Alamut Castle
One of the most famous legends told in Europe about the Crusades is the legend of Order of Assassins. A group of Nizari Ismaʿili Shiites, under the command of Hassan-i Sabbah, created terror among the Christian commanders and even the opposing Muslims.
But have you ever heard anything about their headquarters? If you haven't, in this article we want to introduce Alamut Castle to you; Assassins and Hassan-i Sabbah's place of living and education.
Where is Alamut Castle?
Alamut city is located between Tehran and Qazvin. You have to drive from Tehran for about 3 hours or from Qazvin for about 2 hours on the freeway to reach the side road of this city. It takes about 1 hour to travel this side road. The beauty of Alamut is that in your whole path a spiral and a soulful nature is waiting for you. Alamut Castle is located near Gazorkhan village and in the middle of Alborz mountain. Beside this castle, two other ancient castles can be seen which are less important.
What do you know about Assassins and Hassan-i Sabbah?
Many games and movies have been made in Europe and America about this group and their leader. Hasan Sabah was the leader of the Nizari Ismailis who fled from Egypt to Iran and started his battle with the great powers of the Middle East in the 11th and 12th centuries AD. In order to achieve success, he trained people called Assassins (meaning drug dealers, not people who consume hashish) to assassinate his opponents among the people. Assassins and Hassan-i Sabbah tried to rule with terror. After the start of the Crusades, Christian commanders and officers became the new targets of the Assassins and were attacked by them. From here on Assassins entered European legends and many truths and lies were told about them.
History of Alamut Castle:
Many believe that Alamut Castle was built by Hassan-i Sabbah. This notion is wrong; This is because he himself saw the features and facilities of this fort and decided to choose it as his main headquarters. In addition, there are reports of activity in these areas in the 9th century AD. Considering these cases and also the Iranian rebellions against the Abbasid Caliphate, which were very intense in the 9th century AD, it is possible that Alamut Castle was one of the shelters of the Iranian rebels. Later, Hassan-i Sabbah strengthened it and the castle became famous. The fortress was finally captured by the Hulagu Khan but was not destroyed. After that, the castle was used as a security prison until it was destroyed in the middle of the Qajar era due to the efforts of some to find the treasure, and unfortunately only a few parts of it are left.
The unique features of Alamut Castle:
The castle is located on top of a rock with a height of 200 meters and has an entrance only from the southeast side. The castle is divided into two buildings, south and north. There is a moat around the castle and there are tall towers around the castle to strengthen the defense layers. Also, the only entrance to the castle was built in such a way that the archers could monitor the entire path from the surrounding rocks.
The castle itself has an area of more than 2 hectares and has various facilities to withstand long-term sieges and is highly defensive. Beside all these rocks and towers, if you look at the vast plain in front of you from the top of the castle, you will see the pristine and unique nature of Alamut. A green place with colorful flowers and many fruit gardens that enchants your eyes.
Alamut Castle is a place that contains the most mysterious legends. Visiting Alamut is one of the priorities of every Iranian in his life!!!
Tags: castle , Iranian castle, Castles in Iran
