Alamut ( fa, الموت) is a region in

Iran 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 ...

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 parts in the western edge of the

Alborz The Alborz ( fa, البرز) 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 nort ...

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

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 ...

in the south and the densely forested slopes of the Mazandaran province 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 Isma'ilism ( ar, الإسماعيلية, al-ʾIsmāʿīlīyah) is a branch or sub-sect 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 ...

castle of

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

Hassan-i Sabbah Hasan-i Sabbāh ( fa, حسن صباح) or Hassan as-Sabbāh ( ar, حسن بن الصباح الحميري, full name: Hassan bin Ali bin Muhammad bin Ja'far bin al-Husayn bin Muhammad bin al-Sabbah al-Himyari; c. 1050 – 12 June 1124) was the ...

. 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 ( Gileki: گیلک) are an Iranian ethnic group native to the 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, compris ...

who speak a dialect of the

Mazanderani language Mazandarani (), or Tabari (), is an Iranian language of the Northwestern branch spoken by the Mazandarani people. , there were over 5,320,000 native speakers. As a member of the Northwestern branch (the northern branch of Western Iranian), etym ...

Gilaki language The Gilaki language ( ) is an Iranian language of the Northwestern branch, spoken in Iran's Gilan Province. Gilaki is closely related to Mazandarani and the two languages have similar vocabularies. Though the Persian language has influence ...

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

Shahrud The Shahrud (Turkish ''Şehrud'' from Persian شاهرود, DMG ''šāh-i rūd'' or ''šāh-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 t ...

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

History

In 1090 CE,

, the leader of the

Assassins An assassin is a person who commits targeted murder. Assassin may also refer to: Origin of term * Someone belonging to the medieval Persian Ismaili order of Assassins Animals and insects * Assassin bugs, a genus in the family ''Reduviid ...

, a sect of Nizari Ismailis 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 ( fa, الموت, meaning "eagle's nest") is a ruined mountain fortress located in the Alamut region in the South Caspian province of Qazvin near the Masoudabad region 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 ( fa, آقاخان, ar, آغا خان; also transliterated as ''Aqa Khan'' and ''Agha Khan'') is a title held by the Imām of the Nizari Ismāʿīli Shias. Since 1957, the holder of the title has been the 49th Imām, Prince Shah Kari ...

. File:Fall in Hir.jpg, Hir,

West Alamut Alamut-e Gharbi District ( fa, بخش الموت غربی, meaning "Western Alamut District"), formerly Rudbar-e Shahrestan District, is a district (bakhsh) in Qazvin County, Qazvin Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 16,255, in ...

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

stronghold

Alamut rulers

Alâ al Dîn Muhammad droguant ses disciples

* Kia Bozorg Omid * 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-Mustansir, ...

Al-Muhtadi (Nizari imam) Muhammad (I) al-Muhtadi ( ar, محمد المهتدي, Muḥammad al-Muhtadī), 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 ...

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

Jalaluddin Hasan Jalāl al-Dīn Ḥassan III () (1187–1221), son of Nūr al-Dīn Muḥammad II, was the 25th Nizāri Ismā‘ilī Imām. He ruled from 1210 to 1221. His life He was born to the 24th Imam and a Sunni mother. Jalal al-Din Hassan claimed ...

* ‘Alā’ ad-Dīn Muḥammad III * 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