Abu’l Fath of

Sarmin Sarmin ( ar, سَرْمِين, Sarmīn also spelled Sarmeen) is a town in northwestern Syria, administratively part of the Idlib Governorate, located 15 kilometers southeast of Idlib. It has an altitude of about 390 meters. Nearby localities i ...

was a

Nizari Ismaili The Nizaris ( ar, النزاريون, al-Nizāriyyūn, fa, نزاریان, Nezāriyān) are the largest segment of the Ismaili Muslims, who are the second-largest branch of Shia Islam after the Twelvers. Nizari teachings emphasize independent ...

missionary ('' da'i'') and ''

qadi A qāḍī ( ar, قاضي, Qāḍī; otherwise transliterated as qazi, cadi, kadi, or kazi) is the magistrate or judge of a '' sharīʿa'' court, who also exercises extrajudicial functions such as mediation, guardianship over orphans and mino ...

'' from

, Syria. He enlisted help from Ridwan and fellow

Assassin Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have a ...

Abu Tahir al-Sa'igh Abu Tahir al-Sa'igh ( ar, ابو طاهر الصائغ, "Abu Tahir the Goldsmith"), recorded as Botherus in Christian sources, was a Persian goldsmith and the chief Nizari Isma'ili '' da'i'' of Syria, belonging to the order of Assassins. Abu Ta ...

to assassinate Khalaf ibn Mula’ib in 1106, after which he bcame emir of the

castle Qalaat al-Madiq in

Apamea Apamea or Apameia ( grc, Απάμεια) is the name of several Hellenistic cities in western Asia, after Apama, the Sogdian wife of Seleucus I Nicator, several of which are also former bishoprics and Catholic titular see. Places called Apamea in ...

. He also enlisted Ridwan to counter the threat from

Tancred Tancred or Tankred is a masculine given name of Germanic origin that comes from ''thank-'' (thought) and ''-rath'' (counsel), meaning "well-thought advice". It was used in the High Middle Ages mainly by the Normans (see French Tancrède) and espe ...

. Tancred, with help from Khalaf’s son Musbih ibn Mula’ib, captured the town. Abu’l Fath, without allies among the neighboring emirs, negotiated the safe passage of the Muslims in the town. Nevertheless, he and three of his followers were put to death. Apamean nobles were then taken to

Antioch Antioch on the Orontes (; grc-gre, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου, ''Antiókheia hē epì Oróntou'', Learned ; also Syrian Antioch) grc-koi, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου; or Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπ� ...

to be ransomed by Ridwan.

References

* *Runciman, Steven, ''A History of the Crusades, Volume Two: The Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Frankish East, 1100-1187'', Cambridge University Press, London, 1952, pgs. 52-3 *Ibn al-Qalanisi, Gibb, H. A. R., ''The Damascus Chronicle of the Crusades: Extracted and Translated from the Chronicle of Ibn Al-Qalanisi'' (2nd ed.), Courier, 2002, pgs. 73-4 12th-century Syrian people 12th-century murdered monarchs Apamea, Syria 11th-century Arabs 12th-century Arabs Nizari Ismaili state Muslims of the Crusades People of the Nizari–Seljuk wars 12th-century Ismailis 11th-century Syrian people {{Syria-bio-stub