Freya Stark’s travel memoir, “Valley of The Assassins,” delves into the intriguing history of the Assassins and the Isma’ili sect, shedding light on their origins and rise to power. Through Stark’s exploration, readers are presented with a captivating narrative that uncovers the complex religious and political dynamics of the time.
As a seasoned writer and explorer, Freya Stark’s books have long been revered for their detailed accounts of her journeys and the historical contexts she uncovers. In “Valley of The Assassins,” Stark’s meticulous research and vivid storytelling bring to life the enigmatic world of the Assassins, offering readers a glimpse into a fascinating chapter of history.
Origin and Rise of The Assassins
The genesis of the Assassins lies deep within the religious and political structures of Persia. They emerged as a sub-sect of the Isma’ili, themselves a splinter group of the Shi’a, who formed the majority of the Persian populace. The Shi’a, distinguished by their veneration for ‘Ali, the Prophet Muhammad’s son-in-law, and the Imams of his lineage, constituted the bedrock from which the Isma’ili broke away. The point of contention was the succession of the seventh Imam, after the death of the sixth Imam, Ja’far. This schism established a pathway for the rise of the group that would later be recognized as the Assassins.
The Isma’ili asserted the principle of obedience to a member of their own clan, considered by them to be the custodian of divine wisdom. This belief system laid the groundwork for their ascension to power as they assumed the throne of Egypt, reigning as the Fatimite caliphs. As rulers, they displayed a great level of sagacity in bolstering their power and wealth. The Isma’ili caliphs promoted intellectual pursuit and learning, and they were recognized for practicing religious tolerance. This resulted in a period of significant growth for the sect, setting the stage for the subsequent emergence of the Assassins.
One of the remarkable aspects within this historical trajectory was that the Assassins, despite being part of a broader religious tradition, carved out a unique identity and ideological stance of their own. They incorporated elements of Isma’ili beliefs, but their principles and practices marked a departure, giving rise to a distinct and impactful group in the annals of history.
Egypt truly became for a short time the centre of civilization; and the Isma’ilian propagandist could be met with from Morocco to China. One such came into contact with a young Persian Shi’ite of Rei called Hasan-i-Sabbah, who joined the sect in the year A.D. 1071. He was to become the first Grand Master of the Assassins.
Such adventurers have ever been numerous in Persia. But the voting Hasan did more than most of his kind for — apparently out of his o w n inventiveness—he brought a n e w idea into the political science of his day and treated murder as the suffragette the hunger strike, turning it into an a vowed political weapon.
Freya Stark: The Valley Of The Assassins
Freya Stark’s chronicles, as presented in “Valley of The Assassins,” serve to underscore the multi-layered, complex historical contexts which paved the way for the Assassins’ rise. What emerged was a potent, mysterious, and in many ways, a terrifying power – one that would shape the religion, culture, and politics in the region for centuries to come.
Hasan-i-Sabbah and His Reign
In 1071 A.D., the tapestry of Isma’ili history was further altered with the arrival of Hasan-i-Sabbah, a young Persian Shi’ite from Rei. Stark emphasized in her recounting that Hasan was a strategic genius, whose unorthodox methods and political acumen led to his rapid rise within the Isma’ili hierarchy. Hasan joined the sect and rapidly ascended to the position of the first Grand Master of the Assassins. His reign tells a tale of a ruthless and innovative leader who significantly influenced the course of the Assassins.
Hasan ingeniously brought murder into the political arena, transforming it into a weapon of power rather than a criminal act. Stark’s recounting of the sanguinary politics under Hasan’s reign elucidates his strategies. By selectively eliminating key opponents, he both gained control and instilled fear among the leading powers of Persia and across the Mediterranean region. This fear played a significant role in his rise to dominance and the expansion of the Assassins’ influence.
However, Stark’s account of Hasan’s reign delves into more than purely political machinations. One of the most fascinating aspects she vividly describes involves the creation of a secret garden, meticulously designed to mimic paradise. According to Stark, Hasan used this garden to manipulate his followers psychologically. The unsuspecting initiates were drugged and upon awakening, found themselves in what they believed to be paradise, complete with beautiful companions and heavenly comforts. Hasan used this persuasive tactic, exploiting their religious beliefs to ensure their absolute loyalty to his cause.
The secret garden where he drugged and attached to himself his followers became known through the Crusaders’ chronicles in Europe, giving us our word of Assassin, or Hashishin. He was the fear and execration of his neighbours. Unable to touch him, they reacted against the whole family of the Isma’ilians, w h o had further added to their crimes by developing a bloodthirsty branch of Carniathians in east Arabia.
Freya Stark: The Valley Of The Assassins
Stark’s depiction of Hasan-i-Sabbah’s reign paints a potent picture of a treacherous and calculating leader. His strategic use of murder to ascend the political hierarchy, his creation of a paradise for manipulation purposes, and his overall rule signify a radical transformation of the Assassin sect. Hasan’s reign epitomized his cunning and chilling methods, becoming a defining period for the Assassins while inscribing a disquieting chapter in the annals of history.
Fall of the Assassins
As history has time and again demonstrated, all reigns, however powerful, eventually meet their demise. The story of the Assassins was no exception. As Stark meticulously recorded in “Valley of The Assassins,” the downfall of the Assassins was precipitated by a combination of internal and external factors that led to their inevitable collapse.
The Fatimite caliphs, identified as the parental sect of the Assassins in Egypt, met with their decline due to a process of degeneration over time. This decay was catalyzed by both the profligacy of their own demeanor and the rising unpopularity of their progeny amongst the populace. This internal collapse left them unable to hold onto the power they once wielded, signaling the beginning of the end for their offshoot, the Assassins.
Externally, a more potent threat was brewing from the east, marked by the arrival of the Mongol armies in the 1250s. Known for their brutal and unforgiving sieges, the Mongols presented an insurmountable challenge for the Assassins. They started taking over Assassin fortresses, including the crucial stronghold at Alamut. The onslaught of the Mongols extinguished the flame of the Assassin’s power that had once been a beacon of fear and respect in the region.
Caught in a tight spot, Rukneddin, the last of the Assassins’ leaders, found himself a hostage among the Mongols. In a desperate bid to save his followers and reduce the bloodshed, he issued orders to his garrisons, who held him in high regard, to capitulate under the Mongol rule. He met a grim fate not long after, becoming a victim of assassination himself. Stark’s narrative of this utter irony paints a vivid image of the once-mighty Assassins’ fall from grace.
after nearly two hundred years, madness and weakness came upon the sovereigns of Alamut. Rukneddin, a hostage among the Mongols, ordered his unwilling garrisons to surrender before Mangu the Great Khan caused him to be murdered as he travelled, a prisoner, through the passes of the hills; and his posterity, migrating southward to Qum and thence to Sindh, continued in the spiritual headship of the Isma’ilians who still exist scattered from India to Persia and Zanzibar.
Freya Stark: The Valley Of The Assassins
The demise of the Assassins was not just the fall of a single sect but marked the end of an era that had deeply influenced the region’s religious, political, and cultural panorama. Stark’s exhaustive chronicle of their rise and fall presents a microcosm of the broader historical forces and intricate socio-cultural dynamics that shaped the destiny of the Assassins and left an indelible print in human history.
Influence and Legacy of the Assassins
The Assassins’ striking narrative did not end with their fall. As Freya Stark eloquently reveals in “Valley of The Assassins,” their influence extended beyond their temporal existence, leaving a deep and resounding legacy that echoed through the history of the region and beyond. The lasting influence and legacy of the Assassins are testament to their intriguing existence and the extraordinary aspects of their operations.
One significant aspect of the Assassins’ legacy is reflected in the Order of the Templars, a Christian military order established in the aftermath of the First Crusade. As Stark highlights, the Templars’ hierarchical structure and general administration drew considerable influence from the Assassins. This mirrored infusion of structural and operational features illustrate a unique cross-cultural exchange between two distinct religious factions. The fact that a Christian military order looked towards an Isma’ili sect for inspiration is emblematic of the complexity of human history that Stark’s writings so masterfully uncover.
Another remarkable testament to the potency of the Assassin legacy emerged in 1966 in a lawsuit in the High Court of Bombay. Legitimacy and lineage hold powerful currency in religious sects and this was front and center in this legal case. A claimant declared a lineal descent from the legendary Old Man of the Mountains, establishing a direct link to the heritage of the Assassins. Stark recounts this event as a fascinating intersection of legal, religious, and historical domains, with the capacity to stir the imagination and evoke centuries-old intrigue.
H.H. the Agha Khan receives, as head of the sect, the tithe instituted bv Hasan-i-Sabbah: his familv’s right to it was investigated and confirmed during a law-suit before the High Court in Bombay in 1966, wherein their lineal descent from the Old Man of the Mountains was proven: perhaps no one now living, and perhaps no one among the ruling families of the world, can boast so romantic and unusual an ancestry.
Freya Stark: The Valley Of The Assassins
The Assassins, as Stark reveals, left behind more than the ruins of their fortresses; they left a profound mark on history. Their rise to power, unique tactics, and dramatic fall influenced religious & political orders, fuelled intrigue, and sparked debate, long after their physical dominion had crumbled. It is this incredible legacy of the Assassins that Stark masterfully brings to life through the pages of “Valley of The Assassins.” Each chapter serves to illuminate the indomitable spirit of exploration and discovery that fuelled her journey; a journey woven with the threads of history, adventure, and an undying fascination for the remnants of a bygone era.
Freya Stark’s Journey to Alamut
Having comprehensively studied the historical narrative of the Assassins, Freya Stark sought to enrich her understanding by personally visiting one of their central fortresses, Alamut. Stark’s decision to venture to this remote location, however, did not come without its share of initial obstacles. Her first challenge lay in locating the valley itself, demonstrating the extent to which the Assassins’ legacy had intertwined with legend and faded from physical existence.
Stark launched her expedition to Alamut from Hamadan. Marrying her explorer instincts with the social customs of the region, she traveled alongside local Persians. In a symbolic exchange that underscored the intertwining of history and culture, Stark conducted letters of introduction upon arriving in Qazvin, the starting point of her journey towards Alamut.
From Qazvin, Stark began her arduous journey to the isolated fortress. Commencing from Dastgird, located at the base of the Chala pass, she encountered the stark reality of the region’s terrain. The local population, despite displaying warmth, harbored prejudiced views against her foreign origin. Stark steeled herself against such attitudes, focusing her energies on the historical pursuit that lay at the journey’s end.
‘Aziz took me back through the village, a placid hen destined for pilau nestling in his arm, while the Elders, sitting over their long pipes in the sun, looked at us glumly. They did not come to call: they left us to the inferior company of the women , who were stingy with the melted butter, said the mother of ‘Aziz after what sounded like a fight. ” They are people of the plain,” she explained witheringly, the light of battle still in her eyes. The highlands must have won again as usual, for when the pilau came she poured the butter over it in a rich stream amid a cowed but regretful silence. Sobs from a little girl whose parent had just saved her from my toffee added pathos to the scene. I was careful afterwards how I gave things to children, though I never met this sort of bigotry again.
Freya Stark: The Valley Of The Assassins
Navigating challenging landscapes, Stark passed through areas dotted with nomad tents. Eventually, she spotted men from Alamut carrying loads of rice across the passes. This sight hinted at an ancient trade route, subtly elucidating the interconnectedness of trade, power, and survival in the history of the Assassins.
After half a day spent ascending often treacherous slopes, Stark and her companions crossed the ridge and cast their gaze onto the fabled Alamut country below. Stark’s vivid account of her journey to Alamut reflects not only her determination and courage as an explorer, but also her deep rootedness in the historical narrative she sought to uncover. Her personal experiences add a rich layer of context to the historical narrative of the Assassins, effectively bringing their history to life for the reader.
Conclusion
Freya Stark’s immersive journey to Alamut, chronicled in “Valley of The Assassins,” encapsulates the deep-rooted impact and legacy of the Assassins on the tapestry of history. Through her meticulous exploration of the region and its historical significance, Stark weaves together a narrative that transcends mere travelogue and delves into the profound depths of the Assassin sect.
Stark’s evocative storytelling not only unveils the enigmatic history of the Assassins but also underscores the richness and complexity of the era in which they thrived. Her journey to Alamut, marked by obstacles and discovery, serves as a testament to the enduring allure of historical exploration and the quest for understanding the past.
As the echoes of the Assassin legacy continue to reverberate through the annals of history, Stark’s narrative stands as a poignant reminder of the indomitable spirit of exploration and the enduring power of history to captivate and enlighten. Through her eyes and words, readers are transported to a time of intrigue, power, and enigma, where the Assassins held sway over empires and minds alike.