1- Hasan Sabbah: Brief Biography
Hasan Sabbah, born in Kum, Iran around 1050, was the founder and leader of a sect based on the Ismaili branch of Islam, known as the Hashashins. He initially received religious education in Cairo after traveling from Iran. It is rumored that he had Yemeni roots.
Alamut Fortress
Hasan Sabbah
2- Alamut Fortress: Hasan Sabbah's Stronghold
Upon returning to Iran, Hasan Sabbah sought new followers and a base in the challenging terrain of the Deylem region in the north. He chose Alamut Fortress in the Elburz Mountains as his stronghold, a strategically challenging castle perched on steep rocks. According to legend, it was built after an eagle belonging to a Deylem king landed on these rocks, hence its name, Aluh Amut ("Eagle's Teaching"). After a covert entry and the support of the inhabitants, Hasan Sabbah gained control of the fortress from its ruler. This marked the official establishment of the Hashashin sect on September 4, 1090. Hasan Sabbah lived in Alamut for 34 years without leaving.
Omar Khayyam and Hasan Sabbah
3- Omar Khayyam and Hasan Sabbah
According to legend, Omar Khayyam, Nizam-ul-Mulk, and Hasan Sabbah were classmates who made a pact that whoever succeeded first would help the others. When Nizam-ul-Mulk became vizier, he offered governorship to the others, but Omar Khayyam preferred financial independence. Hasan Sabbah, aspiring to be vizier, eventually left for Cairo after failing to achieve his goal. However, the age difference of 30 years between Nizam-ul-Mulk and Hasan Sabbah has led many historians to consider this story a historical legend.
Hasan Sabbah and the Assassins
4- Hasan Sabbah's Manipulative Methods
Hasan Sabbah used unconventional methods to recruit followers. He promised his disciples a false paradise, claiming they would reach it by fulfilling his commands.
He would first give potential recruits a drink containing opium and poppy extract upon their arrival at Alamut Fortress, inducing initial sleep. When the disciple woke up, they found themselves in a room resembling a paradise garden, accompanied by three women. These women would keep the disciple's heart pleased in every way, and an opium-laced drink was continuously administered to keep them in a dreamlike state. After three days, when the disciple was brought back from the garden in their sleep, they awoke at Hasan Sabbah's feet. Hasan Sabbah assured them that they would go to this paradise once they followed his orders. The disciple, believing in the false paradise under the influence of drugs, would then unquestionably carry out any command, even if it meant their own death. This way, Hasan Sabbah ensured that his easily manipulated disciples were blindly devoted to him.
Another of Hasan Sabbah's tricks involved placing a disciple in a well he had opened in the center of a room, surrounding them, and smearing animal blood on their head. This created the illusion of a severed head on the floor. Hasan Sabbah claimed to communicate with these beheaded individuals, further convincing his disciples that he had the power to converse with the dead.
The Assassins and Their Targets
5- The Assassins' Unique Approach
Hasan Sabbah's followers, known as the Assassins, were trained specifically for assassination missions. They were given narcotics before their missions, earning them the name "Hashashins." This practice led to the transformation of the term into "Assassin" through the Crusades, signifying a professional killer, and it became entrenched in Western languages.
Hasan Sabbah had the ability to target anyone who bothered him, regardless of their social status. Whether a shepherd or a noble, he could select his victims, making him unpredictable and difficult to anticipate. His plans went unnoticed.
During Hasan Sabbah's reign, it is estimated that around 50 assassinations were carried out. The most famous of these was the assassination of Nizam-ul-Mulk, the vizier of the Great Seljuk state. Nizam-ul-Mulk, with a retinue of 20,000 slaves, was a powerful figure, but Assassin, concealing a dagger in his bosom, managed to kill him and was subsequently executed.
The Assassins also had a disdain for Christians. The first Christian targeted by the Assassins was Raymond, the Count of Tripoli. It is claimed that subsequent Christian victims, including Jerusalem's King Conrad and Richard the Lionheart, were killed at the behest of the Assassins.
Hasan Sabbah and Sultan Sanjar of the Seljuk Empire
7- Hasan Sabbah and Sultan Sanjar
After the death of the Great Seljuk Sultan Melikshah, struggles for the throne ensued in the Seljuk Empire. Hasan Sabbah and the Assassins were viewed as potential enemies. Although Hasan Sabbah sent an envoy to Sultan Sanjar seeking peace, it was rejected. One morning, Sultan Sanjar awoke to find a dagger beside his pillow, causing great panic. When Hasan Sabbah's messenger arrived, he delivered the message, "If I had wished, this dagger would have been thrust into the Sultan's soft chest." This message led to the lifting of the Seljuk blockade around Alamut, and the Assassins enjoyed relative peace during Sanjar's reign.
Hasan Sabbah's Death
8- The End of Hasan Sabbah
Hasan Sabbah passed away on May 23, 1124, due to illness, within the confines of Alamut Fortress. He appointed Kiya Buzrug Ummid as his successor. Described as highly intelligent, Hasan Sabbah was noted for his expertise in astronomy and particularly in magic. He is considered one of the reasons for the decline of the Seljuk Empire, as he trained outcome-driven individual assassins, pioneering the concept of terrorism. He is regarded as the first leader in history to train suicide bombers.
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