth imam, who is called the "hidden imam." It is believed that he did not die, but passed into the state of "gayba" from the third century of the existence of Islam. Through intermediaries-mujtahids - healers of the law, of which the most important are the Iranian ayatollahs, the "hidden imam" spiritually nourishes the Shiite community.
The Imamat is divided into two main streams, one of which is the Ismailis, adherents of the doctrine of the Imamate, and in turn have two main streams. The first is nizaris, whose adherents consider senior representatives of the Aga Khan family as their imams and descendants of Mohammed. The second is mustalis, whose followers believe in a "hidden imam" who is not a descendant of Fatima's children - Hassan and Hussein.

Start
Ismaili doctrine was formed in 1094-1095. as a consequence of the appointment by the Egyptian caliph Mustansir as his successor not of the eldest son of Abu Mansur Nizar, but of the younger Abu-l Qasim Ahmad. The disgraced Abu Mansur Nizar, after the death of his father, fled to Alexandria, where he was captured and killed. His supporters, led by the Persian preacher Hasan ibn Sabbah (according to one version, 1051-1124), a native of Khorasan, declared Abu Mansur Nizar the true caliph, and his hypothetical heir a "hidden imam", while the creation of a closed military religious organization to protect the organization, the imam and his relatives.
Having joined the Ismailis in adulthood, ibn Sabbah set about creating a separate Ismaili state. Since 1081, while in Cairo (at that time - the capital of the Fatimid Caliphate), he began to actively gather supporters, uniting them under the banner of the Nizari dynasty. Being a skilled preacher and orator, he quickly rallied around him a large number of admirers, students and followers.
Little is known about the life of Hasan ibn Sabbah, hidden from prying eyes, which at one time only strengthened the halo of mystery, which, even during his lifetime, shrouded everything that was connected with this person. According to some reports, it is known that the closest friend of Hassan's childhood and youth was the poet and materialist scientist Omar Khayyam. They studied together at the Nishapur madrasah, which prepared an educated elite for the state machine of the Seljuk Empire. The atmosphere in which he was brought up and grew up was marked by religious free-thinking and modernism.
The sympathy and support of the broad masses of the people alone was clearly not enough to create a state - a cohesive organization was required that could give a decisive rebuff to enemies. To do this, underground groups of preachers were created throughout the caliphate, who, in addition to promoting the new teaching, were engaged in the systematic collection of various intelligence information. These scattered cells were at any moment ready, on the orders of Hassan ibn Sabbah, to act as mobile battle groups in defense of their interests. It is clear that Hasan did not take root at the court of the Caliph, and in 1090, at the height of the repressions, he fled from Cairo and a few months later showed up with his supporters in the mountainous regions of Persia. At this time, he was at the height of his popularity.
His choice fell on an impregnable fortress built on the high rock of Alamut, a spur of Elburs (according to other sources - Alburs), hidden among mountain ranges, northwest of the Iranian city of Qazvin. Rock Alamut, translated from the local dialect, means "Eagle's Nest", against the backdrop of mountains, it already seemed like a natural fortress. The approaches to it were cut by deep gorges and raging mountain streams.
The choice of ibn Sabbah justified itself in every respect. It was impossible to imagine a more strategically advantageous place for the creation of the capital-symbol of the secret order. Ibn Sabbah captured this impregnable fortress almost without a fight and founded the Nizari Ismaili state, which began to spread its influence in the Muslim world, creating a chain of fortified mountain fortresses in northern Iran and Syria, pursuing a policy of secret assassinations of its enemies and opponents. At the same time, ibn Sabbah became Sheikh Hassan I ibn Sabbah and, in the hierarchical system of power he created, bore the title "Sheikh al-Jabal", and among the crusaders he was well known as the "Mountain Elder" or "Old Man of the Mountain".
Sheikh Hassan I was lucky to some extent. Shortly after the capture of the Alamut fortress, the Seljuk sultan Malik Shah died. After that, for twelve long years, the state was shaken by internecine strife for the throne. All this time, they were not up to the separatists, dug in in Alamut.
By uniting the mountainous regions of Persia, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq, Hassan I actually created a state that lasted until 1256. He established in Alamut for all without exception a harsh way of life. First of all, defiantly during the Muslim fast, Ramadan abolished all Sharia laws on the territory of his state. The slightest deviation was punishable by death. He imposed the strictest ban on any manifestation of luxury. The restrictions applied to everything: feasts, amusing hunting, interior decoration of houses, expensive outfits, etc. The bottom line was that all meaning was lost in wealth. Why is it needed if it can't be used?
In the first stages of the existence of the Alamut state, Hassan I managed to create something similar to a medieval utopia, which the Islamic world did not know and which European thinkers of that time did not even think about. Thus, he effectively nullified the difference between the lower and upper strata of society. According to some historians, the Nizari Ismaili state strongly resembled a commune, with the only difference being that the power in it belonged not to the general council of free workers, but to an authoritarian spiritual leader-leader.

Development of theory and practice
Having created his own state, Hassan I abolished all Seljuk taxes, and instead ordered the inhabitants of Alamut to build roads, dig canals and build impregnable fortresses. All over the world, his agents-preachers bought up rare books and manuscripts containing various knowledge. He invited to his fortress or kidnapped the best specialists in various fields of science, from civil engineers to doctors and alchemists. He created a fortification system that had no equal, and the concept of defense in general was several centuries ahead of its era.
Sitting in his impregnable mountain fortress, Hasan I sent suicide bombers throughout the Seljuk state. But he did not immediately come to the tactics of suicide bombers. According to legend, it was accepted by chance.
In 1092, in the city of Sava, Hashashin preachers killed a muezzin, fearing that he would betray them to the local authorities. In retaliation, on the orders of Nizam al-Mulk, the chief vizier of the Seljuk Sultan, the leader of the local Ismailis, was seized and put to a painful death. This execution caused an explosion of indignation and indignation among the hashashin. An indignant crowd of Alamut residents approached the house of their spiritual mentor and ruler of the state. The legend says that Hassan I went up to the roof of his house and loudly said: “The killing of this shaitan will anticipate heavenly bliss!” No sooner had he entered the house than a young man named Bu Tahir Arrani stood out from the crowd and, kneeling before him, expressed his desire to carry out the sentence of death, even if he had to pay with his own life.
Early morning On October 10, 1092, Arrani managed to penetrate the territory of the vizier's palace. Hidden, he patiently waited for the victim, clutching a huge knife smeared with poison to his chest. Closer to noon, a man appeared in the alley, dressed in very rich robes. Arrani had never seen the vizier, but judging by the fact that a large number of bodyguards and slaves surrounded the man walking down the alley, the assassin decided that it could only be the vizier. Seizing the opportunity, Arrani ran up to the vizier and stabbed him at least three times with the poisoned knife. Before the killer was captured, the vizier was already writhing in death throes. The guards almost tore Arrani to pieces.
By order of Hassan I, a bronze tablet was nailed to the gates of the Alamut fortress, on which the name of Arrani was engraved, and opposite it - the name of the victim. Over the years, this bronze tablet had to be increased several times, since the list began to include hundreds of names of viziers, princes, mullahs, sultans, shahs, marquises, dukes and kings.
The death of the chief vizier caused such a strong resonance throughout the Islamic world that it unwittingly prompted Hassan I to a very simple, but, nevertheless, ingenious conclusion - it is possible to build a very effective defensive doctrine of the state without spending significant material resources on maintaining a large regular army. It was necessary to create their own "special service", whose tasks would include intimidation and exemplary elimination of those on whom the adoption of important political decisions depended; special service, which high walls palaces and castles, neither a huge army nor devoted bodyguards could oppose anything to protect a potential victim.
Thanks to the fanatical devotion of his agents, Hassan I was informed of all the plans of the enemies of the Ismailis, the rulers of Shiraz, Bukhara, Balkh, Isfahan, Cairo and Samarkand. However, the organization of terror was unthinkable without the creation of a well-thought-out technology for the training of professional killers, indifference to their own lives and a disdainful attitude towards death, which made them practically invulnerable. The main dogma of the teaching was unquestioning obedience to the head of the order and readiness to sacrifice his life at any moment on the orders of the Elder of the Mountain. Obedience reached such a degree that a student, without any practical purpose, could throw himself off a cliff or pierce himself with a dagger at his one command.
Over time, Hassan I came to the conclusion that it is not enough to promise people a paradise in heaven - it must be shown in reality! He, declaring himself the plenipotentiary representative and conductor of the will of the "hidden imam", developed a whole theory of heavenly retribution for unquestioning obedience to him. Boys and young men from 12 to 20 years old were recruited into the order, who were initially inspired that they were not just taken to the Alamut fortress, but that they were the chosen ones of the “hidden imam”.
The famous medieval traveler Marco Polo, in The Book of the Diversity of the World, describes how reckless determination in the minds of the disciples was achieved in the following way. The young man, stupefied with wine or hashish (anasha) to an unconscious state, was transferred to a beautiful garden specially arranged according to Eastern canons, where fountains of real milk, honey and wine beat. The garden was located in a guarded valley surrounded on all sides by mountains, and no outsider could penetrate there. In a wonderful garden, he was looked after and fed with delicious dishes. The young men were delighted with the lustful caresses of the girls, who pretended to be heavenly virgin-houris, whispering to the future hashashin suicide bomber that he would be able to return here as soon as he completed the assigned task and died in battle with the infidels. This went on for several days, but not for long enough for the young man to get fed up with the “miracle”. Then, having again lulled the young man through drink and food, he was transferred to the castle of the Mountain Elder, where, after waking up, the teacher announced that the young man, by the will of the “hidden imam”, had visited the real paradise, which is described in the Koran. If he wants to get there after death, then he must obey him - Hassan - in everything - then he will become a holy fidai who sacrificed himself for the sake of Allah and will certainly go to paradise. Young people so sincerely believed that they had been in paradise during their lifetime that from the first moment of awakening the real world lost any value for them. All dreams, hopes, thoughts were subordinated to the only desire to be in the "Garden of Eden" again, among the beautiful maidens and treats so distant and inaccessible now ...
It is worth noting that we are talking about the XI century, whose morals were so severe that for adultery they could simply be stoned to death. And for many poor people, due to the inability to pay bride price, women were simply an unattainable luxury. Since the Mountain Elder recruited his adherents among the children of the half-starved poor and commoners, such treatment with constant drug feeding gave the required positive result: the young men turned into devoted biorobots who obeyed him unquestioningly.
In addition to "ideological training", the hashashins spent a lot of time in daily grueling training. The best masters taught them to master all kinds of weapons perfectly: shoot accurately from a bow, fencing with sabers, throw knives and fight with bare hands. They had to have an excellent understanding of various poisons, they were forced for many hours - both in the heat and in the fierce cold - to squat or stand motionless, pressing their backs against the fortress wall, in order to develop patience and willpower. Each hashashin-suicide bomber was trained for "work" in a certain region. The training program also included the study of the language of the state in which it was supposed to be used. Special attention was given to acting - the talent of reincarnation was valued no less than their fighting skills. If desired, they knew how to change beyond recognition. Posing as a traveling circus troupe, monks of a medieval Christian order, doctors, dervishes, oriental traders or local warriors, the hashashin made their way into the very lair of the enemy to kill the victim. As a rule, after the execution of the sentence pronounced by the Mountain Elder, the hashashin did not even try to hide and readily accepted death or killed themselves. Even being in the hands of the executioner and being subjected to savage medieval torture, they tried to keep smiles on their faces.
To strengthen their faith, the Mountain Elder continued to subject them to increased psychological influence. In general, the Old Man of the Mountain was outstanding master falsifications. So, according to legend, in the castle, in one of the rooms, there was a room in the floor of which a well was equipped. One of the young men stood in it so that only his head was visible above the floor. A dish consisting of two halves was put on his neck. In this case, the impression of a severed head lying on a dish was created. For greater reliability and effect, blood was poured into the dish. Young adepts were invited into the hall and showed them the "cut off head". Suddenly, the Mountain Elder himself appeared out of the darkness and began to perform magical gestures over the “cut-off head” and pronounce mysterious spells in an incomprehensible, otherworldly language. After that, the "dead head" opened its eyes and began to speak - those present were in shock. Ibn Sabbah and the rest asked questions about paradise, to which the "severed head" gave more than optimistic answers. Then this young man was killed, and his head was put on display. The belief that only death in the service of Hasan opens the way to paradise spread among the people, and there was no shortage of those willing to serve the Mountain Elder.
It is known that the Mountain Elder had several doubles. In front of a crowd of hashashins, a double, under the influence of a narcotic potion, committed a demonstrative self-immolation. In this way, he allegedly ascended to heaven. What was the surprise and indescribable admiration of the hashashin when the next day the Mountain Elder appeared before them safe and sound.
The legend says that once Hassan I, having decided to subjugate one of the cities closest to his fortress, staged a real massacre there, but received a decisive rebuff. However, the test of the human "material" turned out to be successful - stoned young men went into battle without the slightest fear and parted with their lives without regret.
Since then, the Mountain Elder has decisively changed tactics, he stopped using his fidai in large numbers in open battles, and instructed them to remove only key persons - rich merchants, high-ranking officials, courtiers, directly threatened even the Persian Shah himself. In the Order of the Assassins, young people did not find a solution to the problems of social injustice, but the Mountain Elder guaranteed them eternal bliss in the Gardens of Eden in return for the real life. He constantly inspired his adherents that they could get into the Gardens of Eden, bypassing purgatory, only on one condition: by accepting death on his direct order. He did not stop repeating the saying in the spirit of the prophet Muhammad: "Paradise rests in the shadow of sabers." Thus, the Hasashins not only did not fear death, but passionately desired it, associating it with the long-awaited paradise.
The movement has become widespread in Iran and Syria. Moreover, Hassan extended his actions to other countries of the Middle East, North Africa, as well as Europe, where the fidai became real hunters for the highest representatives of power - dukes and kings. Many European rulers paid tribute to avoid his wrath. The Mountain Elder sent out all over medieval world killers, never leaving, however, like his followers, their mountain refuge.
In Europe, the leaders of the hashashins in superstitious fear called "mountain sheikhs", often not even suspecting who exactly now occupies the post of the Supreme Lord. Almost immediately after the formation of the order, Hassan I was able to inspire all the rulers that it was impossible to hide from his wrath, and the implementation of the "act of God's retribution" was only a matter of time.
Somehow, the Hasashins hunted for one of the most powerful European princes for a long time and to no avail. The security was organized so carefully and scrupulously that all attempts by the killers to approach the victim invariably failed. The food that the prince took was previously tested by a special person. Armed bodyguards were near him day and night. Even for big money it was not possible to bribe any of the guards. Then the Mountain Elder did something else. Knowing that the nobleman was reputed to be an ardent Catholic, he sent two young people to Europe who, on his orders, converted to Christianity, fortunately, the practice of “taqiyya” adopted among the Shiites allowed them to perform the rite of baptism to achieve a sacred goal. In the eyes of everyone around them, they became "true Catholics", zealously observing all Catholic fasts. For two years they visited the local Catholic cathedral every day, spending long hours on their knees in prayer. Leading a strictly canonical lifestyle, young people regularly gave generous donations to the cathedral. Having convinced everyone around them of their "true Christian virtue", the new converts became something taken for granted and an integral part of the cathedral. The guards stopped paying due attention to them, which they immediately took advantage of. One day, during a Sunday service, one of the hashashin managed to approach the prince and unexpectedly stab him several times with a dagger. The guards reacted with lightning speed, and the inflicted blows fell on the arm and shoulder, without causing serious injuries to the nobleman. But the second hashashin, located at the opposite end of the hall, taking advantage of the turmoil and panic caused, ran up to the victim and struck a fatal blow with a poisoned dagger to the very heart ...

Relationships of the Hasashins with the Crusaders and Muslims
On November 26, 1095, Pope Urban II, at a church council in Clermont, called for a crusade to liberate Jerusalem and Palestine from Muslim rule. The Crusader troops crossed into Asia Minor and on July 15, 1099, after a long and bloody siege, occupied Jerusalem. The Roman Catholic Church promised the participants of the campaign the remission of all sins. However, their army resembled bandits rather than noble liberators of the Holy Sepulcher. The passage of the Crusaders was accompanied by unprecedented robbery and looting.
There was no unity in the ranks of the crusader knights, which was what Hassan I took advantage of. The impoverished European barons, adventurers and robbers of various sorts, attracted by the countless treasures of the rich East, created temporary alliances and coalitions that were never particularly strong. Crusader knights, trying to resolve internal problems, quite often used the services of hashashin. Many crusader leaders found death from their daggers...
Having overthrown the dynasty of Fatimid caliphs in Egypt in 1171, the Mamluks of Salah ad-Din, better known in Europe as Saladin, in order to unite all efforts against the crusaders, first decided to restore the true faith and defeated the Ismailis in Egypt. Then they rushed to the crusaders - the most difficult period of the wars of the crusaders with the Muslim world begins.
The kingdom of Jerusalem was subjected to one attack after another. It is quite natural that in such a hopeless situation they had no choice but to make an alliance with the hashashin. By and large, the Hasashins didn’t care who they fought with and which side they were on. For them, everyone was an enemy - both Christians and Muslims.
The rich feudal lords of the Crusaders generously paid for the services of the Hasashins. Many Arab aristocrats and military leaders fell during this period from the daggers of the hashashin. Even Saladin himself had to endure several unsuccessful assassination attempts (according to some sources - 8), after which he survived only by a lucky chance - he was not forgiven for the defeat of the Ismailis in Egypt.
However, the alliance of the crusaders and the Hashashin did not last long - the crusaders were let down by greed. Having robbed Ismaili merchants, King Conrad of Montferrat of Jerusalem signed his own death warrant. After that, the hashashin began to send killers to both camps. It is known for certain that during this period six viziers, three caliphs, dozens of city rulers and clerics, several European rulers, such as Raymond the First, Conrad of Montferrat, the Duke of Bavaria, as well as a prominent public figure, Persian scientist Abd ul -Mahasin, who provoked the wrath of the Mountain Elder with his harsh criticism of the hashashin.
It is known from ancient chronicles that in 1212 Muhammad Khorezm Shah doubted that there were Ismailis in his entourage. The assistant vizier signaled, and the five servants immediately stepped forward, ready for anything. Soon they were executed, but the shah did not rejoice at the newfound security for long - he received a message from the Mountain Elder, where he was asked to pay 10 thousand dinars for each executed as compensation, and at the same time they sent a dagger. Chronicles claim that the shah understood the hint.
It is worth noting that the hashashins inspired many secret societies of East and West with their example. European orders imitated the hashashin, adopting from them the method of strict discipline, the principles of promotion in rank, the technique of insignia, emblems and symbols. Hassan I lived in Alamut for over thirty years, almost never leaving his room, from where, nevertheless, he effectively managed one of the most powerful and spiritually united organizations in the history of mankind. He died in 1124.

Followers of the Mountain Elder
By the end of the 11th century, the Hasashins were firmly established in northwestern Syria; formed the semblance of an independent state. The mountain fortress of Masyaf, located in this region, served as an impregnable citadel. The head of the order in Syria, Rashid al-Din al-Sinan (d. 1192), who became the next Mountain Elder, pursued a policy of terror against the incoming crusaders and local rulers. In 1164, the next successor of the Mountain Elder, Hassan II, declared himself an imam and proclaimed the onset of a new spiritual era of the “Judgment Day” (“Day of Resurrection”). He declared all Shari'ah regulations to be non-binding. But already his grandson - Hasan III returned the obligatory nature of all Shariah provisions, began a reform of the dogma and recognized the spiritual leadership of the Abbasid caliph.
The successors of the Mountain Elder, as befits worthy students, surpassed the teacher, demanding absolute obedience from their subordinates. When Henri, Count of Champagne, was in the fortress of Alamut, two Fidais, at the signal of the lord, pierced their hearts with a dagger. Most of all, the count was struck by their calm, truly angelic faces ... Apparently, at that time this aggressive sect was called the Order of Assassins.
The powerful of this world sought the favor of the Mountain Elder and his heirs as head of the Order, who also bore the name Hassan as a title. According to some chronicles, other sovereign persons “ordered” him neighboring sovereigns or their rivals on the way to the throne. The “order” was carried out strictly, even if it was necessary to arrange a whole chain of specific actions, it was impossible for the customer to cancel it if he suddenly changed his mind. True, the Mountain Elder did not always rely on the dexterity of his feedays alone. He actively used bribery, compromise and blackmail close to the head of state officials or his guards to get closer to the victim. Only in one case did the Assassins not succeed in a single assassination attempt - the personal guard of the famous Caliph Salladin turned out to be extremely vigilant and incorruptible.

Adaptation to reality
The order existed for more than a century and a half, until the fortress of Alamut was destroyed and wiped off the face of the earth by the grandson of Genghis Khan Hulagu Khan in 1256. The head of the order, Rukn ed-Din, was killed. All the treasures and archives went to the winners, who started a real hunt for assassins. The power of the organization was undermined, the survivors - it is not known from whom - received a command: to hide and wait.
Five years later, in 1272, the ruler of Egypt, Baibars I, was able to stop and expel the Mongols, and in Syria and Lebanon he finished off the Hasashins. They never regained their power again. The Hasashins, as before, at the origins of their origin, were forced to disperse over the mountains and go underground. The mystical ideology and psychological technology of the Order of the Assassins in the form of traditional memory has been preserved in Islamic traditions, in Persian and European chronicles.
But the Ismaili movement continued to exist. In the 18th century, the Shah of Iran officially recognized Ismailism as a branch of Shiism. The descendants of the last Nizari head of state, Alamut, lived in Iran for a long time, hiding their status, and only after that were they able to openly lead the Nizari.
In 1841, the Ismaili Imam Hasan Ali Shah, having assumed the title of Aga Khan, came into conflict with the Iranian authorities and fled to India, where he headed the local Ismaili community in Bombay. Following him, most of the Ismailis moved to India. The British authorities actively supported them. The clan of imams became a dynasty of British officers. They participated in several Afghan campaigns.
At the end of the 19th century, Aga Khan III Aga Sultan Muhammad Shah began to rule the community, subjugating the Nizari of Iran, Syria and the Pamirs. Aga Khan III set as his goal the adaptation of the ideas of Ismailism to modern conditions, resulting in the middle of the XX century. Nizari have become a powerful organization with their communities in 20 countries of the world, as well as great connections in financial and political circles.
In 1957, a direct descendant of the last Elder of the Mountain - Sadretdin Aga Khan IV Karim Shah became the 49th Imam of the Ismailis. In the world, he is better known as a fighter for the environment, a billionaire philanthropist and one of the founders of the World Defense Fund. wildlife. In 1967-1977 The Aga Khan was the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, and after the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan, he coordinated the provision of humanitarian and economic assistance to that country. In 1991, the Aga Khan was nominated by Britain for the post of UN Secretary General.
At the same time, the well-known French ethnographer Jean Mellier in the late 70s of the last century visited the places of compact residence of the Ismailis in the north-west of Pakistan. He writes: “I can testify: assassins exist, they are controlled by the same Elder of the Mountain - Imam Aga Khan. Wherever they live, everyone unquestioningly pays him a tenth of their income. But the most interesting thing is that once a year, somewhere in the mountains, a secret congress of all the hierarchs of the sect takes place, and they present gold to their patron, how much he weighs "...

Vladimir Golovko
Kyiv City
e-mail: [email protected]

At the beginning of this year, a new Hollywood action movie Assassin's Creed, based on the series of mega-popular computer games Assassin's Creed, was released on a wide Russian screen. However, now we are not talking about the artistic merits of this work, especially since they are, to put it mildly, rather controversial. The plot of the film revolves around the activities of the Brotherhood of Assassins - a secret organization of cold-blooded spies and assassins who are fighting the Spanish Inquisition and the Templars.

One gets the impression that the Western world, having had enough of Far Eastern martial arts, has found a new toy, and now the mysterious ninjas have been replaced by even more mysterious assassins. Moreover, on the Internet you can even find a description of the special military equipment of the assassins, which, of course, never actually existed. The image of the assassin, which has developed in popular culture today, has nothing to do with real story. Moreover, he is absolutely crazy and does not correspond to the truth.

So how does contemporary popular culture portray the Assassins? During the Crusades in the Middle East, there was a secret sect of sophisticated and skilled assassins who easily sent kings, caliphs, princes and dukes to another world. These "Middle Eastern ninjas" were led by a certain Hasan ibn Sabbah, better known as the Elder from the Mountain or the Mountain Elder. He made the impregnable fortress of Alamut his residence.

To train the fighters, ibn Sabbah used the latest psychological methods for those times, including the effects of drugs. If the Elder needed to send someone to the next world, he took a young man from the community, stuffed him with hashish, and then transferred the drugged one to a marvelous garden. There, a variety of pleasures awaited the chosen one, including beautiful houris, and he thought that he had really gone to heaven. After returning back, the person could not find a place for himself and was ready to fulfill any task of the authorities in order to again find himself in a wonderful place.

The Elder from the Mountain sent his agents throughout the Middle East and Europe, where they ruthlessly destroyed the enemies of their teacher. Caliphs and kings trembled, for they knew that it was pointless to hide from the killers. Assassins were feared by everyone, from Germany to China. Well, then the Mongols came to the region, Alamut was taken, and the sect was completely destroyed.

These bikes have been replicated in Europe for many hundreds of years, over the years they only acquire new details. Many famous European historians, politicians and travelers had a hand in creating the legend of the Assassins. For example, the myth of the Garden of Eden was launched by the notorious Marco Polo.

Who exactly were the Assassins? What was this secret society? Why did it arise, and what tasks did it set for itself? Was every assassin really such an invincible fighter?

Story

To understand who the Assassins are, you need to immerse yourself in the history of the Muslim world and travel to the Middle East during the birth of this religion.

After the death of the Prophet Muhammad, a split occurred in the Islamic world (the first of many). The Muslim community was divided into two large groups: Sunnis and Shiites. Moreover, it was not religious dogma that became the bone of contention, but the banal struggle for power. The Sunnis believed that elected caliphs should lead the Muslim community, while the Shiites believed that power should be transferred only to the direct descendants of the prophet. However, even here there was no unity. Which of the descendants is worthy to lead the Muslims? This issue led to a further split in Islam. This is how the Ismaili movement or followers of Ismail, who was the eldest son of the sixth Imam, Jafar al-Sadiq, arose.

The Ismailis were (and are) a very powerful and passionate branch of Islam. In the 10th century, the followers of this trend created the Fatimid Caliphate, which controlled vast territories, including Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, North Africa, Sicily and Yemen. The structure of this state included even the sacred cities of Mecca and Medina for any Muslim.

In the XI century, another split happened already among the Ismailis. The Fatimid caliph had two sons: the elder Nizar and the younger Al-Mustali. After the death of the ruler, a strife broke out between the brothers, during which Nizar was killed, and Al-Mustali took the throne. However, a significant part of the Ismailis did not accept the new government and formed a new Muslim trend - the Nizari. It is they who play the main role in our story. At the same time, the key character of this story appears on the stage - Hassan ibn Sabbah, the famous "Old Man from the Mountain", the owner of Alamut and the actual founder of the Nizari state in the Middle East.

In 1090, Sabbah, having rallied a large number of associates around him, captured the fortress of Alamut, located in western Persia. Moreover, this mountain stronghold surrendered to the Nizaris "without firing a shot", Sabbah simply converted its garrison to his faith. Alamut was only the "first sign", after him the Nizari captured several more fortresses in northern Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. A whole network of fortified points was created very quickly, which, in principle, already quite “pulled” on the state. And all this was done quickly and without bloodshed. Apparently, Hasan ibn Sabbah was not only an intelligent organizer, but also a very charismatic leader. And, besides, this man really was a religious fanatic: he himself ardently believed in what he preached.

In Alamut and other controlled territories, Sabbah established the most severe orders. Any manifestations of a beautiful life were strictly prohibited, including rich clothes, exquisite decoration of dwellings, feasts, and hunting. The slightest violation of the ban was punishable by death. Sabbah ordered the execution of one of his sons for tasting wine. For some time, Sabbah managed to build something like a socialist state, where everyone was more or less equal, and all boundaries between different strata of society were erased. What is wealth for if it cannot be used?

However, Sabbah was not a primitive limited fanatic. Nizari agents, on his orders, collected rare manuscripts and books from all over the world. Frequent guests in Alamut were the best minds of their time: doctors, philosophers, engineers, alchemists. The castle had a rich library. The Assassins managed to create one of the best fortification systems of that time, according to modern experts, they were several centuries ahead of their era. It was in Alamut that Hasan ibn Sabbah thought of the practice of using suicide bombers to destroy his opponents, but this did not happen immediately.

Who are the Assassins?

Before moving on to a further story, you should understand the term "assassin" itself. Where did it come from and what does it really mean? There are several hypotheses about this.

Most researchers are inclined to think that "assassin" is a distorted version of the Arabic word "hashishiya", which can be translated as "using hashish." However, this word has other interpretations.

It should be understood that in the early Middle Ages (as, indeed, today) different areas of Islam did not get along very well with each other. Moreover, the confrontation was by no means limited to forceful methods; no less intense struggle was waged on the ideological front as well. Therefore, neither the rulers nor the preachers were shy in slandering their opponents. The term "Hashishiya" in relation to the Nizari first occurs in the correspondence of Caliph al-Amir, who belonged to another Ismaili sect. Then the same name in relation to the followers of the Elder from the Mountain is found in the writings of several Arab medieval historians.

Of course, it can be assumed that al-Amir simply wanted to call his ideological enemies "stupid stoners", but he probably had something else in mind. Most modern researchers believe that the word "hashishiya" at that time had another meaning, it meant "rabble, people of low class." In other words, the hungry.

Naturally, the warriors of Hasan ibn Sabbah did not call themselves either assassins or "hashishiya". They were called "fidai" or "fidayins", which literally translated from Arabic means "those who sacrifice themselves in the name of an idea or faith." By the way, this term is still used today.

The practice of eliminating one's political, ideological or personal opponents is as old as the world, it existed long before the appearance of the Alamut fortress and its inhabitants. However, in the Middle East, such methods of conducting "international relations" were associated precisely with the Nizaris. Having a relatively small number, the Nizari community was constantly under severe pressure from not at all peaceful neighbors: the Crusaders, Ismailis, Sunnis. The elder from the Mountain did not have a large military force at his disposal, so he got out as best he could.

Hassan ibn Sabbah went to better world in 1124. After his death, the Nizari state existed for another 132 years. The peak of his influence came in the 13th century - the era of Salah ad-Din, Richard the Lionheart and the general decline of Christian states in the Holy Land.

In 1250, the Mongols, who invaded Persia, destroyed the state of the Assassins. In 1256 Alamut fell.

Myths about assassins and their exposure

The myth of selection and preparation. There are many legends regarding the selection and training of future Assassin warriors. It is believed that Sabbah used young men from 12 to 20 years old for his operations, some sources speak of children who were taught the art of killing from “young nails”. Allegedly, getting into the assassins was not very easy, for this the candidate had to show considerable patience. Those wishing to get into the ranks of the elite “mokrushnikov” gathered near the gates of the castle (for days and weeks), and they were not allowed inside for a long time, thus weeding out the insecure or cowardly. During the training, senior comrades arranged for the recruits fierce "hazing", mocking and humiliating them in every possible way. At the same time, recruits could freely leave the walls of Alamut and return to normal life at any time. Using such methods, the assassins allegedly selected the most persistent and ideological.

The truth is that in none of the historical sources there is any mention of selection for assassins. Roughly speaking, all of the above are just later fantasies, and how it really happened is unknown. Most likely, there was no strict selection at all. Any member of the Nizari community who was sufficiently devoted to Sabbah could be sent to the "case".

More about the training of assassins of legends. To reach the heights of his art, the assassin supposedly had to train for years, be fluent in all types of weapons and be an unsurpassed master of hand-to-hand combat. Also in the list of subjects were acting, the art of reincarnation, the manufacture of poisons and much more. Well, in addition, each member of the sect had his own specialization in the region and had to know the necessary languages, customs of the inhabitants, etc.

No information about the training of the Assassins has also been preserved, so all of the above is nothing more than a beautiful legend. Most likely, the fighters of the Old Man from the Mountain were more reminiscent of modern Islamic martyrs than highly trained special forces fighters. Naturally, they were eager to give their lives for their ideals, but the success of their actions depended more on luck than on professionalism and training. And why waste time and resources on a one-time fighter, if you can always send a new one. The effectiveness of the Assassins has more to do with the suicidal tactics they chose.

As a rule, the killings were committed defiantly, and usually the assassin did not even try to hide. This achieved an even greater psychological effect.

The myth of hashish. Most likely, the notion that the Assassins practiced frequent use of hashish is due to a misinterpretation of the word "hashishiya". By naming their opponents like that, the opponents of the Assassins wanted to emphasize their low origin, and not addiction to drugs. The peoples of the Middle East were well aware of hashish and its destructive effect on the human body and mind. For Muslims, a drug addict is a dead man.

And given the strict morals that prevailed in Alamut, it is difficult to assume that anyone there seriously abused psychoactive substances. Here we can recall that Sabbah executed his own son for drinking wine, it is unlikely that such a person can be imagined as the head of a huge drug den.

And what kind of fighter from a drug addict? The responsibility for creating such a myth rests partly with Marco Polo. But this is the next myth.

The myth of the Garden of Eden. This story was first described by Marco Polo. He did travel around Asia and probably met the Nizaris. According to the famous Venetian, before completing the task, the assassin was put to sleep and transferred to a special place, which very much resembled the Garden of Eden, as described in the Koran. It was full of wine, fruits, seductive houris were pleasing the warrior. After waking up, the warrior only thought about how to be in the halls again, but for this he had to fulfill the will of the Elder. The Italian claimed that before this action, a person was drugged, however, in his work, the Italian did not specify which ones.

The fact is that Alamut (like other Nizari castles) were too small to create such an illusion, and no traces of such premises were found. Most likely, this legend was invented to explain the loyalty that the followers of Sabbah showed to their leader. To understand it, one does not need to invent gardens and houris, the answer lies in the very doctrine of Islam, and especially in its Shiite interpretation. For Shiites, an imam is a messenger of God, a person who will intercede for him during the Last Judgment and give him a pass to Paradise. After all, modern martyrs are prepared without any drugs, and ISIS and other radical groups use them on an industrial scale.

Origins of the legend

The beginning of the legend of the Assassins was given by the Crusaders, who returned after the unsuccessful Crusades to Europe. Mention of the terrible Muslim killers can be found in the works of Burchard of Strasbourg, Bishop of Acre Jacques de Vitry, German historian Arnold of Lubeck. In the texts of the latter one can read about the use of hashish for the first time.

It should be understood that the Europeans received information about the Nizari largely from their worst ideological enemies - the Sunnis, from whom it is difficult to expect objectivity.

After the end of the Crusades, the contacts of Europeans with the Muslim world practically ceased, and the time has come for fantasies about the mysterious and magical East, where anything can be.

The most famous medieval traveler Marco Polo quite added fuel to the fire. However, compared to contemporary mass culture he is just a child, honest and sincere. Most of today's assassin fantasies have nothing to do with reality.

Results

By the way, another myth about the Assassins is the idea of ​​their omnipresence. In fact, they operated mainly in their own region, so they were hardly feared in China or Germany. And the reason is very simple: in these countries they simply did not know about the existence of such an organization. But in the Middle East, the Nizari sect was even very well known.

During the existence of Alamut, seventy-three people were killed by one hundred and eighteen Fidains. There are three caliphs, six viziers, several dozen regional leaders and spiritual leaders on the account of the warriors of the Old Man of the Mountain who, one way or another, crossed the path of Sabbah. The Nizari killed the famous Iranian scholar Abu al-Mahasina, who was especially critical of them. Notable Europeans who fell at the hands of the Assassins include the Marquis Conrad of Montferrat and the King of Jerusalem. The Nizaris staged a real hunt for the legendary Saladin: after three assassination attempts, the famous commander nevertheless decided to leave Alamut alone.

If you have any questions - leave them in the comments below the article. We or our visitors will be happy to answer them.

The most beloved daughter of Muhammad. In their opinion, the close relationship with the Prophet Muhammad made the descendants of Ali the only worthy rulers of the Islamic state. Hence the name of the Shiites - "Shi'at Ali"("Ali's party").

Shiites, who were in the minority, were often persecuted by the Sunni ruling majority, so they were often forced to go underground. Scattered Shiite communities were isolated from each other, contacts between them were fraught with the greatest difficulties, and often even a threat to life. Often, members of individual communities, being nearby, did not suspect the neighborhood of fellow Shiites, since their practice allowed the Shiites to hide their true views. Probably, centuries of isolation and forced isolation can explain a large number of the most diverse, sometimes extremely absurd and reckless offshoots in Shiism.

The Shiites, according to their convictions, were Imamis, who believed that sooner or later the world would be headed by a direct descendant of the fourth Caliph Ali. The Imamis believed that someday one of the legal Imams who lived earlier would resurrect in order to restore justice that had been violated by the Sunnis. The main direction in Shiism was based on the belief that the twelfth imam, Muhammad Abul-Qasim (bin Al-Khosan), who appeared in Baghdad in the 9th century and disappeared without a trace at the age of 12, would act as the resurrected imam. Most of the Shiites firmly believed that it was Abul-Qasim who was the “hidden imam”, who in the future will return to the human world in the form of a messiah-mahdi (“hidden imam”-savior). The followers of the twelfth imam later became known as the Twelvers. The same views are held by modern Shiites.

Approximately according to the same principle, other branches in Shiism were formed. "Five" - ​​believed in the cult of the fifth Imam Zeyd ibn Ali, the grandson of the Shia Imam Martyr Hussein. In 740, Zayd ibn Ali launched a Shia rebellion against the Umayyad caliph and died in battle, fighting in the front ranks of the rebel army. Later, the Pyatirichniks were divided into three small branches, recognizing the right of the imamate for one or another descendant of Zeid ibn Ali.

In parallel with the Zaidids (five-faced), at the end of the 8th century, the Ismaili movement was born, which subsequently received a wide response in the Islamic world.

Ibn Sabbah established a strict lifestyle for everyone in Alamut without exception. First of all, he defiantly, during the period of the Muslim fasting Ramadan, abolished all Sharia laws on the territory of his state. The slightest deviation was punishable by death. He imposed the strictest ban on any manifestation of luxury. The restrictions applied to everything: feasts, amusing hunting, interior decoration of houses, expensive outfits, etc. The bottom line was that all meaning was lost in wealth. Why is it needed if it can't be used? At the first stages of the existence of the Alamut state, Ibn Sabbah managed to create something similar to a medieval utopia, which the Islamic world did not know and which European thinkers of that time did not even think about. Thus, he effectively nullified the difference between the lower and upper strata of society. According to some historians, the Nizari Ismaili state strongly resembled a commune, with the difference that power in it did not belong to the general council of free workers, but still to an authoritarian spiritual leader-leader.

Ibn Sabbah himself set a personal example for his associates, leading an extremely ascetic lifestyle until the end of his days. In his decisions he was consistent and, if required, callously cruel. He ordered the execution of one of his sons only on suspicion of violating the established laws.

Having announced the creation of the state, Ibn Sabbah abolished all Seljuk taxes, and instead ordered the inhabitants of Alamut to build roads, dig canals and build impregnable fortresses. All over the world, his agents-preachers bought up rare books and manuscripts containing various knowledge. Ibn Sabbah invited or kidnapped to his fortress the best specialists in various fields of science, from civil engineers to doctors and alchemists. The Hashshashins were able to create a system of fortifications that had no equal, and the concept of defense in general was several centuries ahead of its era. Sitting in his impregnable mountain fortress, Ibn Sabbah sent suicide bombers throughout the Seljuk state. But Ibn Sabbah did not immediately come to the tactics of suicide bombers. There is a legend according to which he made such a decision due to chance.

In all parts of the Islamic world, on behalf of Ibn Sabbah, at the risk of their own lives, numerous preachers of his teaching acted. In 1092, in the city of Sava, located on the territory of the Seljuk state, the preachers of the hashshashin killed the muezzin, fearing that he would betray them to the local authorities. In retaliation for this crime, on the orders of Nizam al-Mulk, the chief vizier of the Seljuk sultan, the leader of the local Ismailis, was seized and put to a slow painful death. After the execution, his body was demonstratively dragged through the streets of Sava and hung out for several days in the main market square. This execution caused an explosion of indignation and indignation among the hashshashin. An indignant crowd of Alamut residents approached the house of their spiritual mentor and ruler of the state. The legend says that Ibn Sabbah went up to the roof of his house and loudly said: "Killing this shaitan will anticipate heavenly bliss!"

Before Ibn Sabbah had gone down to his house, a young man named Bu Tahir Arrani stood out from the crowd and, kneeling before Ibn Sabbah, expressed his desire to carry out the death sentence, even if he had to pay with his own life.

A small detachment of hashshashin fanatics, having received a blessing from their spiritual leader, broke into small groups and moved towards the capital of the Seljuk state. In the early morning of October 10, 1092, Bu Tahir Arrani somehow managed to get into the territory of the vizier's palace. Hiding in winter garden, he patiently waited for his prey, clutching a huge knife to his chest, the blade of which was previously smeared with poison. Closer to noon, a man appeared in the alley, dressed in very rich robes. Arrani had never seen the vizier, but judging by the fact that a large number of bodyguards and slaves surrounded the man walking down the alley, the assassin decided that it could only be the vizier. Behind the high, impregnable walls of the palace, the bodyguards felt too confident and the protection of the vizier was perceived by them as nothing more than a daily ritual duty. Seizing the opportunity, Arrani ran up to the vizier and stabbed him at least three times with the poisoned knife. The guard arrived too late. Before the killer was captured, the vizier was already writhing in death throes. The guards practically tore Arrani to pieces, but the death of Nizam al-Mulk became a symbolic signal to storm the palace. The Hashshashins surrounded and set fire to the vizier's palace.

The death of the chief vizier of the Seljuk state caused such a strong resonance throughout the Islamic world that it involuntarily pushed Ibn Sabbah to a very simple, but nevertheless brilliant conclusion: it is possible to build a very effective defensive doctrine of the state and, in particular, the Ismaili movement - Nizaris, without spending significant material resources on the maintenance of a large regular army. It was necessary to create their own "special service", whose tasks would include intimidation and exemplary elimination of those on whom the adoption of important political decisions depended; special service, which neither the high walls of palaces and castles, nor a huge army, nor devoted bodyguards could do anything to protect a potential victim.

First of all, it was necessary to establish a mechanism for collecting reliable information. By this time, Ibn Sabbah had countless preachers in all corners of the Islamic world, who regularly informed him of all the events that were taking place. However, new realities required the creation of an intelligence organization of a qualitatively different level, whose agents would have access to the highest echelons of power. The Khashshashins were among the first to introduce the concept of "recruitment". The Imam - the leader of the Ismailis - was deified, the devotion of fellow believers to Ibn Sabbah made him infallible; his word was more than law, his will was perceived as a manifestation of the divine mind. The Ismaili, who is part of the intelligence structure, revered the share that fell to him as a manifestation of the highest mercy of Allah. It was suggested to him that he was born only to fulfill his "great mission", before which all worldly temptations and fears fade.

Thanks to the fanatical devotion of his agents, Ibn Sabbah was informed of all the plans of the enemies of the Ismailis, the rulers of Shiraz, Bukhara, Balkh, Isfahan, Cairo and Samarkand. However, the organization of terror was unthinkable without the creation of a well-thought-out technology for the training of professional killers, whose indifference to their own lives and neglect of their death made them practically invulnerable.

In his headquarters in the mountain fortress of Alamut, Ibn Sabbah created a real school for the training of intelligence officers and terrorist saboteurs. By the mid 90s. XI century Alamut fortress became the world's best academy for the training of secret agents of a narrow profile. She acted extremely simply, however, the results she achieved were very impressive. Ibn Sabbah made the process of joining the order very difficult. Out of about two hundred candidates, a maximum of five to ten people were allowed to the final stage of selection. Before the candidate got into the inner part of the castle, he was informed that after being introduced to the secret knowledge, he could not have a way back from the order.

One of the legends says that Ibn Sabbah, being a versatile person who had access to various kinds of knowledge, did not reject the experience of others, revering it as a welcome acquisition. So, when selecting future terrorists, he used the methodology of the ancient Chinese schools of martial arts, in which the screening of candidates began long before the first tests. Young men who wanted to join the order were kept in front of closed gates from several days to several weeks. Only the most persistent were invited to the courtyard. There they were forced to sit starving for days on the cold stone floor, content with the meager remains of food, and wait, sometimes in icy torrential rain or snow, to be invited inside the house. From time to time, in the courtyard in front of the house of Ibn Sabbah, his adherents from among those who had passed the first degree of initiation appeared. They insulted young people in every possible way, even beat them, wanting to test how strong and unshakable their desire to join the ranks of the hashshashin was. At any moment, the young man was allowed to get up and go home. Only those who passed the first round of tests were admitted to the house of the Great Lord. They were fed, washed, dressed in good, warm clothes... They began to open the "gates of another life" for them.

The same legend says that the Khashshashins, having beaten off the corpse of their comrade, Bu Tahir Arrani, by force, buried him according to the Muslim rite. By order of Ibn Sabbah, a bronze tablet was nailed to the gates of the Alamut fortress, on which the name of Bu Tahir Arrani was engraved, and opposite him, the name of his victim, the chief vizier Nizam al-Mulk. Over the years, this bronze tablet had to be increased several times, since the list began to include hundreds of names of viziers, princes, mullahs, sultans, shahs, marquises, dukes and kings.

The Hashshashins selected physically strong young people into their battle groups. Orphans were preferred, as the hashshashin was required to break away from his family permanently. After joining the sect, his life entirely belonged to the "Old Man of the Mountain", as the Great Lord was called. True, they did not find a solution to the problems of social injustice in the hashshashin sect, but the “Old Man of the Mountain” guaranteed them eternal bliss in the Gardens of Eden in return for the given real life.

Ibn Sabbah came up with a rather simple, but extremely effective method for preparing the so-called "fedayeen". "Old Man of the Mountain" declared his home "the temple of the first step on the path to Paradise". Exist misconception that the candidate was invited to the house of Ibn Sabbah and stupefied with hashish, hence the name assassin. As mentioned above, in fact, the opium poppy was practiced in the ritual actions of the Nizari. And the adherents of Sabbah were nicknamed "hashishshins", that is, "grass-eaters", hinting at the poverty characteristic of the Nizari. So, immersed in a deep narcotic sleep caused by opiates, the future fidayin was transferred to an artificially created "Garden of Eden", where pretty maidens, rivers of wine and plentiful treats were already waiting for him. Surrounding the bewildered young man with lustful caresses, the girls pretended to be heavenly virgin-houris, whispering to the future hashshashin suicide bomber that he would be able to return here as soon as he died in battle with the infidels. A few hours later, he was again given the drug and, after he fell asleep again, was transferred back. Waking up, the adept sincerely believed that he had been in a real paradise. From the first moment of awakening, the real world lost any value for him. All his dreams, hopes, thoughts were subordinated to the only desire to be in the "Garden of Eden" again, among the beautiful maidens and treats so distant and inaccessible now.

It is worth noting that we are talking about the XI century, whose morals were so severe that they could simply be stoned for adultery. And for many poor people, due to the inability to pay bride price, women were simply an unattainable luxury.

The "Old Man of the Mountain" declared himself almost a prophet. For the hashshashin, he was the protege of Allah on earth, the herald of his sacred will. Ibn Sabbah inspired his adherents that they could get into the Gardens of Eden, bypassing purgatory, only on one condition: by accepting death on his direct order. He did not stop repeating a saying in the spirit of the prophet Muhammad: "Paradise rests in the shadow of sabers". Thus, the hashshashins not only were not afraid of death, but passionately desired it, associating it with the long-awaited paradise.

In general, Ibn Sabbah was a master of falsification. Sometimes he used an equally effective technique of persuasion, or, as they now call it, "brainwashing." In one of the halls of the Alamut fortress, over a hidden pit in the stone floor, a large copper dish with a circle neatly carved in the center was installed. By order of Ibn Sabbah, one of the hashshashin hid in a pit, sticking his head through a hole cut in the dish, so that from the side, thanks to skillful makeup, it seemed as if it had been cut off. Young adepts were invited into the hall and showed them the "cut off head". Suddenly, Ibn Sabbah himself appeared out of the darkness and began to make magical gestures over the "cut off head" and pronounce on "incomprehensible, otherworldly language" mysterious spells. After that, the "dead head" opened its eyes and began to speak. Ibn Sabbah and the rest of those present asked questions about paradise, to which the "severed head" gave more than optimistic answers. After the guests left the hall, the head of Ibn Sabbah's assistant was cut off and the next day they paraded it in front of the gates of Alamut.

Or another episode: it is known for certain that Ibn Sabbah had several doubles. In front of hundreds of ordinary hashshashin, the doppelganger, intoxicated with a narcotic potion, committed a demonstrative self-immolation. In this way, Ibn Sabbah allegedly ascended to heaven. What was the surprise of the hashshashin when the next day Ibn Sabbah appeared before the admiring crowd, safe and sound.

Hashshashins and Crusaders

The first clashes between the Nizari and the Crusaders date back to the beginning of the 12th century. Since the time of the head of the Syrian Nizari Rashid ad-Din Sinan (1163-1193), the term assassin, derived from hashishin. Another origin of the word is also assumed - from Arabic hasaniyun, meaning "Hasanites", that is, the followers of Hasan ibn Sabbah.

Myths about the Nizari

Assassins and hashish

Assassins- fanatics-sectarians of the medieval East, used individual terror as a means of protecting their religion. The legend of the Assassins, spread in Europe in the presentation of the Venetian traveler Marco Polo (c. 1254-1324), in in general terms came down to the following. In the country of Mulect, in the old days there lived a mountain elder Ala-one, who arranged a luxurious garden in a certain secluded place in the image and likeness of a Muslim paradise. He made young men from twelve to twenty years old drunk and carried them to this garden in a sleepy state, and they spent the whole day there, amusing themselves with the wives and virgins there, and in the evening they were drunk again and carried back to the court. After that, the young men were “ready to die, if only to get to paradise; they won’t wait for a day to go there ... If the elder wants to kill one of the important ones or anyone in general, he will choose from his assassins and wherever he wants, he sends him there. And he tells him that he wants to send him to paradise, and therefore he would go there and kill such and such, and as soon as he himself is killed, he will immediately go to paradise. Whoever the elder so orders, willingly did everything he could; He went and did everything that the elder ordered him.

Marco Polo does not specify the name of the drug with which the youths were intoxicated; however, French romantic writers of the mid-19th century. (see Assassins Club) were sure it was hashish. It is in this vein that the Count of Monte Cristo retells the legend of the mountain elder in the novel of the same name by Alexandre Dumas. According to him, the elder “invited the elect and, according to Marco Polo, treated them to some kind of grass that carried them to Eden, where ever-blooming plants, ever-ripe fruits, and ever-young virgins were waiting for them. What these happy young men took for reality was a dream, but a dream so sweet, so intoxicating, so passionate that they sold their soul and body for it to the one who gave it to them, obeyed him like a god, went to the ends of the world to kill the victim indicated by him and meekly died a painful death in the hope that this was only a transition to that blissful life that the sacred grass promised them.

Thus, one of the key legends about hashish was created, which significantly influenced its perception in Western culture. Up until the 1960s. the psychotropic drugs of cannabis were perceived by the mass consciousness as a drug that gives heavenly bliss, kills fear and excites aggression (see Anslinger, "Job madness"). And only after the use of these drugs became widespread, the romantic myth was debunked, although its echoes still wander through the publications of the popular press.

Interestingly, the legend of the Assassins has a solid historical basis. "Mountain elders" really ruled in the XI-XIII centuries. in the Iranian fortress of Alamut; they belonged to the Ismaili Islamic sect and solved their foreign policy problems with the help of suicide bombers. However, there is no reliable historical evidence that hashish was used in their preparation.

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