The REAL History of Assassin's Creed? 

Thanks for this amazing video. I loved it! I am a local tour guide for Alamut Castle and the Valley of the Assassins in Iran, and I take photos every week with tourists at Alamut Castle. I present many parts of the information you have prepared in this video quite frequently for tourists from around the world. Dear Philip, I hope to host you one day in Alamut Valley. Thanks and Best Wished Hosein Gate of Alamut

I like it how it actually requires reminding to realize that the AC series' fight between Assassins and Templars was once about Assassins and Templars.

They also had another very interesting infiltration tactic, where they would preach to the guards of the place they had to infiltrate, and convert them to Nizari Ismailism, which allowed them greater freedom through these places.

As a Nizari Ismaili looking forward for the real history behind assassin. There a lots of lies regarding their true purpose. Thanks Filip you already have a great content regarding our beliefs this one will be another contribution. Shaik ul Jabbal Hassan Ibn Sabbah in Alamut Iran and Rashiduddin Sinan from Mysuaf Syria.

Thank you so much felix....as a student of islamic history, I must say that your documentary is right on point There should be a video on the intellectual battle between al ghazali and hassan sabbah

Have you considered discussing more Islamic esoteric subjects? Shams al-Ma'arif seems to be an interesting topic that I was hoping you could discuss in a future video.

I haven’t seen the games but have watched the movie for two reasons: for the word Assassin in the title and for Michael Fassbinder. Since I am Ismaili, we have a huge respect for Hassani Saboh-who protected and defended Ismailis from Saljuqs. Certainly, education and science were thriving in Alamut thanks to him also. Thus I am taking the “Assassin” title of Ismailis back then with a pinch of salt 😊 I knew of course the history of Almut and Hasani Saboh, but your video helped to refresh my memory 🙏🏼🌈

This video is simple, clear, and well organized; i appreciate your efforts please keep them coming!

I'm a big fan of the Assassin's Creed series. Curiously, its story also revolves around religious themes, most notably how corrupt leaders use religion as a means to control people. Great video!

just when I was out of content to waste my time on, finally found something worth watching! Always fascinating!

Great job on this, man!

I'm from Masyaf and I learned a thing or two from this video.. Good job!

My family is converts to ismaili shia muslim 1000 year ago from teaching of NASIR E KHISRAOW in our house in badakshan who is also the teacher of HASSAN bin sabah / in Northern Pakistan still to this day

Knowing almost all of these as a Persian and middle eastern, it's still amazing to hear it from an outsider. Another amazing aspect of your teachings is your unbiased approach to all of the subjects you cover, which is unique in my experience of a really long life meeting people from all over the world. Blessings your way.

Wow I’ve been to Syria. Amazing place. I never knew what you said about this game.

This game totally passed me by... never played it! Even still, I love the video - thanks!!

Could you make a video on Abd al Ghani al Nablusi please? Defended Wahdat al Wujud, permissibility of music, Hanbalis against the Asharis, potential salvation of dhimmis, etc. Such an interesting Sufi scholar.

Very interesting video, thank you! I'd never thought there is such an extensive history behind the AC games but I'm so glad I came across your video

I'm Sunni but early on in my journey towards Islam, the legends about the Order of the Assasins (and Hasan Sabbah) were one of the things that excited me about Islam. I never converted to Ismailism but I was a Twelver Shia for several years. Despite all this there is definitely something alluring about the Assasins and so it's no surprise it has such an influence and that it became a kind of folktale over in the West. The Crusades have a lot of bizarre stories (including the similarly alluring stories about the Knights Templar). Btw no I've never played Assassin's Creed but I've heard it mentioned before over the years, it's clearly a popular action game.

Would love to see a video on Islamic architecture and Christian architecture and Jewish architecture and what religions play into architecture in general! Love your channel

FYI , the Nizari Ismailis are still around today and they are the only major Shia branch with a living Imam , currently Aga Khan IV

Thank you for being so thorough and doing your homework!!great vid!!

As someone who has been contemplating converting to Nizari Ismailism recently, I’m very excited for this 😁

no one included anything about the library till now but fair play for the research , when it was burned near by Ovan lake if I m not wrong, of remained Dark/ Black for next three months or three years, not entirely sure, didn’t pay attention when I was kid but that much literatures knowledge was there to be consume by an individual and for outsider , questions for all other Muslim or religions burned there, but we still have not but for an easy access

What is the name of the track/song playing in the background?

I also heard another meaning for Assasins (حشاشين) from the verb hash original from cutting grass with blades like machete. a person who performs this act is called Hashash and the plural word for Hashash is Hashasheen

Unbiased documentary. Great..

Nice video. If you allow me to nitpick, i want to point out the mispronounciation of “Wazeer” at 10:26, which was mispronounced as “vezir”

Man some sort of overview video of all the branches of Shia Islam would not go amiss. This video however was very interesting in expanding my general history knowledge.

Fun Fact: The Political Party that founded my country was created by Aga Khan III who was the religious head of nizari ismailis at that time.

Thanks for the upload

I have many Ismaili friends, which they seem not to be quite assassins ♥️

Very cool. I like that video games incorporate history, especially on the most ignored points. I don't know if I've asked you this beforehand but have you considered making a video on gnawa music and or music directly related with tasawwuf? Thanks and have a good day

Another super good video. I love learning about religion and religious history!

i like the music in the background, anyone knows the name or link to music?

Please make a video on belief system of Cathars/khazars before converting to Judaism due to threat from Christians and Muslims.

You pick super creative subjects for your videos, thank you .

Dr. Khalil Andani specializes in scholarly and academic explorations into his Nizari Ismaili "Agakhani" Imami Shi'a Muslim background. He has insightful lectures on RU-vid.

Thanks for the real Explanation 💚💙❤

Until recently the ismaili were studied and judged almost exclusively on the basis of the evidence collected or fabricated by their enemies a black legend was gradually developed and put in to circulation in the Muslim world to discredit the ismaili through 21st century. In contrast to the legends the ismaili as people of exceptional intelligence and sophistication who in this remote mountain fortress were able to cultivate a rich intellectual and spiritual life. Making outstanding contributions to Islamic thought and culture. True understanding grows from a knowledge of historical facts and many people lack such a knowledge.

I learned about Hassan Sabbah from William S Burroughs

i want to write a long comment about how happy i am to have found you channel, but i’ll keep it brief. i fucking LOVE the channel, good stuff brother.

I am currently writing some historical fiction on this subject and you clarified some common misconceptions. Thank you

Why did you blur the face of the painting.

The Word "Hashashin" is not in itself wrong in calling Nizari Isma'ilis of Alamut. Back in those days "Hashish" wasn't just this drug that we know today. Hashish refers to any medicinal plant that can be used for healing body or soul and Hashashin in Alamut earned their living by growing, selling and using of these medicinal plants. still to this day Alamut has wide variety of different medicinal plants like wild thyme or mountain tea. So while the use of Hashish for assassinations is a myth the name itself is not.

The reason assassins were created in the first place was because Sunnis were slaughtering Ismailis and shoving their version of Islam down their throats which they still do. If you don't follow Islam according to Sunni version, you are not Muslim and wajib ul Qatl.

Well explained for the masses who dont know the real history of "Hasassin"

Myth Busters here: Shia Nazari Ismaili under the leadership of Hasan bin Sabah were living within the Seljuk empire in different fortresses. The Castle of Alamut was one of them in the mountain of Albruz in Iran. Hassan bin Sabah was an Ismaili Shia, which was a sect of Islam that faced heavy persecution from the region’s Seljuk ruling leaders. He rallied supporters as he hid within the valleys of Alamut. Eventually, he and his followers were able to concoct a plan that let them take over the fortress without spilling a single drop of blood (Hassan supposedly even paid the ousted ruler for the site). Now, they were in no position to go out of the fort of Alamut and fight a normal war against the mighty Seljuk empire of their time, and neither can sit without doing anything to counter the ever-growing hostility around them. Hasan bin Sabah then formulated a plan to take out Seljuk amirs and higher officials who were the force behind this hostile situation with help of Ismaili fidains (devotee). This strategy worked very well and local Seljuk amirs backed off from their propaganda against Naziri Ismailis and they ruled the castle of Alamut peacefully until the arrival of the Changez Khan Army. Neither Nazari Ismaili started assassination for the first time, nor was it used for the last time. It was a tactic used well before us and still in use, so just calling Nazari Ismaili as Assassin's Creed could be an exaggeration at best.

This is by far my favorite RU-vid channel.

im ismaili muslim and this is Excellent vedio and very well explained as usual..

As usual excellent piece of research would request you to make a video on collapse of assassins creed and citadel by Mongol invasion this area i have seen is generally missed by most presenters only a closing line that assasins came to an end by Mongols - This sure was not that simple takeover rather a prolonged protracted period of skirmishes and negotiations - Mongols inherited lot of ismaili wisdom and scholars like legendary Nasiruddin Tousi if i may draw a parallel from modern history i think this was like USA siphoning off Nazi Scientists the Engine for future Feats to be enrolled under banner of US Assassin and Mongol encounter should be seen in this light as well an area perpetually remaining in Dark

the Templars were not mercenaries. You should know better than that. Overall, a very good vid

Finally, a video about my people.

wow, as a Suni Muslim, I have absolutely no clue about Shia Islam, its history, and its beliefs. that was very insightful indeed.

Very well made video.Thank you for this.I wish assassins creed did not lose its identity.

so cool, just discovered this awesome channel and I have been playing AC since it's conception. I would love to hear your thoughts on the Isu.

You know as a Ismaili myself i was a bit suprised as i didnt knew that assassin creed where inspired by ismaili

What most people don't know, is that Hassan Al-Sabah was more a Iranian nationalist than a religious leader. During is religious seeking he came to Egypt and learned there first time about the huge Iranian Empire which ruled from Northern Africa to Central Asia. His main intention was to revive this empire. He used the religion, because that time most of Iranian were already Muslims.

Turkish historical fiction drama Buyuk Selcuklu is based on Ismaili Assassins.

The ismailis fromm the Indian subcontinent are all business people or traders..most of them would not even have played a PS version of assassin's

Incredibly well done explanation

I was so happy to find at my local county library a copy of: Eamonn Gearon, M. A., Great Courses on the Islamic Golden Age (24 topics/12hrs ttl) Philip does amazing job providing historical background context-- and I am realizing differences in vowels and emphasized sounds between my American English and words such as Allah and Saladin -- I really appreciate his taking the time to teach correct pronunciations of so many words!!! Also, the 1st time I watched this, there were adverts for Muslim charities for Somalia and a College Fund that were very heartwarming -- and portrayed Muslims as very thoughtful, caring and learned!!! It's wonderful that we have this channel to see we are more connected than different!

Very interesting and worthwhile video.

I would’ve love to see them make a tv 📺 series out of this

Imma so sick of AC1, but ill play it again just because of this video

Excellent video as always!

Suggestion to do a video on SALAMAN FARSI or salman the Persian who was a zoroastrian then christian then became muslim and companion of the prophet muhammad.

The Library is surely a great loss for Universal Knowledge and Cultural Goods.

The word "Assassin" comes from the Persian word "Hashashin" i believe.

The name "Feda'ii" then came to mean "insurgent" and was adopted as a legitimate word to describe various small militias with a specific cause.

A clear explanation of a very complex subject. Very well done.

👍 good video

Was this the setting/time of the movie "The Physician"? Seems familiar.

The myth was that before sending a fadaii ( sacrifice, killer) on a mission they would give him hashish and when he was high bring him to a garden where he made love to pretty women. When he left the garden and came to his senses, Hassan Sabbath would tell him that was the heaven and if you want to go back there you should complete your mission. Hence the name hashashin or assassins.

they are also mentioned in the movie prince of persia sands of time

Please make a video about 'Kejawen'

It should be added that the story about the Templars who killed the Nizari diplomat was written by someone who was very biased against the Templars and generally that idea of knight orders. I mean, the story said that the assassins wanted to convert to Christianity if they didn't have to pay the tribut to the templars anymore and the king offered the templars to pay the money instead, so that they wouldn't have any harm from that deal. And then the templars killed the assassin anyway. Which is just the perfect story to convince people how irrational those evil templar guys are, so you should wonder how accurate it really is. And calling the templars basically mercenaries... yeah, I don't know. The templars and the assassins also didn't really have that many conflicts with each other. Both factions were opportunistic enough to accept allies of other faiths as long as it served their interests.

Holy moly

Well covered mate . We all know surviving in this world of junk’s, There has to be hassan bin saba to protect and defend their existence. And being an Ismaili we owe his legendary service to the community and to the history. #peace

There are lot of people people like hassan bin sabah in shia ismaili he is the only one mistry you might know

I'm confused. When does Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael come into the picture ??

They were iranian but there is not a iranian main character in assassin creed game😢

Fantastic video keep it up your doing amazing job.

Beautiful explanation.... ❤️❤️

Am I the only one here who knows the real name of the man at 2:07. This has to be a mistake either way I’m really blessed.

Nice video dude

Who were the sons of Noah A.S plz elaborate in video

Now this is a religion sect (hashashin) that I can truly embrace.

Assassin’s Creed 1 is the only game in the entire series that has story and dialogue with any true quality and gravitas. It is the best game of the series. The recent ones are fun to play and beautiful as you said, but they are remarkably lacking in substance compared to the original.

Masyaf my hometown. GOD SYRIA BASHAR. Long live Syria

Man you're doing a great job

They assassinated a Mongol general ...................all it accomplished was to make them angry , and the great Khan , made it a priority to have them wiped out ..................which they did . The Mongols also played by a differnent set of rulls than everybody else .

Besides the great topic you've done on this video, lemme get this, Alamut is a real place that exist? I thought it was a made up place in Prince of Persia..

❤️❤️❤️

Besides Assassin's Creed, the other major piece of western media that depicts the Assassins is the novel "Alamut" by Vladimir Bartol. It's a good book and if you want a more historically accurate story about the Assassins then I'd recommend it.

This world would be pretty boring without Islam!! Loved this video!!

I was born in Nizari Ismaili (mostly secular atheist at this point) but its interesting that how little were we taught about Alamut in religious school. my grandpa was a missionary in this religion, and had always was there with some kind of religious story, I dont remember he talked much about Alamut though, he would sometimes curse Mongols and told me that they were bad for our religion - but never told me why. I also asked my ismali friends - and no one seems to know much about this event- although its clear that alamut is what gave nizari ismalis the identity.

The fact that all of this assassin's (hashashin) society, at first came from your country (persia/iran) but yet there is no assassin's creed game in or about persia, which is honestly very disappointing...it's just doesn't fit about origins of it, without being said or given any hints about it. but actually I'm not that much disappointed at ubisoft itself, but instead I'm very disappointed and annoyed of our own government who wants to cut our connection with the whole western world, it's clearly our dictator and rejected government (Islamic Republic) fault, who has the all power and control over everything only for near 50 years, and they just changed everything about iran and what's correctly was iran about for many long time, they completely ruined it in both inside and outside of borders...nothing you can do now, but it's just such a shame for us and even AC lovers around the world...... Logically in order for making a historical open world game based on real events and real locations, developers must visit there themselves and literally study and analysing everything in there, and observe so many big and little details about it, so they need full permissions to come here and work, then start developing...but in this hand our leaders are doing their best to keep us far away from modern and western world, for many dumb, evil and even fake reasons, as you might know our cruelty controller, blind extreme religious thief government, is not open mind in most situations, they're literally trying to wipes out most of our important roots and civilised advanced culture witch was rare at that times...so they doesn't like any of this connection's at all, in fact they actually hate to show or talk about our effective great era's and mysterious old efects, deep civilised cultured society and vary rich history in any ways possible, so they're always ignores it or even makes it look bad with some mind setting propagandas all the time, they don't use it for advance, instead they keeps lying and goofing about it, and change it for themselves benefits and of course feed bullshit to the people and fool them so they could do their job easier and stay in power as much as long as possible, and keeps destroying the land, stealing anything has left and sell as many resources they can, and keeps the people scared of shouting for justice and keeps them away from understanding of all this unfair cruel corruption, and what they were once for thousands of years which was simply being first ones in many many thing that we even use today, being advanced in most things like travelling systems or new rules being set in order of discipline and peace in every week, being great builders, focused thinkers about space or any road of knowledge, being uniteded helpers to each other, fully civilised cultured that works fine for a county that big at those timse, being mostly literate with pure loyalty for the kingdom, huge organised systems of wise ones and rulers, powerful tactical army's and interesting high level skilled in both arts and sciences and much more that i even dont remember now...its such a shame what they doing with this gifed rich ancient land and all they're doing with it is doing nothing except turning it into a empty dust, again its a shame how they represents it and represents us (persians) to the world as some barbarian arabs who turns into t**rorists nowadays..., while they can easily take steps forward and change this dark, none persian face that they made of us for the world to see and judge, and now it's all slowly fading away, honestly makes me feel sad everytime i think of it... I just hope some day we all humans earn the true position and great respect we deserve back and let everybody to see what we capable of, and our people to finally live and enjoys living, learns from each other and live besides of each other I truly respect and loves anyone who is taking steps to make this old world of us a better place that we all can learn, advance, and share love for each other and be better for our own sake.

Love that game. Верните мне мой 2007

Alamut. Alamo. Inuit. Nunavut. From Texas to the far north of Canada there's an awful lot of language crossover. Alamo has an equally important stamp in United States history