{"product_id":"the-assassin-legends-myths-of-the-ismailis","title":"The Assassin Legends: Myths of the Isma'ilis","description":"For hundreds of years Westerners have been fascinated by stories of the Assassins, their mysterious leader and their remote mountain stronghold at Alamut in Northern Iran. The legends first emerged in the 12th and 13th centuries, when Crusaders in Syria came into contact with the Nazari Isma'ilis, one of the communities of Shi'ite Islam who, at the behest of their leader Hassan Sabaa (mythologized as the \"\"Old Man of the Mountain\"\"), engaged in dangerous missions to kill their enemies. Elaborated over the years, the tales culminated in Marco Polo's claim that the \"\"Old Man\"\" controlled the behaviour of his self-sacrificing devotees through the use of hashish and a secret garden of paradise. So influential were these tales that the word \"\"assassin\"\" entered European languages as a common noun meaning \"\"murderer\"\".\n\nDaftary traces the origins and early development of the legends - as well as investigating the historical context in which they were fabricated and transmitted. As such, this book reveals an extraordinary programme of propaganda rooted in the medieval Muslim world and medieval Europe's ignorance of this world. This book also provides the first English translation of French orientalist Silvestre de Sacy's famous 19th-century \"\"Memoire\"\" on the Assassins.\u003cbr\u003eASIN: 185043705X\u003cbr\u003eVSKU: BVV.185043705X.G\u003cbr\u003eCondition: Good\u003cbr\u003eAuthor\/Artist:Daftary, Farhad\u003cbr\u003eBinding: Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eNote:\u003c\/b\u003e Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition Notes\u003c\/b\u003e: The item shows wear from consistent use, but it remains in good condition and works perfectly. All pages and cover are intact  including the dust cover, if applicable . Spine may show signs of wear. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting. May NOT include discs, access code or other supplemental materials.  \u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Blue Vase Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43577494700093,"sku":"BVV.185043705X.G","price":45.1,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0589\/4225\/9261\/files\/185043705X-0.jpg?v=1788647224","url":"https:\/\/www.bluevasebooks.com\/products\/the-assassin-legends-myths-of-the-ismailis","provider":"Blue Vase Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}