The History of the Assassins

Assassins ( Hashashin; from Assassiyun: "those faithful to the foundation"), is the name used to refer to the medieval Nizari Ismailis. Often characterized as a secret order led by a mysterious "Old Man of the Mountain", the Nizari Ismailis were an Islamic sect that formed in the late 11th century from a split within Ismailism, itself a branch of Shia Islam. The Nizaris posed a military threat to Sunni Seljuq authority within their territories by capturing and inhabiting many unconnected mo...