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List of the strongholds or
«دانشنامهٔ تاریخ معماری و شهرسازی ایرانشهر»
وزارت راه و شهرسازی (in Persian)
"Nizari Ismaili Concept of Castles"
The Institute of Ismaili Studies {{DEFAULTSORT:Ismaili castles Nizari Ismaili state Lists of castles in the Middle East Castles in Syria Castles in Iran Iran–Syria relations Syria history-related lists Iran history-related lists Isma'ilism-related lists
List of the strongholds or dar al-hijra
The term ''dār al-hijra'' ( ar, دار الهجرة, , place of exile/refuge/migration) was originally applied to Medina, the city where Muhammad an his followers sought refuge when exiled from Mecca in 622 (Hijrah). The term was accordingly later ...
of the Nizari Ismaili state
The Nizari state (the Alamut state) was a Shia Nizari Ismaili state founded by Hassan-i Sabbah after he took control of the Alamut Castle in 1090 AD, which marked the beginning of an era of Ismailism known as the "Alamut period". Their people w ...
in Persia
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
(Iran) and Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
.
Most of the Persian Ismaili castles were in the Alborz mountains, in the regions of Daylaman (particularly, in Alamut
Alamut ( fa, الموت) 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 provinc ...
and Rudbar; north of modern-day Qazvin
Qazvin (; fa, قزوین, , also Romanized as ''Qazvīn'', ''Qazwin'', ''Kazvin'', ''Kasvin'', ''Caspin'', ''Casbin'', ''Casbeen'', or ''Ghazvin'') is the largest city and capital of the Province of Qazvin in Iran. Qazvin was a capital of the ...
) and Quhistan (south of Khurasan
Greater Khorāsān,Dabeersiaghi, Commentary on Safarnâma-e Nâsir Khusraw, 6th Ed. Tehran, Zavvâr: 1375 (Solar Hijri Calendar) 235–236 or Khorāsān ( pal, Xwarāsān; fa, خراسان ), is a historical eastern region in the Iranian Plate ...
), as well as in Qumis. Most of the Syrian Ismaili castles were in Jabal Bahra' (Syrian Coastal Mountain Range).
According to Juzjani, before the Mongol invasion
The Mongol invasions and conquests took place during the 13th and 14th centuries, creating history's largest contiguous empire: the Mongol Empire ( 1206- 1368), which by 1300 covered large parts of Eurasia. Historians regard the Mongol devastati ...
the Nizaris possessed 70 forts in Quhistan and 35 in Alamut. Overall, they probably had 250 castles.
The Ismaili fortresses in Rudbar of Alamut had been built on rocky heights and were equipped to withstand long sieges; they had storehouses with high capacities and elaborate water supply infrastructure such as cistern
A cistern (Middle English ', from Latin ', from ', "box", from Greek ', "basket") is a waterproof receptacle for holding liquids, usually water. Cisterns are often built to catch and store rainwater. Cisterns are distinguished from wells by t ...
s, qanats, and canals.
Persia
Syria
The strongholds in Jabal Bahra' were known as the "Castles of the ''da'wa
Dawah ( ar, دعوة, lit=invitation, ) is the act of inviting or calling people to embrace Islam. The plural is ''da‘wāt'' (دَعْوات) or ''da‘awāt'' (دَعَوات).
Etymology
The English term ''Dawah'' derives from the Arabic ...
''" ( ''qilāʿ al-daʿwah'').
See also
*Nizari Ismaili state
The Nizari state (the Alamut state) was a Shia Nizari Ismaili state founded by Hassan-i Sabbah after he took control of the Alamut Castle in 1090 AD, which marked the beginning of an era of Ismailism known as the "Alamut period". Their people w ...
*History of Nizari Ismailism
The History of Nizari Isma'ilism from the founding of Islam covers a period of over 1400 years. It begins with Muhammad's mission to restore to humanity the universality and knowledge of the oneness of the divine within the Abrahamic tradition, thr ...
*List of castles in Iran
Throughout history, especially in prehistoric and early history, castles have played an important role in the fortification of Iran. They were usually maintained by officials on important routes or cities, and most of them were in unmarked heigh ...
* List of castles in Syria
*List of Crusader castles
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby union ...
* Baltit Fort, used by Ismailis of the Hunza princely state in Pakistan
* Muhammad I Tapar's anti-Nizari campaign
*Mongol campaign against the Nizaris
The Mongol campaign against the Nizaris of the Alamut period (the Assassins) began in 1253 after the Mongol conquest of the Khwarazmian Empire of Iran by the Mongol Empire and a series of Nizari–Mongol conflicts. The campaign was ordered by the ...
References
* * *«دانشنامهٔ تاریخ معماری و شهرسازی ایرانشهر»
وزارت راه و شهرسازی (in Persian)
Further reading
*External links
"Nizari Ismaili Concept of Castles"
The Institute of Ismaili Studies {{DEFAULTSORT:Ismaili castles Nizari Ismaili state Lists of castles in the Middle East Castles in Syria Castles in Iran Iran–Syria relations Syria history-related lists Iran history-related lists Isma'ilism-related lists