July
22
/ 2022
When it comes to legends, none is quite as moviesque as that of the Hashshashins, who in the Middle Ages inspired fear in the hearts of leaders in the Middle East. Hassan-i Sabbah, dubbed the Old Man of the Mountain by none other than Marco Polo, was the leader of an order of Nizari Isma’ilis in the late 11th century. These were the notorious Hashshashins, who created a network of mountain fortresses and posed a threat to Sunni Seljuk authority in Persia. Perhaps the Hashshashin were most famous for the way they got rid of their opponents – through highly-skilled assassinations. In fact, the word “assassin” is said to have originated with the Hashshashin. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"97780","attributes":{"alt":"Hassan-i Sabbah, the radical Isma’ili missionary
