In the 1090s, a secret sect was established by Hasan Sabbah, a follower of the Ismaili branch of Shiism. Known as the Assassins, this organization aimed to spread the beliefs of the Ismaili sect. Hasan Sabbah, who referred to himself as the "Mountain Chief," selected Alamut Castle as their stronghold and began recruiting members.
Hasan Sabbah was born in the city of Qom, Iran, and received education in Cairo. Later, he moved to Baghdad, and eventually, he settled in Alamut Castle with the purpose of spreading his beliefs. During this time, the Crusaders initiated the Crusades to reclaim Jerusalem, and there were small Christian states in the region. Additionally, there were incursions from the Turks in Anatolia, and the Seljuk Empire was gaining dominance in the area. Moreover, there was a significant threat from the east in the form of the Mongols.
Despite being surrounded by various powers and facing numerous challenges, Hasan Sabbah, as the leader of the most secretive organization in world history, the Assassins, made his name known to the world.
Hasan Sabbah gathered devoted followers who were willing to unquestioningly carry out acts of killing and dying in the name of God. This brings to mind modern terrorist organizations claiming to fight in the name of Islam.
One of the most frightening aspects of Hasan Sabbah and the Assassins was their tendency to target anyone who disturbed them, regardless of their rank or status. From shepherds to nobles, and from nobles to kings, they acted to eliminate anyone they perceived as a threat. Hasan Sabbah's crucial strategy and belief was to engage in battles with the largest possible armies and to focus on killing the King or General leading the army. By doing so, he avoided the need to fight the remaining forces after the head of the army was severed. In essence, the Assassins went straight for the top to resolve matters at the root.
Hasan Sabbah employed tactics that ensured his followers blindly adhered to his beliefs. He primarily selected young individuals, as they could be easily influenced and molded. By bringing the best candidates to Alamut, isolating them from the outside world and their families, and keeping them away from other beliefs and thoughts, he fostered strong bonds of loyalty.
When Hasan Sabbah decided to incorporate a talented young man into his ranks, he would drug him with opium and hashish until he became unconscious. Upon awakening, the candidate would find himself in a special garden in Alamut. In this garden, milk, honey, and wine flowed from fountains, and beautiful flowers and trees adorned the surroundings. Additionally, there were beautiful women in the garden who provided every pleasure to the young men, who were typically from impoverished families and accustomed to harsh living conditions. These women indulged the candidates for three days, providing them with every imaginable delight. After three days, when the candidate woke up again, he would find himself at the feet of Hasan Sabbah. When asked where he had been taken, he would be told that he had entered paradise. Hasan Sabbah would then inform him that if he fulfilled his duties, he would spend his life in this garden of delights. Naturally, after experiencing this three-day false paradise, the young man, who had endured harsh conditions in Iran, would unquestioningly accept any tasks assigned to him by Hasan Sabbah.
Furthermore, Hasan Sabbah played other games to prove that he had a special connection with Allah. For example, he would place one of his men in a hole in the floor of a room, with only his head visible. Then, he would place a large tray that appeared to contain a severed head in the center of the room. He would smear a bit of animal blood on the head and call the soldiers inside. He would then begin to converse with the severed head, answering questions about how life was in paradise. Of course, everyone in the room believed that Hasan Sabbah was speaking with the dead. After this performance, the man in the hole would be pulled out, his head would be severed, and it would be impaled on a spike in front of the admission room. This not only reinforced the belief that Hasan Sabbah communicated with the dead, but it also proved that he could even revive and reanimate the dead.
These ignorant young men, who believed in these false miracles, became Hasan Sabbah's disciples and unquestioningly obeyed all his orders.
The Suicide Squads of the Assassins
Perhaps the earliest recorded instances of suicide attacks in history can be attributed to Hasan Sabbah and the Assassins. This is because, after providing thorough training and drugging his skilled soldiers with hashish and opium, Hasan Sabbah would send them to assassinate Kings and Generals, knowing that the Assassin carrying out the mission would not return alive. The Assassins sent for assassinations were aware that they would not survive after carrying out their mission.
Hasan Sabbah used cleverly devised deceptive tactics and established his dominance through numerous assassinations. In fact, when Sultan Sanjar of the Seljuk Empire, who had laid siege to Alamut, woke up one morning, he found a dagger at the edge of his bed. Later, when he received news that if Hasan Sabbah had truly wanted to kill him, the dagger would have been thrust into his chest instead of left on the bed, Sultan Sanjar lifted the siege around Alamut.
Western Fear of the Assassins
The Assassins also held animosity towards Christians. Raymond, Count of Tripoli, became the first Christian victim of the Assassins. Subsequently, King Conrad of Jerusalem also fell prey to the Assassins. While some claim that Richard the Lionheart hired the Assassins for Conrad's assassination, it is highly likely that Conrad was targeted for attacking an Assassin caravan. In 1271, when King Edward I of England, then a young prince, engaged in peace negotiations with the Mongols, he narrowly escaped falling victim to the poisoned dagger of the Assassins. This contributed to the spread of fear of the Assassins in Europe.
The Assassins always wore white robes and carried their sacred golden poisoned daggers with them. They typically carried out their attacks in public places, often preferring to kill their targets in a mosque or church for the emotional impact it would have. The specialized training, camouflage, and assassination techniques of the Assassins allowed them to reach anyone during that period.
This ancient and enigmatic terrorist organization, the Assassins, met its end when the renowned Mongol commander Hulagu Khan ingeniously used petroleum to set Alamut Castle ablaze, obliterating it and consigning it to history.
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