Alamut and persian history book

Search the history of over 424 billion web pages on the internet. Alamut takes place in 11th century persia, in the fortress of alamut, where selfproclaimed. It was constructed in such a way that it only had one passable entrance that wound its way around the cliff. The assassins of alamut count henry of champagne visited the assassins in 1194, and is supposed to have witnessed a remarkable display of loyalty on behalf of the followers of the old man of the mountain. The secret doctrines of the assassins 1 schools of thought the real problem of the ismailis in general, and the nizari ismailis or assassins in particular, is that they were always considered heretical and persecuted by official islam, except for the period in which ismailism was the official religion under the fatimid caliphs of egypt.

Alamu t is a region in persi a between the dry and barren plain of qazvin in the south and the densely forested slopes of the mazandaran province in the north. From the tenth to the fourteenth centuries a number of persian historians wrote in arabic, the common academic language of the time, including the persian historian abu jafar muhammad ibn jarir altabaris 839923, author of tarikh alrusul wa almuluk, more commonly known as tarikh altabari history of tabari. As an overview of persian literature from the earliest times until firdawsi, it continues to be a valuable reference. Alamut scala translation and millions of other books are available for amazon kindle. These works were often written in prose as well as in verse. Ferdowsis classic poem shahnameh is part myth, part historybeginning with the legend of the birth of the persian nation and its tumultuous history, it contains magical birds and superhuman heroes and centurieslong battles. The alamut geographic region is a region in iran including western and eastern parts in the. Old man is a literal translation of the persian word pir, which here means sheikh or master. Bartol first started to conceive the novel in the early 1930s, when he lived in paris. In the french capital, he met with the slovene literary critic josip vidmar, who introduced him to the story of hassani sabbah. Alamut is a region situated on the western edge of the alborz mountains northeast of qazvin province between the dry and barren plains of qazvin in the south and densely forested slopes of mazandaran in the north. The assassins by hakim bey a poetic invocation of alamut by hakim bey, anarchist author and theoretical alterego for a well known islamic scholar.

The article iran contains a description of the geography and economy of the modern country and a short account of its history since the arab invasion of the 7th cent. Bartol uses historical elements such as alamut castle, some characters, sunni and shiite struggles, and the power degradation in persia as tools to tell a fictional story. It may have been originally copied from hittis the arabs, a short history. Walled by the majestic mountains of alborz mountain range, alamut region is located between the fertile plains of qazvin province and the lush jungles of mazandaran province in the north of iran. At the start of the story, he is gathering an army for the purpose of attacking the seljuk empire, which has taken over possession of iran. Alamut and hassanisabbah are described vividly in william s. With the fall of alamut, the persian nizaris entered an obscure period of their history, which lasted two centuries, until their imams emerged at the village of anjudan in central persia, around the middle of the 9th15th century, and initiated a revival in nizari dawa and literary activities. Her 1934 book the valley of the assassins and other persian travels belongs to the canon of english travel literature. Jul 17, 2019 in this video my driver and i visit alamut castle, the former stronghold of the mediaeval ismaili warlord hassani sabbah, also known as the old man of the mountain, who led assassins against. It is written by a greek general that was defeated by the persians, and escaped with a large portion of his army intact. Alamut takes place in 11th century persia, in the fortress of alamut, where.

History books for laypersons require a distinctive narrative capacity. This article is concerned with the history of the ancient persian empire, in which presentday iran has its roots. The king took this as a favorable omen, and, realizing the strategic value of the location. Nowadays, its remains not only give insights about the history of. The book is called gods assasins by gavin baddeley and paul woods. Sep 19, 2019 the hashshashin, the original assassins, first got their start in persia, syria, and turkey and eventually spread to the rest of the middle east, taking down political and financial rivals alike before their organization fell in the mid1200s. Alamut is a novel about hasan ibn sabbah, the founder of the assassin sect. Alamut is the city of princess tamina gemma arterton and the location of the sands of time in the 2010 movie prince of persia. Alamu t, alemut, alamoot, alemoot is a region in iran including western and eastern parts in the western edge of the alborz elburz range, between the dry and barren plain of qazvin in the south and the densely forested slopes of. List of books and articles about ancient persia online. This is the history of themistocles the history of a politician who lived in greece 2500 years ago. Nizari ismailism and persian sufism developed a close. May 15, 2015 i second quora users opinion and highly recommend the cambridge history of iran series. He invited many sunni scholars and jurists from across khurasan, qazvin and iraq to visit alamut castle, and even invited them to inspect the library and remove any books they found to be objectionable.

She was born to parents who divided their lives between england and italy. As far as history was concerned, nizar and his son died imprisoned and intestate. Boscherts first novel is a rare one because he has experienced firsthand this region, can speak farsi, and knows persian history like the back of his hand. After the conquest of alamut, other fortresses were conquered, namely, gird kuh in rudbar territory where dai muzzafar was in charge, lamasser where later dai kiya buzurg was put in charge, and maymundiz where later in the ismaili history, imam ruknuddin khair shah finally surrendered to halaku khan, the mongol invader. The assassins of alamut ancient kamikazes from persia. The exhibition focuses on iran but also includes items from the greater persianspeaking lands of afghanistan and tajikistan, as well as. Today the entire region seems like it is frozen in time and forgotten by the rest of the world, but in the past, alamut castle, which more looked like a fortress, shaped the course of human history. Researched by nimira dewji hasan sabbah acquired the castle of alamut on september 4, 1090. The name alamut came from an ancient persian king, who, while on a hunting expedition in a remote valley, followed an enormous eagle and saw it. Subjects covered include travel literature, world history, current events, and traditional subjects such as the history of islamic civilization. Historically, the mountains of this area were ideal for construction of castles because of its natural heights that could be used as a section of the defensive structure of the. The best books on iranian history five books expert. This marked the foundation of what was to become an independent nizari ismaili state which lasted until 1256 when it was destroyed by the mongols.

Alamut is a region in persia between the dry and barren plain of qazvin in the south and the densely forested slopes of the mazandaran province in the north. This is a tour through the depth and breadth of alborz mountain range and through a fascinating slice of persian history. Alamut is the code name for a meeting of terrorists in the alamut ambush by anthony price. First, the authors descriptions they pull you in to the time period. But for centuries, the inhabitants of alamut shaped the fate of empires and. The secret fortress of the assassins welcome to iran. In order to avoid persecution, the imams remained in hiding and inaccessible to the community for about two. The persian territory being occupied by the turcs, hassan found it more and more difficult to approve their ways and started openly to criticise them. Its green banks are a refuge for wildlife and in summer. The novel and its famed maximnothing is an absolute reality, all is permitted, later recast by william burroughs as nothing is true, everything is permitted in his novel the naked lunchinspired the popular video game series and actionadventure franchise called the assassins creed. Written over 1,000 years ago, it was meant to protect persian collective memory amidst a turbulent sea of cultural storms. This stunning historical novel first published in 1938 is based on the live of. Full text of alamut the novel that inspired assassins creed. So despite the intentions, this book does not add much to what already found in literature and this is a pity since the author comes from the best archeological study group on ancient persia that started with carsten niebuhr, passing through erns herzfeld to the present days.

History a thousand years of the persian book exhibitions. Brownes famous work, first published in 1902, was the essential text on literary history in persian studies for many years. Pdf on the simplest reading of bartols alamut researchgate. A further stimulation for the novel came from the assassination of alexander i of yugoslavia perpetrated b. Persian empires ancient history, ancient history, books. Alamut takes place in 11th century persia, in the fortress of alamut, where selfproclaimed prophet hasan ibn sabbah is setting up his mad but brilliant plan to rule the region with a handful elite fighters who are to become his living daggers. Hasani sabbah imposed concealment on all but the highest ranks at alamut, because in the absence of the imam the veil of illusion must naturally conceal the esoteric truth of perfect freedom. Alamut valley tour is a nature and cultural tour that is designed especially for individual travelers and small groups who respect nature and culture. The hashshashin, the original assassins, first got their start in persia, syria, and turkey and eventually spread to the rest of the middle east, taking down political and financial rivals alike before their organization fell in the mid1200s. The assassins of alamut is a riveting tale, painted on the vast canvas of life in palestine and persia during the 12th century. The novel is set during one of the crusades, but the action occurs in the east, not the west.

The assassins were called historys first terrorists by some, based on their methods of warfare. The history of the world conqueror book alamut persian. Based largely on fact or as factual as history can get, and was in 1938 when this book was written, it first creates a strange and quasimystical series of events and places, before breaking them down and exposing them for the shams they are. Like the persian love story of shirin and farhad that halima loves so much.

Alamut castle and valley tour located on a rugged peak soaring above a long valley, the alamut castle was first built one thousand year ago, iran tour and experience. Alamut was originally written in 1938 as an allegory to mussolinis fascist state. Out of a lifetime of study of the ancient near east, professor olmstead has gathered previously unknown material into the story of the life, times, and thought of the persians, told for the first time from the persian rather than the traditional greek point of view. Alamut, novel written by slovenian writer vladimir bartol, published in 1938.

Recently ive developed a small obsession with persian history and im looking for a good indepth book on the. The secret fortress of the assassins discover iran medium. Revisiting the keeper the legend of omar khayyam and learning persian history january 23, 2016 by iris i wrote in my comments on the keeper the legend of omar khayyam part i here that it is an enjoyable, quite good movie, but far from historically accurate. Deals with a lot of pre history relics and writings.

It may have been originally copied from hittis the arabs, a short history the assassins by hakim bey a poetic invocation of alamut by hakim bey, anarchist author and theoretical alterego for a well known islamic scholar. Alamut is a novel by vladimir bartol, first published in 1938 in slovenian, dealing with the story of hassani sabbah and the hashshashin, and named after their alamut fortress. Starting from qazvin toward alamut, passing through the first range of hills, curvatures, forms. Alamut region had been the territory of ismaeilies and the famous hassan sabbah and his infamous alamut castle. He also can connect to talons plight in the assassin community because he is a brit who explored this region, not a native. The best books on iranian history, as recommended by historian ali ansari. In this way, in less than two years after the capture of alamut. The first five centuries after the fall of alamut represent the longest period of obscurity in nizari ismaili history. A fictional depiction of alamut castle in the middle of the th century and its fall in 1256 is featured in the children of the grail books series by peter berling. They cost a lot though in both ebook and hardcopy formats. Alamut is the title and subject of a short story by harold lamb featuring the main character khlit the cossack and published in adventure in 1918. Alamut is the name of a legendary mountainous region to the north west of irans capital, tehran. Here is my short list of what i enjoyed about this book.

The book is very well written and explains the history of alamut and the hashshishim cult in great detail. This particular page is widely distributed across the net. Burroughs invocation of hassanisabbah in nova express. According to the persian chronicles, hasan gave the. The blood of flowers by anita amirrezvani, the persian expedition by xenophon, persian fire. Alamut takes place in 11th century persia, in the fortress of alamut, where selfproclaimed prophet hasan ibn sabbah is setting up his mad but brilliant. The air is clear for thee, so lay thy eggs and whistle. This is a history of a man, one of countless billions, who has lived and died on this planet.

Headquartered in an impenetrable persian castle, alamut, these agents specialized in targeted killings and espionage. Alamut castle was originally built in the ninth century at an elevation over 6,800 feet. Sep 26, 2017 the name alamut came from an ancient persian king, who, while on a hunting expedition in a remote valley, followed an enormous eagle and saw it land on a rock at the top of a hard to reach mountain. The alamut, itself, was a fortress and headquarter of hasan ibn sabbah and his sect ismailis. Revisiting the keeper the legend of omar khayyam and.

It wasnt like he had a vague concept of the history of the religion and then filled in the gaps with some clever. Bartol first started to conceive the novel in the early 1930s, when he lived in p aris. A must read for anyone who is interested in persian history and it also contains many historical facts about western history. Book examines the richness and variety of the persian book and its literary tradition. Alamut is a fairytale like narrative, which is set in a historical setting in 1092. May 03, 2010 the assassins of alamut is an extraordinary historical novel. It showcases the librarys unique collections, which are among the most important in the world today outside of iran. Aside from the fascinating history of alamut, its the amazing nature of this region that. Alamut, alemut, alamoot, alemoot is a region in iran including western and eastern parts in the western edge of the alborz elburz range, between the dry and barren plain of qazvin in the south and the densely forested slopes of the mazandaran province in the north.

In the french capital, he met with the slovene literary critic josip vidmar, who. From the tenth century to the late nineteenth century, historical writing became one of the most revered and important literary traditions in the persian language. Also, the poems in this book seem to be beautiful in their english translation. Alamut is a novel by vladimir bartol, first published in 1938 in slovenian, dealing with the story. This book documents the beginning of the persian empire.

The novel is set in the 11th century at the fortress of alamut persian. It puts history versus currents events into perspective. The life of hassanisabbah as part of an online book on the assassins of alamut. It wasnt like he had a vague concept of the history of the religion and then filled in the gaps with some clever fiction. A different interpretation of the greekpersian wars dmitry v shlapentokh. Put history into a perspective when the first line of the book is when cyrus entered bablyon in 539bc the world was old. In the high rocky alborz mountains in qazvin province, iran, lies one outstanding story in the ruins of the medieval alamut castle. I found this phrase in a book published by ismailis while commenting on stories of alamut. Alamut takes place in 11th century persia, in the fortress of alamut, where selfproclaimed prophet hasan ibn sabbah is setting up his mad but brilliant plan to rule the region with a handful of elite fighters who are to become his living daggers. The name alamut came from an ancient persian king, who, while on a hunting expedition in a remote valley, followed an enormous eagle and saw it land on a rock at the top of a hard to reach mountain. An epic novel of persia and palestine in the time of the crusad. Exploring alamut valley, alamut castle, alborz mount, castle. His sunni zeal and aversion to his former faith made him go so far as to curse his ancestors and burn the books of hasan ibn sabah. A captivating guide to the persian empire and history of iran, starting from the achaemenid empire, through the parthian, sasanian and.