History of all Assassins. Assassins: centuries-old myths and cruel reality. The Assassins were defeated by the Mongols-Crusaders

On October 23, Assassin's Creed: Syndicate, the next installment of Ubisoft's annual adventure series, will be released on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The image of the assassin, which has developed in popular culture, is completely extravagant and far from the truth. Read about what the mysterious order was actually doing, who actually coined the phrase “Nothing is true. Everything is allowed, ”as Kurt Cobain is involved in this, and in which Ubisoft turned out to be no worse than the French classics.

Stereotypical ideas about the Assassins in general are based on the real history of the religious order of the Islamic Nizari sect. We have collected non-trivial facts about them, after which the entire setting of the Assassin's Creed universe will appear before you in a completely different light.

The first victim of the founder of the order
became his school friend

Hassan ibn Sabbah, the founder of the Order of the Assassins, nicknamed the "Old Man of the Mountain", was born into a family of moderate Shiites, but after studying in Cairo, he switched to the more radical Nizari doctrine. It is significant that he was a classmate of many influential and even great people of that time, among whom were Omar Khayyam and Nizam al-Mulk, the vizier in the Seljuk empire.

Monument to Nizam al-Mulk in Iran

It was with Nizam al-Mulk that the history of the Assassins as an organization of assassins began. Former schoolmates became political rivals, and at some point Hasan eliminated the enemy: an assassin disguised as a dervish wanderer was sent to him, and the vizier was killed right in the middle of his luxurious palace, surrounded by guards and many witnesses.

Alamut Fortress, the main stronghold of the Assassins,
was captured by them without a single drop of blood

Ruins of Alamut Fortress

When Hasan ibn Sabbah was choosing a place for his base, he stopped at the Alamut fortress near the Caspian Sea. It really was almost impregnable for the troops, but it was not necessary to besiege it. Posing as a teacher and a wanderer, the future prophet prepared the ground for his future empire: most of the local residents were converted into his ardent followers.

One day, the commandant of the fortress found that not a single person obeyed his orders, and he had to flee, leaving his fiefdom. So the Assassins unexpectedly declared their independence; after the capture of Alamut, they built more than a hundred fortresses, and the territories they occupied were rightfully considered a separate state.

The Assassins Were Terrorists, Not Stealth Assassins

The Assassins weren't exactly an order of secret assassins. By modern ideas they can rather be called terrorists, since they preferred not so much covert operations as high-profile (and preferably bloody) political assassinations that were carried out in large crowds. The elimination of an important figure was not so much an end in itself as a method of political terror. Moreover, many of the killers did not flee the scene, but remained and furiously shouted political and religious appeals to the people until they were captured or killed by the guards. It is noteworthy that the Assassins proclaimed the entire class of officials and bureaucrats as their main enemies.

The phrase “Nothing is true. Everything is allowed"
at did not think the assassins

There is an opinion that the phrase served as the motto of the Assassins during the Crusades. The quote is actually Burroughs's and is taken from his Cities of the Red Night. Moreover, Burroughs was not only fascinated by the Assassins, but, as far as one can tell, transferred this interest to Kurt Cobain. They recorded a joint audio story "They called him a priest" and planned to create something similar about the assassins. Cobain's death thwarted those plans.

Assassins and hashish have nothing to do with each other

One of the common opinions about the assassins is that, firstly, they used hashish in their rituals and training, and secondly, thanks to this hobby, they earned their name. The order was indeed called "Hashishins", but this is either connected with the name of their leader, Hassan, or comes from their derogatory nickname - "grass-eaters", that is, beggars. As for the use of cannabis in the training of killers, this seems highly unlikely:

“If the assassins took hashish, then their visions and hallucinations themselves made it unnecessary to create a man-made “paradise” with houris and rivers of wine. Many months of staying in someone else's guise required from the assassin great self-control and endurance. They understood that an unexpected premature exposure and the commission of a murder for them could only end in an inevitable and very painful death. Such lengthy and highly professional actions could not be carried out under the influence of hashish, nor under duress, nor by order.

Separately, Eddie Izzard walked through this theory, showing how absurd assassins under hashish would be:

Assassins believed in a supernatural messiah
who lived in their capital

One of the central ideas of the Nizari as a sect was the existence of a certain "hidden" imam, a descendant of Muhammad, who escaped from enemies and would reveal himself as the messiah. Sabbah managed to convince his followers that he personally freed the "hidden imam" from captivity in infancy and even raised a divine child himself, settling in the secret chambers of the fortress. The Nizaris believed that both the prophet (that is, Sabbah) and some otherworldly messenger of Allah lived in Alamut. Subsequent "Old Men of the Mountain" proclaimed themselves to be this supernatural being.

Applicants were selected on the same basis
as the monks in Zen Buddhism

The method of selecting applicants for the junior link of assassins (fidaids) resembles the method of selecting monks for Zen Buddhist monasteries. Those wishing to become an instrument of the order were met only by closed gates, he had to sit with them waiting for several days until the head of the community himself descended to the meeting. All this time, the newcomer was humiliated, threatened and even beaten by the elders. Those who passed this test were admitted to the next exams. The idea of ​​such a check upon joining the community was used in Fight Club.

At least one European
really visited the fortress of Alamut

Nizaris show contempt for death

This man was Henry, Count of Champagne. It is to him that we owe stories that Hassan's people are ready to jump off a cliff or stab themselves with a knife at his command alone. The suicide of several members of the community was demonstrated to the guest with truly theatrical pathos.

Assassins were actively engaged in extortion

Seljuk court life

The nobility of the Seljuk Turks and Arabs was so frightened by the terror of the Assassins that even in peacetime, almost without exception wore chain mail. The only more or less serious way to protect yourself was to secretly bribe the "Old Man of the Mountain." In fact, a racket-like system developed: the nobles paid huge sums of money to an illegal organization for "accident insurance". Of course, the only danger against which the insurance contract protected was the Nizaris themselves.

The Assassins were defeated by the Mongols-Crusaders

Now it seems surprising, but once the steppes stood at a crossroads in choosing a religion and were more inclined towards Nestorian Christianity. Alexander Nevsky at one time even fraternized with the son of Batu, who professed Christianity. At some point, the nomads nevertheless chose the path of Islamization, but it was during the war with the Assassins that they launched a real religious war against Muslims. This campaign was called "Yellow Crusade" - its goal was the liberation of the Holy Sepulcher. Now this is hard to imagine, but then the Mongols were perceived as defenders of the Christian faith and the crusaders became their allies.

The Mongols approached the campaign against Alamut and the cities following it Central Asia with the utmost seriousness. Mountain bridges and crossings were built, siege engines were fitted, and even Chinese troops armed with . Thus, the fortresses of the Assassins became one of the first structures for the capture of which gunpowder was used.

The last Assassin stronghold resisted the siege for 20 years

Assassin fortress ruins

However, a significant part of the Assassins did not surrender even after the order of their leader and continued to resist the Mongol invasion. The most incredible case is the siege of the Girdshuk fortress, which lasted 20 years (obviously, the Mongols simply could not stop the secret routes for delivering food and equipment).

Two of the Eight Assassin Lords
were killed by their own heirs

The last of the "Stars of the Mountain" was Rukn ad-Din Khurshah, who not only killed his father to take his place, but also gave Alamut and most of the fortresses to the Mongols with little or no fight. Khurshah himself, who surrendered to the mercy of the victors, was subsequently killed by them. The Mongols tried to pass it off as an accident, but they, unlike the Assassins, had much less skill in this, and the murder turned out to be very sloppy.

“Khurshah, a young man who inherited power from his father. He was a lover of wine and women, who encouraged intrigues at his court. He could have sat in his castle for a long time, but his nerves gave out. Having learned that he was personally promised life, he appeared in 1256 at the headquarters of Hulagu. He sent him to Mongolia, but Möngke could not stand traitors and ordered Khurshah to be killed on the way.

The dynasty of the rulers of the Assassins was not interrupted
and still exists

Prince Karim Aga Khan IV meeting with Vladimir Putin

Prince Karim Aga Khan - multimillionaire, Nizari spiritual leader and Swiss citizen. He received an excellent education at Harvard, feels better in Europe than in Asia, and personally met with the Queen of Great Britain and Vladimir Putin. Karim Aga Khan IV- a direct descendant of the last of the "Starets of the Mountain" and formally still heir to the title of lord of the assassins.

Assassins and Thug Stranglers not only had a lot in common,
but they knew each other

When the Assassins fled from the Mongol invasion, literally thousands of them fled to India, which means they had to face another similar order - the thugs-stranglers. It is still unknown how their relationship developed and whether they were in contact at all. The Thugs, as well as the Assassins, were accused of using a drug called "communion sugar" (gur) in their ceremonies. It was believed that after tasting this “sugar”, the stranglers could not resist the will of the elders and thoughtlessly went to kill those whom they managed to track down.

The Thagi are another religious order of assassins.

The secret society's "Communion Sugar" may well be the inspiration for moon sugar and skooma from The Elder Scrolls, but this drug has another aspect that may shed light on the nature of assassins and thugs. There is an opinion that an intoxicating substance is not at all some kind of real substance, but a metaphor for murder as such. In addition to the superficial idea of ​​purely sadistic pleasure, there is a deeper concept.

In the rigid caste society of India and in Persia, captured by the Arabs and then the Turks, the secret societies of murderers became almost the only way to metaphorically and metaphysically take this world and fate by the throat. It is clear that a person who entered the order of murderers faced an even tougher hierarchy, but, paradoxically, he felt liberated. Yesterday's native of peasants or artisans suddenly found himself in a system that was engaged in the destruction of the elite of a society that he considered vicious and unfair. Moreover, it was not even the behavior of the predator itself that brought greater satisfaction, but getting rid of the humiliating status of a born victim. The latter was the very intoxicating potion that the "Old Man of the Mountain" presented to his followers.

Assassins are not only killers
But and club bohemian decadents

In the 19th century, there was a so-called "Club of Assassins" in Paris. It was a literary association of daring but popular poets and prose writers, which included Baudelaire, Dumas Père, Hugo and Balzac. In addition to experimenting with dawamesk, these pillars of literature became famous for popularizing the image of the Assassins and Hassan ibn Sabbah, the mysterious mystic and lord of Alamut. Many of the clichés that have remained in popular culture were created by them, and the tradition of artistic distortion of facts about the Nizari begins with them.

In a sense, Ubisoft supports and develops a mythological system that, being based on a real story, was supplemented by the fiction of French classics and avid hashish lovers.

100 Great Mysteries of History Nepomniachtchi Nikolai Nikolayevich

WHO ARE THE ASSASSINS?

WHO ARE THE ASSASSINS?

This sect became famous for insidious murders, but its founder was a man who took fortresses without shedding a single drop of blood. He was a quiet, courteous young man, attentive to everything and eager for knowledge. He was sweet and friendly, and he wove the chain of evil.

This young man's name was Hasan ibn Sabbah. It was he who founded the secret sect, whose name is now considered synonymous with insidious murder. We are talking about the Assassins - an organization that trained assassins. They dealt with anyone who was contrary to their faith or took up arms against them. They declared war on anyone who thought differently, intimidated him, threatened him, otherwise they killed him without a long rigmarole.

Hasan was born around 1050 in the small Persian town of Qom. Soon after his birth, his parents moved to the town of Rayi, which lay near modern Tehran. Here, young Hassan was educated and already “from an early age,” he wrote in his autobiography, which has come down to us only in fragments, “was inflamed with a passion for all areas of knowledge.” Most of all, he wanted to preach the word of Allah, in everything “keeping faithful to the covenants of the fathers. I have never doubted the teachings of Islam in my life; I have always been convinced that there is an almighty and eternal God, the Prophet and the Imam, there are permitted and forbidden things, heaven and hell, commandments and prohibitions.

Nothing could shake this belief until the day when a seventeen-year-old student met a professor named Amira Zarrab. He confused the sensitive mind of the young man with the following seemingly inconspicuous reservation, which he repeated over and over again: “For this reason, the Ismailis believe ...” At first, Hasan did not pay attention to these words: “I considered the teachings of the Ismailis to be philosophy.” Not only that: “What they say is contrary to religion!” He made this clear to his teacher, but did not know how to object to his arguments. In every possible way the young man resisted the seeds of a strange faith sown by Zarrab. However, he “refuted my beliefs and undermined them. I didn’t openly admit it to him, but in my heart his words resonated strongly.”

Finally, there was a revolution. Hasan is seriously ill. We don't know exactly what happened; it is only known that after recovering, Hassan went to the Ismaili monastery in Rayi and said that he decided to convert to their faith. So, Hassan took the first step on the path that led him and his students to crimes. The path to terror was open.

To understand what happened, let's fast forward a few centuries ago. Muhammad died in 632. After that, a dispute arose over his successor. In the end, his disciples united around the "faithful of the faithful", one of the first Muslims - Abu Bakr. He was proclaimed the first caliph - the "deputy" of the Prophet. It was then that the companions of Muhammad began to write down the verses of the Koran.

However, not everyone was happy with this choice. The secret enemies of Abu Bakr (632-634) and his successors Omar (634-644) and Osman (644-656) grouped around Ali, Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law. It seemed to them that he had more rights to bear the title of caliph. These people began to be called "Shia" (from the Arabic word "shia" - a group). From the very beginning they were in opposition to the majority of Muslims - they were called Sunnis. Ali's supporters had their own truth. The people who continued the work of Muhammad were more interested in capturing new lands and accumulating wealth than in strengthening the faith. Instead of the state of the Muslims, they were only concerned with their own good. They replaced holiness and justice with money-grubbing.

In the end, the dreams of the Shiites came true. In 656, the rebellious people killed Caliph Osman from the Meccan family of the Umayyads. Ali became the new ruler of the Muslims. However, five years later, he was also killed. Power passed to Muawiyah (661-680) from the same clan of the Umayyads.

The Umayyads, like the rulers of all times and peoples, strengthened their power. During their reign, the rich got richer and the poor got poorer. All dissatisfied with the authorities rallied around the Shiites. The caliphate began to shake the uprisings. Back in 680, after the death of Muawiyah, Hussein, the son of Ali, and Fatima, the daughter of the Prophet and the widow of Ali, revolted.

Initially, the Shia was a purely political grouping. Now a split has occurred in the religious field. main reason turmoil and unrest, the Shiites believed, was the illegal power of the caliphs. Only the direct descendants of the Prophet could be guardians of truth and law. Only from among them could the long-awaited Savior be born, who would arrange a state pleasing to God.

The leaders of the Shiites - the imams - were Alid, descendants of Ali in a straight line. This means that all of them had their roots in the Prophet. They had no doubt that the long-awaited Savior would be a Shia imam. Echoes of this yearning for a "righteous world" we observed quite recently, when in 1979 in Shiite Iran the people greeted with jubilation the news that Ayatollah Khomeini proclaimed the country an Islamic republic. How many hopes ordinary Shiites associated with this happy event!

But let's go back to the distant past. In 765, the Shiite movement was waiting for a split. When the sixth imam, who succeeded Ali, died, not the eldest son Ismail, but the youngest son was chosen as his successor. Most Shiites accepted this choice calmly, but some rebelled. They believed that the tradition of direct inheritance had been violated - and remained faithful to Ismail. They were called Ismailis.

Their preaching was an unexpected success. They attracted the most different people- and for various reasons. Lawyers and theologians were convinced of the correctness of the claims of Ismail and his direct heirs, who disputed the title of imam. Ordinary people were attracted by the mysterious, full of mysticism, the sayings of the Ismailis. People scientists could not pass by the sophisticated philosophical interpretations of faith proposed by them. The poor, however, most of all liked the active love for their neighbors, which the Ismailis showed.

They founded their own caliphate, named after Fatima. Over time, their power became so strong that in 969 the army of the Fatimid Caliphate - it was located in Tunisia - invaded Egypt and, having captured the country, founded the city of Cairo, its new capital. During its heyday, this caliphate embraced North Africa, Egypt, Syria, Sicily, Yemen and the holy cities of Muslims - Mecca and Medina.

However, when Hasan ibn Sabbah was born, the power of the Fatimid caliphs was already noticeably shaken - it can be said that it was in the past. However, the Ismailis believed that only they were the true custodians of the ideas of the Prophet.

So, the international panorama was as follows. An Ismaili Caliph ruled in Cairo; in Baghdad - Sunni caliph. Both of them hated each other and waged a fierce struggle. In Persia, that is, in modern Iran, there lived Shiites who did not want to know anything about the rulers of Cairo and Baghdad. In addition, the Seljuks came from the east, capturing a significant part of Western Asia. The Seljuks were Sunnis. Their appearance upset the delicate balance between the three most important political forces of Islam. Now the Sunnis have taken over.

Hassan could not help but know that in becoming a supporter of the Ismailis, he chooses a long, merciless struggle. Enemies will threaten him from everywhere, from all sides. Hasan was 22 years old when the head of the Ismailis of Persia arrived in Rayi. He liked the young zealot of the faith and was sent to Cairo, to the stronghold of the Ismaili power. Perhaps this new supporter will be of great use to the brothers in faith.

However, it took six whole years until Hasan finally left for Egypt. During these years, he did not waste time in vain; he became a well-known preacher in Ismaili circles. When in 1078 he nevertheless arrived in Cairo, he was greeted with respect. However, what he saw horrified him. The caliph whom he revered turned out to be a puppet. All issues - not only political, but also religious - were decided by the vizier.

Perhaps Hassan quarreled with the all-powerful vizier. In any case, we know that three years later Hassan was arrested and deported to Tunisia. However, the ship that carried him was wrecked. Hasan escaped and returned to his homeland. The misfortunes upset him, but he firmly held the oath given to the caliph.

Hassan planned to make Persia a stronghold of the Ismaili faith. From here, its supporters will lead the battle with those who think differently - Shiites, Sunnis and Seljuks. It was only necessary to choose a springboard for future military successes - a place from which to launch an offensive in the war for faith. Hasan chose the Alamut fortress in the Elburz mountains on the southern coast of the Caspian Sea. True, the fortress was occupied by completely different people, and Hasan regarded this fact as a challenge. Here, for the first time, a typical strategy for him appeared.

Hassan left nothing to chance. He sent missionaries to the fortress and the surrounding villages. The local people are accustomed to expect only the worst from the authorities. Therefore, the preaching of freedom, brought by strange messengers, found a quick response. Even the commandant of the fortress cordially greeted them, but that was an appearance - a deception. Under some pretext, he sent all the people loyal to Hasan out of the fortress, and then closed the gate behind them.

The fanatical leader of the Ismailis did not think of giving up. “After long negotiations, he again ordered them (envoys) to be let in,” Hassan recalled his struggle with the commandant. “When he again ordered them to leave, they refused.” Then, on September 4, 1090, Hasan himself secretly entered the fortress. A few days later, the commandant realized that he was unable to cope with the "uninvited guests". He voluntarily resigned his post, and Hasan sweetened the parting with a promissory note worth - in terms of the exchange rate we are accustomed to - more than $3,000. From that day on, Hasan did not take a step out of the fortress. He spent 34 years there until his death. He didn't even leave his house. He was married, had children, but now he still led the life of a hermit. Even his worst enemies among Arab biographers, incessantly vilifying and defaming him, invariably mentioned that he "lived like an ascetic and strictly observed the laws"; those who violated them were punished. He made no exceptions to this rule. So, he ordered the execution of one of his sons, catching him drinking wine. Another son Hasan was sentenced to death, suspecting that he was involved in the murder of a preacher.

Hassan was strict and fair to the point of complete heartlessness. His supporters, seeing such steadfastness in their actions, were devoted to Hassan with all their hearts. Many dreamed of becoming his agents or preachers, and these people were his "eyes and ears" who informed him of everything that was happening outside the walls of the fortress. He listened attentively to them, was silent, and, having said goodbye to them, sat for a long time in his room, making terrible plans. They were dictated by a cold mind and enlivened by an ardent heart. He was, according to the reviews of people who knew him, "sharp, skillful, versed in geometry, arithmetic, astronomy, magic and other sciences."

Gifted with wisdom, he craved strength and power. He needed the power to put into practice the word of Allah. Strength and power could bring an entire empire to his feet. He started small - with the conquest of fortresses and villages. From these scraps, he cut himself a submissive country. He took his time. First, he persuaded and exhorted those whom he wanted to take by storm. However, if they did not open the gate for him, he resorted to weapons.

His power grew. There were already about 60,000 people under his rule. But this was not enough; he kept sending his emissaries around the country. In one of the cities, in Sava, south of modern Tehran, the first murder took place. Nobody planned it; rather, it was driven by desperation. The Persian authorities did not like the Ismailis; they were closely watched; for the slightest offense severely punished. In Sava, Hassan's supporters tried to win the muezzin over to their side. He refused and threatened to complain to the authorities. Then he was killed. In response, the leader of these ambulances for the massacre of the Ismailis was executed; his body was dragged through the market square in Sava. So ordered Nizam al-Mulk himself, the vizier of the Seljuk Sultan. This event stirred up Hassan's supporters and unleashed terror. The killings of the enemies were planned and well organized. The cruel vizier became the first victim.

“The killing of this shaitan will herald bliss,” Hasan announced to his faithful, climbing to the roof of the house. Turning to those who listened, he asked who was ready to free the world from “this shaitan.” Then “a man named Bu Tahir Arrani put his hand on his heart, expressing readiness,” says one of the Ismaili chronicles. The murder happened on October 10, 1092. As soon as Nizam al-Mulk left the room where he received guests and climbed into the palanquin to proceed to the harem, Arrani suddenly burst in and, drawing his dagger, rushed at the dignitary in a rage. At first, taken aback, the guards rushed to him and killed him on the spot, but too late - the vizier was dead.

The entire Arab world was horrified. The Sunnis were especially indignant. In Alamut, joy seized all the townspeople. Hasan ordered that a commemorative table be hung out and the name of the murdered man be engraved on it; next to it is the name of the holy creator of revenge. During the years of Hasan's life, 49 more names appeared on this "board of honor": sultans, princes, kings, governors, priests, mayors, scientists, writers ... In the eyes of Hasan, they all deserved to die. They have abandoned the path that the Prophet had charted and have ceased to follow the Divine law. “And whoever does not judge by what Allah has sent down, then they are unbelievers,” says the Koran (5, 48). They are worshipers of idols, despising the truth; they are apostates and swindlers. And they should be killed, as the Koran commanded: “Beat the polytheists wherever you find them, capture them, besiege them, ambush them in every hidden place!” (9, 5)

Hassan felt right. He was strengthened in this thought the stronger, the closer the troops sent to exterminate him and his supporters approached. However, Hassan managed to gather a militia, and it repulsed all the attacks of the enemies.

Hasan ibn Sabbah had been ruling in Alamut for four years when the news came that the Fatimid caliph had died in Cairo. The eldest son was preparing to succeed him, when suddenly the younger son seized power. So, direct inheritance is interrupted. In Hasan's eyes, this was an unforgivable sin. He breaks with Cairo; now he was left alone, surrounded by enemies. Hasan no longer sees any reason to reckon with anyone's authority. There is only one decree for him: “Allah - there is no deity but Him, living, existing!” (3, 1). He is used to defeating people.

He sends agents to his enemies. They intimidate the victim by threatening or torturing her. So, in the morning a person could wake up and notice a dagger stuck in the floor next to the bed. A note was attached to the dagger, saying that the next time its tip would cut into the doomed chest. After such an unambiguous threat, the intended victim usually behaved "quieter than water, lower than grass." If she resisted, death awaited her.

The assassination attempts were prepared to the smallest detail. The killers did not like to rush, preparing everything gradually and gradually. They penetrated the retinue that surrounded the future victim, tried to win her trust and waited for months. The most amazing thing is that they did not care at all about how to survive after the assassination attempt. This, too, made them perfect assassins.

There were rumors that the future "knights of the dagger" were put into a trance and drugged. So, Marco Polo, who visited Persia in 1273, later told that a young man chosen as a murderer was drugged with opium and taken to a wonderful garden. “The best fruits grew there ... Water, honey and wine flowed in the springs. Beautiful maidens and noble youths sang, danced and played musical instruments". Everything that the future killers could wish for came true in an instant. A few days later they were again given opium and carried away from the wondrous garden. When they woke up, they were told that they had been to Paradise - and could immediately return there if they killed this or that enemy of the faith.

Nobody knows if this story is true. It is only true that the supporters of Hasan were also called "Haschischi" - "eating hashish." Perhaps the drug hashish really played a certain role in the rituals of these people, but the name could have a more prosaic explanation: in Syria, all madmen and madmen were called "hashish". This nickname passed into European languages, turning here into the notorious "assassins", which were awarded to ideal killers. The story told by Marco Polo is, albeit in part, but undoubtedly true. Even today, fundamentalist Muslims kill their victims in order to quickly reach Paradise, promised to those who died a martyr's death.

The authorities reacted very harshly to the killings. Their spies and bloodhounds roamed the streets and guarded at the city gates, looking out for suspicious passers-by; their agents broke into houses, ransacked rooms and interrogated people - all in vain. The killings continued.

At the beginning of 1124, Hasan ibn Sabbah fell seriously ill “and on the night of May 23, 1124,” the Arab historian Juvaini writes sarcastically, “he collapsed into the flames of the Lord and hid in His hell.” In fact, the blessed word “departed” is more appropriate for the death of Hasan: he died calmly and in the firm conviction that he was doing a just thing on sinful Earth.

Hassan's successors continued his work. They managed to expand their influence into Syria and Palestine. Meanwhile, there have been dramatic changes. The Middle East was invaded by crusaders from Europe; they captured Jerusalem and established their kingdom. A century later, the Kurd Saladin overthrew the power of the caliph in Cairo and, having gathered all his strength, rushed to the crusaders. In this struggle, the Assassins once again distinguished themselves.

Their Syrian leader, Sinan ibn Salman, or "Old Man of the Mountain", sent assassins to both camps fighting each other. Arab princes and Conrad of Montferrat, king of Jerusalem, became victims of the assassins. According to historian B. Kugler, Conrad "caused the revenge of a fanatical sect against himself by robbing an Assassin ship." From the blade of the avengers, even Saladin was doomed to fall: only by a lucky chance he survived both assassination attempts. The people of Sinan sowed such fear in the souls of opponents that both Arabs and Europeans dutifully paid tribute to him.

However, some enemies grew bolder to the point that they began to laugh at Sinan's orders or interpret them in their own way. Some even suggested that Sinan calmly send assassins, because this would not help him. Among the daredevils were knights - the Templars (templars) and Johnites. For them, the daggers of assassins were not so terrible also because the head of their order could immediately be replaced by any of their assistants. They were "not attacked by murderers."

The tense struggle ended in the defeat of the Assassins. Their strength gradually dwindled. The killings have stopped. When in the thirteenth century the Mongols invaded Persia, the leaders of the Assassins submitted to them without a fight. In 1256, the last ruler of Alamut, Rukn al-Din, himself led the Mongol army to his fortress and dutifully watched as the stronghold was razed to the ground. After that, the Mongols dealt with the ruler himself and his retinue. “He and his companions were trampled under foot, and then their bodies were cut with a sword. So, there was no more trace of him and his tribe, ”says the historian Juvaini.

His words are inaccurate. After the death of Rukna al-Din, his child remained. He became the heir - imam. The modern Ismaili imam - Aga Khan - is a direct descendant of this baby. The assassins obedient to him no longer resemble the insidious fanatics and murderers who roamed the entire Muslim world a thousand years ago. Now these are peaceful people, and their dagger is no longer a judge.

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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? At times crusades in the Middle East there was a secret sect of sophisticated and skilled killers 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 fighters, ibn Sabbah used the latest at that time psychological methods including drug exposure. 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 dogmas 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 new power and formed a new Muslim movement - 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, rallying around him a large number of companions, 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 "fidais" 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 at his disposal a large military force, 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 none of historical sources there is no 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. hand-to-hand combat. Also on the list subjects acting, the art of disguise, the manufacture of poisons, and much more were included. 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 murders 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 modern figures of 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.

From the countries of the East to distant Scandinavia, only one word could terrify even the most powerful rulers. And this word is assassin.

A stealthy assassin who can single-handedly solve problems that entire armies cannot solve, and the rulers of great countries have been trying to solve through diplomacy for years.

Medieval historians described members of the order with such phrases.

Why "Assassins"?

There are two versions of the origin of the word.

According to the first, the secret of the strength of terrorist warriors was in a state of combat trance - the faith, strength, and spirit of a warrior increased significantly after drinking hashish.

According to popular belief, the roots of the word "assassin" came from here - hashshishin, or smoking hashish.

But, as is usually the case, the most common opinion is erroneous and suitable only for the plebeians because of its simplicity. Well, in fact, you would not believe that a powerful organization that conquered the territory in which several major countries, will call themselves "Planokurs"?!?

The true roots of the word should be sought in the languages ​​of the Middle East. "Khasas" - this is how it sounds on Arabic the word "basis", "truth". Thus, the word hassasin, or, more euphonious to the ear of a European, assassin, originally means a person who seeks the truth.

Nothing is true everything is permitted.

Approximately with such a slogan, the Nizari formed the consciousness of their warriors - everything that you receive from the outside is a lie. When you are told that killing is bad, it is a lie. Seek the truth in the process of achieving the goal.

It was new then, but today many organizations understand that the true strength of a warrior is not in big muscles, not in dexterity with weapons, but in faith and the absence of fear of death.

The Nizaris were perhaps the only ones who understood the significance of the psychology of warriors, and therefore their success today's historians is not at all surprising.

Assassin training.

Focus first. Outsiders are not allowed.

In the movie The Book of Eli, you might have seen an episode where Harry Oldman's character lists the protagonist the benefits of being in his army: food, water, girls, better weapons.

The Middle Ages could be noted high level poverty, and therefore being in the army could become a source of livelihood. Already for the sake of prosperity in food, many residents of the Nizari countries dreamed of becoming assassins.

But not everyone was accepted into the order. The set was made on certain dates. These days, young men wishing to join the order could come to the gates of Alamut in order to express their desire. It would seem that once they announced the recruitment, then accept us. But it was not there. The gates of Alamut remained closed for many days while the recruits "roasted" in the sun, languishing with thirst and hunger. Of course, many turned around and walked away, but the most enduring and persistent remained - the most worthy. If you think that these worthy people were immediately accepted into the order, then you are mistaken. The gates of the fortress remained closed. And only when the remaining brave men lost consciousness from exhaustion, the guards came out and took them inside.

Focus second. Paradise Demo

In order to strengthen the faith of their warriors, the Nizari showed them a demo version of paradise, into which everyone who died, having fulfilled the will of the head of the Order, would fall.

On the day of the initiation, the would-be assassin was drugged and taken to a secret garden near Alamut. There, living beauties, food, and wine were waiting for him. The deeply religious inhabitants of the Middle Ages could not suspect a dirty trick. They were completely sure that in front of them were the mythical houris, and they themselves were in the Garden of Eden.

When the assassin fell asleep, he was carried out of the garden. And waking up, he dreamed of only one thing - to get back to paradise as soon as possible. Of course, after using the "demo version", the newly minted the assassin was not at all afraid of death, and even strove for it, remembering that the door to paradise opens only to dead heroes.

Focus third. Demigod Necromancy

The illusion of paradise was not the only trump card in the sleeves of the assassins.

So, in order to show the unlimited power of the head of the order, the Nizaris spread a rumor that they managed to catch a traitor, who was executed in front of the newcomers.

This, it seemed, would be enough to believe in the power of the ruler of the Assassins. But the Nizaris understood that serving a human is far less stable than serving a demigod.

They invited newcomers to the chambers of the ruler, where they saw a bloody head on the carpet. The ruler of the Nizari explained to the newcomers that Allah deigned to tell him the truth about this traitor, which allowed him to catch and cut off the head of the traitor. “But even in his death, his soul belongs to me,” newcomers heard: “Now I will revive his head in order to find out the necessary information.”

To the surprise of the novices of the order, the head not only came to life, but also answered the questions of the ruler. Of course, the execution was falsified, the "traitor" was not beheaded, but put in a pit, covered with a carpet and his head, abundantly irrigated with the blood of an outsider, was put through a hole in the carpet.

Focus fourth. And eight more tricks.

Within the Order, there were nine levels of initiation, the transition to each of which was accompanied by a separate magical ritual.

Alas, the description of none of these rituals has survived to this day, but we are sure that these were yet another Nizari tricks.

With each degree of initiation, the assassin gained access to more and more secret information, and only at the ninth step did he learn the Truth: there is no difference between Heaven and Hell. Well, we remembered the cherished "Nothing is true, everything is permitted"

End of the Order

It would seem that nothing can stop such a strong organization. But…

ceased to exist Nizari order the same thing that half a century later came to Russia, for a long time throwing it back in the race for the primacy of states.

In 1256, Alamut fell under the onslaught of the Mongol cavalry. The Mongols marched all over Iran, destroying the remnants of the order (and everything that came to hand (such are they, the Mongols)).

After 16 years, the weakened order lost the remnants of its rule in Syria and Iraq, where in 1273 the Nizari cities were captured by the Mamluks of King Baibars I.

It seemed that this would be the end of the existence of the order. But after all, we have said more than once that the army of assassins was scattered around the world. Trained worse than James Bond, loyal to the order to the end, these people could not disappear without a trace ...

Assassins today

One of the places where the assassins probably remained is. In the 13th century, the borders of Syria were located quite close to India, and therefore it becomes very suspicious that it was at the end of the 13th century that the Indian sects of murderers (tags) and stranglers (fansigars) noted a sharp increase in influence in the country. It is easy to assume that it was here that the Syrian assassins fled.

What happened to those who obeyed the main fortress of the order? Let's think. Alamut was in Iran. Open political map world and look where Afghanistan and Iraq are in relation to Iran.

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-Kasim (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. "Pyaterichniks" - believed in the cult of the fifth Imam Zeyd ibn Ali, the grandson of the Shiite Imam Martyr Hussein. In 740, Zayd ibn Ali raised a Shia rebellion against the Umayyad caliph and died in battle, fighting in the front ranks 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 preacher agents bought up rare books and manuscripts containing various knowledge. Ibn Sabbah invited or kidnapped the best specialists to his fortress various areas sciences, ranging from civil engineers to physicians 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 group 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 the winter garden, he patiently waited for his victim, 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 prompted Ibn Sabbah to a very simple, but, nevertheless, ingenious conclusion: it is possible to build a very effective defensive doctrine of the state and, in particular, the Ismaili movement - nizarites, 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". There is an erroneous opinion 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 you wake up real world lost any value to 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 at least effective reception persuasion or, as it is now called, "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 about the Assassins, which spread in Europe in the presentation of the Venetian traveler Marco Polo (c. 1254-1324), in general terms boiled 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 youths 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. 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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