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Dizkuh () or Shahdiz (), was a fortress near
Isfahan Isfahan or Esfahan ( ) is a city in the Central District (Isfahan County), Central District of Isfahan County, Isfahan province, Iran. It is the capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is located south of Tehran. The city ...
,
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 ...
, notably held by the
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 ...
. It was captured and destroyed in
Seljuk Seljuk (, ''Selcuk'') or Saljuq (, ''Saljūq'') may refer to: * Seljuk Empire (1051–1153), a medieval empire in the Middle East and central Asia * Seljuk dynasty (c. 950–1307), the ruling dynasty of the Seljuk Empire and subsequent polities * S ...
sultan Muhammad Tapar's anti-Nizari campaign. Its conspicuous, picturesque ruins lie about 8km south of Isfahan on a subpeak of Mount Soffeh.


History

Dizkuh was a fortress in central
Persia 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 ...
, located in the strategic route leading to
Isfahan Isfahan or Esfahan ( ) is a city in the Central District (Isfahan County), Central District of Isfahan County, Isfahan province, Iran. It is the capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is located south of Tehran. The city ...
, capital of the
Seljuq Empire The Seljuk Empire, or the Great Seljuk Empire, was a High Middle Ages, high medieval, culturally Turco-Persian tradition, Turco-Persian, Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslim empire, established and ruled by the Qiniq (tribe), Qïnïq branch of Oghuz Turks. ...
. The historian Ibn al-Athir attributes the construction of the fortress (which he called the "Fortress (''qal'a'') of Isfahan") to the
Seljuq Seljuk (, ''Selcuk'') or Saljuq (, ''Saljūq'') may refer to: * Seljuk Empire (1051–1153), a medieval empire in the Middle East and central Asia * Seljuk dynasty (c. 950–1307), the ruling dynasty of the Seljuk Empire and subsequent polities * S ...
sultan Malikshah, but it is more likely that it dates back earlier, even as early as the pre-Islamic
Sasanian The Sasanian Empire (), officially Eranshahr ( , "Empire of the Iranians"), was an Iranian empire that was founded and ruled by the House of Sasan from 224 to 651. Enduring for over four centuries, the length of the Sasanian dynasty's reign ...
period, and the Seljuq sultan simply rebuilt the castle which was near his capital. Since then, the name ''Shahdiz'' became more common. The castle gained its fame due to the activities of the
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 ...
. The Ismailis were active in the Isfahan region in the 11th century, and the chief ''
da'i A da'i (, ) is generally someone who engages in Dawah, the act of inviting people to Islam. See also * Dawah * Da'i al-Mutlaq, 'the absolute (unrestricted) missionary' * Hujja * List of converts to Islam The following is a list of notabl ...
'' of Persia and Iraq Abd al-Malik ibn Attash had established his headquarters at Isfahan. After
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 ...
's capture of 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 ...
, Abd al-Malik ibn Attash's son, Ahmad ibn Abd al-Malik ibn Attash was encouraged to seize the castle. He posed as a schoolmaster and gradually converted the garrison force of the fortress, most of whom were of
Daylami Daylami (20 April 1994 – 5 April 2023) was a Thoroughbred Champion racehorse and sire who was bred in Ireland, but trained in France, Dubai and the United Kingdom. In a career which lasted from 1996 until 1999, he raced in five different ...
origin with
Shiite Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...
tendencies. By 1100, he had seized the fortress and began its re-fortification similar to the other Ismaili castles of Persia. Ahmad began to collect taxes from nearby districts. He had reportedly converted 30,000 people in Isfahan. Shahdiz was strategically important as it guarded the main route to Isfahan, the Seljuq capital city. Its capture had been a major strategic success for the Nizaris.


Siege of Shahdiz

In 1107, soon after gaining power, Seljuq sultan
Muhammad I Tapar Muhammad I Tapar (, ; 20 January 1082 – 18 April 1118), was the sultan of the Seljuk Empire from 1105 to 1118. He was a son of Malik-Shah I () and Taj al-Din Khatun Safariya. Reign Muhammad was born in 20 January 1082. He succeeded his nephew, ...
, son of Malikshah, began a campaign against the Nizari Ismailis, focusing on Shahdiz, besieging the fortress with a large force. In an attempt to lift the siege, Ahmad tried to involve the Ismaili sympathizers in the Seljuq camp and the
Sunni Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...
religious scholars (''
ulama In Islam, the ''ulama'' ( ; also spelled ''ulema''; ; singular ; feminine singular , plural ) are scholars of Islamic doctrine and law. They are considered the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious knowledge in Islam. "Ulama ...
'') of Isfahan in a long religious debate, trying to convince them that the
Ismailis 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 M ...
are true Muslims, too, differing only in the matter of
imamate The term imamate or ''imamah'' (, ''imāmah'') means "leadership" and refers to the office of an ''imam'' or a Muslim theocratic state ruled by an ''imam''. Theology *Imamate in Shia doctrine, the doctrine of the leadership of the Muslim commu ...
; therefore, sultan's campaign is religiously illegitimate. The debate finally ended after a year and the siege continued. In another negotiation initiated by the Seljuq sultan, the Nizaris bargained for another fortress, but this negotiation was unsuccessful and ended with a ''
fida'i "" () is the national anthem of Palestine. Etymology The word (; plural: or , often rendered in English as ''fedayeen'') means "sacrifice" or "one who sacrifices himself" (a literal translation of might be "martyrdom in Palestinian cult ...
'' attacking and wounding a particularly anti-Nizari commander ''(
amir Emir (; ' (), also transliterated as amir, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or ceremonial authority. The title has ...
'') of the Seljuq sultan. Later, an agreement was reached: part of the garrison to be given a safe passage to other Ismaili castles in
Arrajan Arrajan (Argan) was a medieval Persian city located between Fars and Khuzestan, which was settled since the civilisation of Elam in the second millennium BCE, and was important from the Sasanian Empire until the 11th century as the capital of a ...
and
Quhistan Quhistan () or Kohistan (, "mountainous land") was a region of medieval Persia, essentially the southern part of Khurasan. Its boundaries appear to have been south of Khorasan to north, Yazd to West, Sistan to South, Afghanistan to East. Quhistan ...
, and the remainder, around eighty men in all, who held only a wing of the fortress, was to surrender and then go to
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 ...
after receiving the news of the arrival of their fellow Ismailis. This news was received, but Ahmad refused to leave the fortress, apparently deciding to fight in a
last stand A last stand, or final stand, is a military situation in which a body of troops holds a defensive position in the face of overwhelming and virtually insurmountable odds. Troops may make a last stand due to a sense of duty; because they are d ...
. The Seljuqs attacked the fortress, and Ahmad and his small group of fighters defended themselves gallantly from tower to tower. Most of the Ismaili fighters were killed, while a few managed to escape. Ahmad was captured, while his wife committed suicide. Ahmad and his son were executed and their heads were sent to the
Abbasid The Abbasid Caliphate or Abbasid Empire (; ) was the third caliphate to succeed the prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib (566–653 C ...
Caliph
Al-Mustazhir Abu'l-Abbas Ahmad ibn Abdallah al-Muqtadi () usually known simply by his regnal name Al-Mustazhir billah () (b. April/May 1078 – 6 August 1118 d.) was the Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad from 1094 to 1118. He succeeded his father al-Muqtadi as the C ...
in Baghdad. The castle was demolished by the Seljuq sultan, who feared its recapture by the Ismailis. Apparently, the Khanlanjan fortress, a nearby Ismaili stronghold, was also destroyed during this campaign. The Nizari Ismailis therefore lost their influence in the Isfahan region.


See also

*
List of Ismaili castles List of the strongholds or dar al-hijra of the Order of Assassins in Persia (Iran) and Syria. Most of the Persian Ismaili castles were in the Alborz mountains, in the regions of Daylaman (particularly, in Alamut and Rudbar; north of modern-day ...


References

{{Ismaili castles Castles of the Nizari Ismaili state Castles in Iran Seljuk castles Buildings and structures in Isfahan province 12th-century fortifications Tourist attractions in Isfahan province Buildings and structures demolished in the 12th century Sieges involving the medieval Islamic world Nizari Ismaili–Seljuk conflicts Battles involving the Seljuk Empire National works of Iran Last stands