The Ismaili Assassins: A History of Medieval Murder Hardcover – October 30, 2008

Legend has it that high inn the hills of Persia there existed lush castles with fragrant gardens and beautiful women. The fountains and water falls spouted forth milk and wine. Potential assassins were supposedly drugged with Hashish and when they awoke , it was in one of these pleasure gardens surrounded by beautiful women. This was paradise and the assassin would do anything to get back there. To die while assassinating your target wass the quickest way there. Of course all for this is lies it did not really go down that way,  although there was proselytizing on the part of the old man of the mountain . To be surre the assassins enjoyed a reputation of being able to kill any one at anywhere and any time. Even the European leaders were spooked. The book gives an excellent history of this secretive group. Going all the way to the beginning of Islam when there was a dispute about succeeding Mohammed after his death all the way through to the Turkish invasions and the mongol hordes. You got both the past and the context. This will help you understand who the assassins were and why and how they were forced to change.Starting with the death of Mohammed there was a controversy about who should succeed him. Should they choose his cousin and son in law Ali or should they choose Abu Bakr. In the end Abu Bakr was chosen. Ali would become a caliph after Abu Bakr passed on and two more would take his place and die. Ali himself died violently. As Islam itself spread they conquered Syria,Babylon and Persia. Their goal was not to convert people but rather let them be infidels and live off the tax or jizzya money. Many people did convert. Many converts were not happy with the way they were treated especially in Persia. This would help give rise to the Abbassid dynasty, a rival to the Sunni Ommayad Dynasty. Indeed many smaller non arabic groups would adopt Islam, or variations there of as a way to bolster ethnic identity. With in Persia there would rise many independent statelets trig to run their own show,As Islam spread and the conflict between Sunni and Shiite got worse. Islam would take over North Africa, and Egypt along with the Holy Land and al thew way to the border with China. Ismael, son of Ali would die in the battle of Karballa. THe arabs would also resort to employing Turkish warrior slaves to fight their battles for them. Among these groups were the Seljuks and the Mamelukes. Shia Islam would break off into more sercts likes the twelve's and the nizari. THe assassins were connected with the Nizari.The Seljuks would eventually adopt Islam, Sunni Style and begin oppressing the Persians. Hassan Ibn Sabbah would proselytize and gather people form minority groups and eventually assume control after Alamut. Other fortresses were soon to follow. THe Sunni establishment strove to wipe out the assassins as did the Turks. The Assassins would kill one or more leaders and throw everything into chaos. They even managed to kill Nizam al Malk.Turkish power was not falling and the Mongols entered the scene. They would fight with the Khwarazim Turks and the assassins were allies with the mongols at first. Later when the Khrarazin were destroyed and the Mongoils made their way to Baghdad, under Helegu Khan , would later betray the assassins and force them to leave their castles, in Persia. After that they remained in Syria as vassals to the Turkish warlord there. Eventually when they lost their forts they fled to places like Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.One of the least known groups that is shrouded with mystery . This book does a good job of guiding you throuhg it and demystifying everything.  This book is well researched and very absorbing .

Although the subject matter is a timely and riveting topic in today's age of terrorist suicide assassins, this work on the origins and medieval impact of the Ismaili sect of assassins somehow doesn't provide the punch and information one might expect. The author includes a useful timeline and lists of rulers in the Middle East, and the presentation of the origins of the Assassins in the Shia-Sunni conflicts is valuable in assisting the reader in obtaining good background, but then the book meanders and the lack of continuity works against its theme. I was left with a sense of having read a tome that went on and on, but never really got into the details of what really happened. Perhaps some of this is due to the lack of source material, but if so, there was no such indication. The Ismaili Assassins rose to a position of power in the Middle East before the 1st Crusade, actually even enabling the 1st Crusade's conquest of Palestine. The Assassins were suicide assassins whose normal weapon was a dagger, and the assassin was expected to die following a successful assassination. That this type of action can be considered a model for current events is beyond question, but scholars (such as the author) are loath to develop the political heritage from the Assassins to the modern suicide bombers. Most of the Assassins' murders were of other Muslims for various and sundry reasons, and clearly many were political (as differentiated from religious) acts to foster the growth and power of the sect. The power of the Assassins was broken by the Ilkhan Mongols who adopted a policy of complete eradication of the sect and who captured a number of the Assassins' strongholds, exterminating all those found within. Only a remnant survived to become the forerunners of the modern and peaceful Ismaili sect today headed by the Aga Khan (Ali Khan became the husband of Rita Wayworth.) In political terms, the Assassins were only brought down by application of the harshest means -- something modern Western powers cannot and will not be able to stomach. The discussion of the interplay between the Assassins and Saladin was important and interesting, but lacking in many details. Fortunately I possessed sufficient knowledge of the period to put the author's coverage into perspective, but doubt that will be the case for the casual reader. Even so, the scanty treatment of many events in the Middle East at the time left a certain unconsolidated feeling and sense of incompleteness. Compared to Lewis's 1967 work, this volume suffers somewhat. It is difficult for me to put my finger on exactly the cause, but perhaps the book was simply too short for its subject and given the range of 600 years it covers, quite possibly another 150 pages were needed. In short I recommend this book to any reader interested in Islam and the modern conflict between radical Islam and the West. The work takes a little bit of "slogging through", but the information contained within is worth the effort. Then I recommend reading Lewis, "The Assassins: A Radical Sect in Islam", Daftary, "The Ismailis: Their History and Doctrines", and Al-Tabari, "The Early Abbasid Empire."

An interesting history of the Assassins and the history swirling about them. Not all that different from Bernard Lewis' some five decades ago but still interesting for all of that.Recommended for those interested in Medieval Eurasian History and Religious HistoryRating 4 out of 5 stars.

interesting easy to read

This item has met my desired needs, and has been greatly useful to me.Thank you very much.William Arnold

excellent