Alamut () or Rudbar () is a region in

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

including

western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

and

eastern Eastern or Easterns may refer to: Transportation Airlines *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai * Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 192 ...

parts on the western edge of the

Alborz The Alborz ( ) range, also spelled as Alburz, Elburz or Elborz, is a mountain range in northern Iran that stretches from the border of Azerbaijan along the western and entire southern coast of the Caspian Sea and finally runs northeast and merge ...

(Elburz) range, between the dry and barren plain of

Qazvin Qazvin (; ; ) is a city in the Central District (Qazvin County), Central District of Qazvin County, Qazvin province, Qazvin province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is the largest city in the provi ...

in the south and the densely forested slopes of the

Mazandaran province Mazandaran Province (; ) is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. Its capital is the city of Sari. Located along the southern coast of the Caspian Sea and in the adjacent Central Alborz mountain range and Hyrcanian forests, it is bordered clockw ...

in the north. Starting from

toward Alamut, passing through the first range of hills, curvatures, forms, are significant themes in nature's composition of this area. The famous

Ismaili Ismailism () is a branch of Shia Islam. The Isma'ili () get their name from their acceptance of Imam Isma'il ibn Jafar as the appointed spiritual successor ( imām) to Ja'far al-Sadiq, wherein they differ from the Twelver Shia, who accept ...

castle of

Alamut Alamut () or Rudbar () is a region in Iran including western and eastern parts on 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 provin ...

and numerous others are in this area, which served as the heartland of the state founded by

Hassan-i Sabbah Hasan al-Sabbah also known as Hasan I of Alamut, was an Iranian religious and military leader, founder of the Nizari Ismai'li sect widely known as the '' Hashshashin'' or the Order of Assassins, as well as the Nizari Ismaili state, ruling fro ...

. According to some sources, the majority of people in northern Qazvin (Alamut) are Tats who speak a dialect of the Tati language.گونه‌های زبانی تاتی، دونالد استیلو، ۱۹۸۱ However, other sources claim that the majority of people in Alamut are Mazanderani or

Gilaks Gilaks ( Gilaki: گيلٚکؤن, ) are an Iranian peoples native to south of Caspian sea. They form one of the main ethnic groups residing in the northern parts of Iran. Gilak people, along with the closely related Mazandarani people, comprise ...

who speak a dialect of the

Mazanderani language Mazandarani (Mazanderani: , ''Mazeruni''; also spelled Mazani () or Tabari (); also called Taveri, Mazeruni, Tati, Geleki and Galeshi) is an Iranian language of the Northwestern Iranian languages, Northwestern branch spoken by the Mazanderani pe ...

Gilaki language Gilaki ( ) is an Iranian language belonging to the Caspian subgroup of the Northwestern branch, spoken in south of Caspian Sea by Gilak people. Gilaki is closely related to Mazandarani. The two languages of Gilaki and Mazandarani have s ...

. According to some linguists, the term ‘Tati’ was used by Turkic speakers to refer to non-turkic speakers. This could explain why some sources claim the people of Alamut are Tats, while others claim they are Mazanderanies or Gilaks. Likely, the ‘Tats’ of Alamut are Mazanderani or Gilak speakers who have been labeled as Tats as historically they were considered Mazanderani or Gilaks.

Name

Alamut (), historically known as Rudbar () or Rudbar of Alamut ( ''Rūdbār-i Alamūt''), named after the

Shahrud The Shahrud (, from , DMG ''šāh-rūd'' or ''šāh-i-rūd'') was a short-necked lute, illustrated in the '' Surname-i Hümayun'', resembling an oud or barbat, but being much larger. The larger size gave the instrument added resonance and a de ...

river. More precisely, Alamut is a small region in the historical Rudbar in which the namesake castle is located.

History

In 1090 CE,

, the Arab founder and leader of the

Assassins An assassin is a person who commits targeted murder. The origin of the term is the medieval Order of Assassins, a sect of Shia Islam 1090–1275 CE. Assassin, or variants, may also refer to: Fictional characters * Assassin, in the Japanese adult ...

, a sect of

Nizari Ismailis Nizari Isma'ilism () are the largest segment of the Ismailis, who are the second-largest branch of Shia Islam after the Twelvers. Nizari teachings emphasise independent reasoning or ''ijtihad''; pluralism—the acceptance of racial, ethnic, cu ...

in Iran, chose the Alamut region as his headquarters to campaign, preach and convert new followers. This proved to be a turning point for the destiny of Alamut Valley. The result of over two centuries of Ismailite stronghold, the region witnessed numerous castles throughout, of which at least 20 "castles" dating back to this era have been identified. The most magnificent castle in the Alamut Valley is the

Alamut Castle Alamut (, meaning "eagle's nest") is a ruined mountain fortress located in the Alamut region in the South Caspian Sea, Caspian, near the village of Gazor Khan in Qazvin Province in Iran, approximately 200 km (130 mi) from present-day Teh ...

, which is built on top of a high rock reaching 2163 m above sea level near the Gazor Khan Village. The rock is 200 m high and covers an area of ; with its steep slope and deep and dangerous ravine, the rock is practically inaccessible and forms a part of the fort’s structure. Currently, only ruins of the fort and some towers are apparent, and it is only through archaeological excavation that the main portions can be discovered.Alamut Castle (Eagle’s Nest): Hassan Sabbah Stronghold
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Lords of Alamut Castle who ruled the Nizārī Ismā'īlī state from Alamūt

Today, the leader of the contemporary Ismaili community is the

Aga Khan Aga Khan (; ; also transliterated as ''Aqa Khan'' and ''Agha Khan'') is a title held by the Imamate in Nizari doctrine, Imām of the Nizari Isma'ilism, Nizari Isma'ilism, Ismāʿīli Shia Islam, Shias. The current holder of the title is the ...

. File:Fall in Hir.jpg, Hir, West Alamut File:OvanLakeAlamut.png, Ovan Lake, East Alamut File:Alamut2.jpg, Alamut fortification in Iran and Ismailites

stronghold

Alamut rulers

Kia Bozorg Omid Kiyā Buzurg-UmmīdTransliteration based on Classical Persian, as the subject of the article lived in the 1100's. In modern Iranian Persian, this would be transliterated as some variation of Kiyâ Bozorg-Omid. (; died 1138) was a ''dawah, dāʿī ...

* Muḥammad ibn Kiyā Buzurg-Ummīd *

Ali al-Hadi ibn Nizar Abū ʿAlī Ḥasan, or ʿAlī, surnamed Al-Hādī (Arabic: علي الهادي بن نزار) (470 AH/1076 CE – 530 AH/1136 CE) was the 20th Ismaili Nizari Imam. Born in Cairo, he was about 17 years old when his predecessor, Imam al-Mustansi ...

Al-Muhtadi (Nizari imam) Muhammad (I) al-Muhtadi (), was the 21st Imam of the Nizari Ismailis. He was a concealed Imam. According to Ismaili historiography, al-Muhtadi (the Rightly Guided) was the elder son of the 20th Nizari Imam, al-Hadi, who moved around 1094 from Eg ...

* Al-Qahir (Imam) * Hasan Alâ Zikrihi’s Selâm * Nūr al-Dīn Muḥammad II *

Jalaluddin Hasan Jalāl al-Dīn Ḥasan III () (1187–1221), son of Nur al-Din Muhammad II, Nūr al-Dīn Muḥammad II, was the 25th Nizari Isma'ilism, Nizari Isma'ili Imamate in Ismaili doctrine, Imām. He ruled from 1210 to 1221. His life He was born to ...

‘Alā’ ad-Dīn Muḥammad III ʿAlāʾ al-Dīn Muḥammad III (; 1211–1255), more commonly known as ʿAlāʾ al-Dīn (), son of Jalāl al-Dīn Ḥasan III, was the 26th Nizāri Isma'ilism Imām. He ruled the Nizari Ismaili state from 1221 to 1255. By some accounts, he w ...

* Ruknu-d-Dīn Khurshāh (The last ruler of the

)

Name

History

Lords of Alamut Castle who ruled the Nizārī Ismā'īlī state from Alamūt

Alamut rulers

See also

References

Further reading