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My trip to Alamut, the mysterious city castle of Assassins!

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Cyrus Shahmiri View Drop Down
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  Quote Cyrus Shahmiri Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: My trip to Alamut, the mysterious city castle of Assassins!
    Posted: 05-Jul-2005 at 12:35

I think you all know Assassins (Hashshashins,"hashish smokers"), the worst terrorists in the history, those who believed murdering as a religious duty, the open history of the Assassins began in 1090, when Hasan-e Sabbah and his allies captured the hill fortress of Alamut near Kazvin, Iran. From this centre, by the end of the 11th century, Hasan, as grand master or leader of the sect, commanded a chain of strongholds all over Iran and Iraq, a network of propagandists, a corps of devoted terrorists, and an unknown number of agents in enemy camps and cities. The Seljuq sultanate's attempts to capture Alamut failed, and soon the Assassins were claiming many victims among the generals and statesmen of the 'Abbasid caliphate, including two caliphs.

I went there for the first time in the last friday, it was great especially in summer because Alamut is in a cold region, the distance between Kazvin (ancient Caspian) and Tehran is about 130 km and there is about 90 km between Almaut and Kazvin, of course the second one takes more time because the road is very winding.

Anyway the first place that we visted in Alamut region, was the beautiful lake of Ovan:

After this lake, you see that the region becomes a little mysterious, the shapes of mountains are different and there are many caves and hidden places there.

Castle of Alamut is at the top of one of these mountains:

There are several watch towers with different shapes in this mountain:

There is just one difficult road to the castle, it is a great building, however it has been destroyed badly:

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ramin View Drop Down
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  Quote ramin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05-Jul-2005 at 12:43
I always wanted to go there but never got the chance.... but at least I got to see some close pictures  thnx
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  Quote Zagros Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05-Jul-2005 at 12:52

Very nice pictures.

It is from this story that the connection between the words assassin and hashish is drawn. It is said that the word assassin comes from the Arabic word haschishin for hashish user. But Hassan and his followers didn't speak Arabic; they were Persians. Assassin comes from Hassassin -- a follower of Hassan.

Hassan, in fact, was a hashish prohibitionist. He argued that the Koran's ban on alcohol was a ban on all intoxicants, so his assassins were drug free terrorists. Except in the false Paradise where they were served wine as one of the joys of heaven. So, it is desire for alcohol not hashish that helped motivate the Assassins.

http://www.alamut.com/subj/ideologies/alamut/etymolAss.html

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  Quote Al Bedawi Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 31-Jul-2005 at 18:59
wrong.

assasin = hashashin

follower of Hassan = Hassani or Shiiat Hassan

and It was a desire to reject this world in favor of the one to come.
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  Quote Zagros Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01-Aug-2005 at 05:04

Could be a Persianised suffix.

Hassan, in fact, was a hashish prohibitionist. He argued that the Koran's ban on alcohol was a ban on all intoxicants, so his assassins were drug free terrorists. Except in the false Paradise where they were served wine as one of the joys of heaven. So, it is desire for alcohol not hashish that helped motivate the Assassins.

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Tobodai View Drop Down
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  Quote Tobodai Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16-Aug-2005 at 21:38
Just read a great book on them, glad you could post your pictures.
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  Quote Amirs2k Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15-Jul-2017 at 07:55
We are so happy that the fans of history are interested in Alamut valley
We would be more than happy help during your stay in qazvin and help you within this adventure
Taste iran with locals
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  Quote Sander Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14-Aug-2017 at 09:08

In the movie Prince of Persia, The Sands of Time Alamut was the city where they kept a mysterious dagger.  Although the events ( and  I think much of the architecture ) in the movie are largely fantasy it may stimulate tourism , just as Tombraider did for Angkor Vat and Lord of the Rings for New Zealand.



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