Podcasts about alamut

A Walk In the Park  & Aya's Finest Hour.Book 3 in 18 parts, By FinalStand. Listen to the ► Podcast at Explicit Novels.Professional, conscript, or volunteer, they all have run away from battle.A Note on terminology and the metaphor of Cael's WorldThe terms Weave of Fate and 'Weave ' are interchangeable. Weave expresses the intersection ~ the sieve that all the possible futures entered to create what we perceive as this 'now'. Fate is the keeper of the sieve. The Present is what is happening right now. It is that infinitesimal which we interpret as Reality.The Legend is what happens when the present is pulled back through the weave and becomes the past. It is called the Legend because, as the former presents fade into the past, they blur; each becomes less precise and more open to interpretations. (It is as if you were looking at one thing through a prism; as you shift your stance, what you see appears to change.) Within the Legend exist mystic creatures, divinities, demons, spirits, all the Paradises and Hells.The Endless Black Sands is the final resting place for all failed legends. It is the place where all is forgotten until even former realities break down into the Black Sands. That Alal found a way to cheat this doom and retrieved Shammuramat, was truly remarkable; even though Fate 'balanced accounts' with him by sending Ajax and his war band along that path as well.If you wonder how that was a balancing, consider this:The only people Alal cares for (in his own brutal fashion) are Shammy, now Sakura, and his only true offspring in 5,000 years, Cáel.Fate sent Ajax.With Ajax available to test Cáel, how could Alal resist the temptation to place one of the planet's greatest killer on a collision course with both of his loves in order to test Cáel?The Veil is a function of the Weave that protects sentient perception from perceiving the Weave and disguises the otherness of creatures of legend, unless they willingly allow themselves to be seen, which they usually do only so they can 'physically' interact with the Present. Some sentient minds, through horrific trauma such as the Augurs' self- poisonings, through the quirks of Fate via Holy Men, Mad Prophets and Doomsayers such as Temujin, or through the touch of legends such as Ishara, can sense the fluctuations in the Veil and the things behind it. Cáel, in truth, has been shaped by all three vehicles (Ishara, the Augurs and Temujin's legend.)Oblivion is what awaits Reality if the Weave ever fails beyond its ability to heal itself. This threat is what keeps the creatures of legend from constantly traversing the Weave. They have to weaken the Weave to do so or to use powers in Reality, the greater the distortion they create, the greater the weakening that occurs.End Note(Two days ago, with thirty days left)"That was fantastic, Lady Yum-Yum," I sighed."What did you just call me?" she panted softly. We were naked in one of our Task Force bedrooms that was actually used for sleeping, and now sex. I was still pressed against her reposed body, despite our recent exertions. She was on her stomach, arms stretched down her sides.She was sweaty and short of breath. She still had her wits about her and an awareness of our situation: victory sex, me still aroused and her fingernails scratching my thighs and buttocks. My equally sticky body was pressing down on her, even though I supported my weight with outstretched hands placed on either side of her shoulders."Lady Yum-Yum," I mumbled as I kissed the back of her head. "That was the first thing that sprang to mind when you introduced yourself." I could see her working that through her highly complex mind."When writing your memoirs, please remember to me refer to me that way," she began to flex her thighs and abdominal muscles, so that her ass was pumping against my hips."Only if this helps persuade you to give me a repeat performance.""I'll consider,," she purred, then paused to catch her breathe. "You are in phenomenal shape, young man. Do any of your other lady-loves have pet names?""Nope," I grunted as I withdrew.She had teased me with anal sex hints repeatedly, yet never delivered. She liked the game and the power she wielded. My body being on top of hers was only an illusion of a tactical advantage. She knew me pretty well already. I wasn't the kind of guy who would use physical strength to overwhelm her vulnerable position. This being so, a cerebral skirmish only excited her more.We waged a war that was based on intakes of breath, the shimmying of muscles and the trembling of fatigued flesh. The prize for me was the winning. Lady Fathom Worthington-Burke played tricky-clever, but I was better. And at times like this, she admitted it. She gave me what I wanted. I rolled her.Straight, face-to-face fucking. The Lady's pulsar gaze trapped my vision. She smiled, grudgingly at first, then more and more sensually as my glans returned to her g-spot that it had scouted out earlier. This was 'surrender by the Fathom method'. She gave me what I wanted, so I took what I wanted, and pleasured her at the same time."Mmm, you are a bad, bad boy," she lapsed into her trashy West-End Londoner accent. It was perfect and an erotic whiplash when added to her native, refined manner of speech. This wasn't a trick this time, it was a treat. It was a gift, reciprocated. The tactile sensation of her cervix becoming a soft, spongey chalice for my final penetrations was icing on an all-so-luscious cake.I tendered her a tribute worthy of my first love, Dr. Kimberly Geisler. It was strange to find a woman like her. Outside of Kimberly, I had found only one other woman who graciously offered her ultimate pleasure paean to the hundreds of lovers who had become before. That other woman, it still floored me, was Buffy Du, no, Buffy Ishara, First of my House."Oh!" and several heartbeats later, "Cáel!" several hissed series of breathes and then, "Goddess! You are better than good!"Two thoughts collided within me:A) I had never seen a more controlled orgasmic explosion in my life. I was going to have to tell Buffy about this, once we were safely in bed. If it was office talk, she'd punch me through a window and that would make Aya cry. I couldn't have that.B) Goddess? I thought she was Anglican. This needed further study. This treatment was really nice. I leaned in, kissed her. Lady Yum-Yum smiled. "Take me to the shower. Play time is over, Cáel," and she was back to all business."You are treating me like a fleshy vibrator," I pointed out."But you are a very finely-trained, fleshy vibrator, you wonderful boy," she stroked my cheek. "Shower! Now!" So, like a Good Boy, International Merchant of Death and Chosen Son of a Divine Amazon Goddess, I slid off her, then cradled her in my arms as I rose from our totally trashed mattress.I didn't smile when it was confirmed that I wasn't carrying her out of any romantic after-coitus gesture. She couldn't walk. Woot! It took a bit of effort to get us into the walk-in shower and to get the water just perfect, all while keeping her cradled. She helped out by keeping her arms tightly around my neck."Cheeky bastard," she whispered in my ear. "You are gloating." Then she nibbled on my earlobe for good measure."Damn right," I did gloat as I let her slide down to her feet. "You are pretty sweet for an Old Chick." She wasn't angry, oh no."If you were trying to get me to say, 'I'll get you next time," she licked, nipped and sucked on my nipple as if I was the one with the mammaries in this relationship, "it worked." Double-Woot! I was going to get that damn four-way! I did coax a vigorous shower-quickie out of my Lady. Afterward, she shifted herself so she could get under one of the steaming showerheads."Cáel, why didn't you use a condom," she mused. Gak!"You aren't on Birth Control?" I panicked. She laughed at me."No. I've never been a fan of hormones replacement. I like the way I am. Do you expect the women to do all the anti-pregnancy measures?""No," I gulped."Don't' be so worried," she laughed. "We had unprotected sex one time. The odds are astronomical that an 'oops' happened, right?" Yes, it was a single sexual encounter, but included three firings of the one-eyed hydra, sigh."You are asking a man who has five children on the way, Fathom," I cautioned her."Oh, I'll update my files and make an appointment to seen a local, reliable O B G Y N," she slipped back into her unflappable British resolve. "Get along. I need to get cleaned up," she cupped my scrotum, ", again. So scoot." I scooted.I had updated my condom supply despite the forbiddance Dot Ishara, my Matron Goddess, beamed to me from the Other Side. She could only complain so much. I'd upped my selection of fortune cookies and added a fresh raisin chocolate brownie for my next visit with her. I had to get over to the other side of the floor to get a fresh shirt, and boxers.Yum-Yum had ripped off my shirt (a little kinky) and boxers (a little painful). I wasn't going commando, so I decided to quick step it before something important happened that required me to yank yet another solution out of my sexually-fueled creative imagination.How Lady Yum-Yum and I ended up in bedThe Secret Societies' long awaited war had begun in Africa and in India. The Amazons couldn't effectively reinforce these two homeland regions. No, my people's edge came from my stupid stunts (e.g., the fight outside that club in Chicago), the judicious application of a few kind words and a whole lot of targeted killing on my part along with that of my Amazons.Those actions convinced the Booth-gan (aka the Thuggee, but we no longer say that because it irritates them) and the Coils of the Serpent to toss in their lot with their local Amazons. They did the whole 'hostage exchange' thing as well. Two children from each side. That was a no-brainer on my part. All three concerned parties were willing to let their adults die if necessary. Their children were another matter.In Asia, the Seven Pillars had made only minimal progress. We now suspected the 7P had planned to roll over the three of the 9 Clans that were in their Sphere of Influence, the now 6 Ninja Families, the Black Lotus and the Booth-gan in rapid succession. A preemptive strike against both the Khanate and the Ninja were supposed to cripple those two factions.Against the Khanate, that had been a dismal failure. In Nippon, the Ninja were in dire straits and would be decades recovering from the original 7P blitz. But the combination of US black ops help and the infusion of Amazons and Okinawans had staved off extinction for the moment. Strategically, these failed actions were tying down 7P resources that the largest Secret Society had planned to move elsewhere.In China, the Black Lotus exhibited the same resilience and deceptiveness they'd shown in combating the Seven Pillars by themselves for the past 65 years. The chaos gripping the PRC was a blessing from the Ancestors, the four sacred spirits (lung/dragons, phoenix, unicorn and tortoise), and the nine entities (I now really had to know this stuff.) Word that a 'dragon' had appeared in the West had only heightened their desire to aid in our new alliance.Those factors meant a reprieve for India. As the 7 Pillars began ramping up their operations; increasing racial tensions, minor terrorist action and military and industrial sabotage; the Booth-gan and Amazon united resources and purpose. The Booth-gan would assassinate 7P operatives and pawns while the Amazons would hit 7P front companies and businesses based out of the People's Republic of China. (This activity also helped ratchet up India-PRC tensions and anti-PRC public sentiment in India.)In Africa, the Condotteiri had squandered precious hours reallocating resources before launching their assaults. Like everyone but the 7P, they had been caught flat-footed by the renewal of the Secret War. The Coils of the Serpent had never been overly antagonistic toward the Condos, since their interests rarely collided. The same went for the Coils and the Amazons.Two factors inspired a deep Amazon-Coil bond. They were both groups with deep African roots and a shared Central-Western African spirituality. Added to that was the growing power of the Coils of the Serpent in the past fifty years. Their main opponents had been the Illuminati who had a Eurocentric view. Pan-Africanism was in the Coil's best interest, but ran contrary to European economic interests.Long term, allying with the African Amazons was a good investment for the Coils. The 9 Clans relationships had already proved to be advantageous on multiple occasions in the past. The leaders of the Coils knew their power was rising with the fortunes of Sub-Saharan Africa. To them, the rise of the PRC and the Seven Pillars was a looming threat in the East.They had been handed a golden opportunity to deal with this enemy before the enemy was ready to deal with them. They had been 'gifted' with over 2000 highly-skilled, fanatical Amazon warriors as stealthy muscle to add to their own, more subtle arsenal. For the Amazons, it was access to continent wide clandestine intelligence network that could unmask their enemies' hiding places.The Condotteiri wiped out an Amazon freehold in Cameroon and a few Coils safe houses in Lagos, Nigeria. In the Republic of Mali, over 250 Condo mercenaries were slaughtered at a 'secret' installation and their armory was looted. Ebola kept breaking out in the West. The dominant regional powers, the Republic of the Congo and Nigeria, were tottering as a result of decades of economic mismanagement, civic, ethnic, tribal and religious strife, corruption and unreliable militaries.The scene was ripe for a secret conflict as well as public carnage. For the Joint International Khanate Interim Taskforce (JIKIT), this presented a dilemma. They were involved with a growing global struggle that went far beyond the Khanate and Central Asia. Their secret society allies strenuously objected to bringing any more 'outsider' people into the group.Handing over covert intelligence to other governmental agencies in the US and UK, then telling them they wouldn't divulge their sources went over like scuba diving with cement goulashes. Explaining to upper level bigwigs that they had a 'trust-based' team went nowhere. Those officials didn't care about a bunch of domestic/international criminals' sensibilities.They wanted names and faces. They wanted addresses, phone taps and bank account numbers. It would all be 'Secret', 'Top Secret', or 'Eyes Only'. It would all be vulnerable to all kinds of governmental subpoenas too. No threats were made from 'my' side. They'd killed more people than the Black Death and the lives of a few thousand bureaucrats (and their families) in London and Washington D.C. didn't mean shit to them.Selena did offer to kidnap some family members to get the message across. Javiera put her hands over her ears and began singing 'la-la-la' as she stormed out of the room. Lady Fathom suggested that we arrange a private meeting with the UK Prime Minister and the US President. It took a few seconds for Mehmet and Javiera to realize she wasn't kidding.That was a nearly impossible task, which on this taskforce meant we had to give it a shot. Let's just say that the US Attorney General, Eric Holder and Chairman John Jay of the British Joint Intelligence Committee thought their respective representative had lost her God-damn mind. I went to the Khanate for help.Twenty-four hours later Azerbaijan, Turkey, Tajikistan, Armenia and Georgia (yes, two tiny Christian nations) joined the Khanate. The integration of the first two nations had been in the works since the formation of the Turkic Council in 2009. For me, Temujin upped the time table strictly for our benefit. Turkey and Azerbaijan became the two newest states within the Khanate.The third, Tajikistan was different and the shakiest addition. The unoccupied title of 'Khwarazm Shah' was created, suggesting the Iranian Tajiks had a special status inside the Khanate. 'Khwarazm' referenced the Khwarazmian dynasty that ruled the last of the great, Persian-led, Iranian Super-States and dated back to the 13th century AD. 'Shah' was Persian for King.The announced status of Armenia and Georgia was quite a bit different. They become 'Protectorates', i.e., semi-autonomous states within the Khanate who were 'vassal' states, responsible only to the Great Khan and his personal representative in the region (ah, that would be me.)So, the first three entries made sense, strong geographic, ethnic and/or religious ties, plus this was part of the Khanate's agenda anyway. But Armenia and Georgia? That was the doing of the other regional secret society, the Hashashin.The Caucasus Mountains were the backyard of the Hashashin. They knew who to blackmail, pinch and kill to make the 'take-over' possible. The main stumbling block was the long Khanate-Hashashin history: the Mongols had destroyed the historical stronghold of the Hashashin, Alamut, in 1256 CE. In a way, that disaster had transformed the sect, making it move away from their strict Nizārī Ismaili roots and into a more ethnically and religiously diverse group that was centered in the Caucasus region.Temujin made it clear to this group that he was making a deal under my auspices. Both Armenia and, Georgia (as well as the future Kurdistan, his plans for the creation of that last state were told to me under condition of secrecy) would be part of my palatinate principality (along with Hungary, if we ever got there). Riki Martin defined the terms for me: I was the voice of those three regions in the Khan's court.They wouldn't have to deal with Muslim Khanate officials. They would deal with me and 'my officials'. If the Khanate had a problem with my principality, they came to me to resolve the issue. That translated to me giving a nod to the existing regimes ruling in Armenia and Georgia (along with the infusion of a few Hashashin supporters.)Publically the future of those three political and ethnic entities would be confirmed later. The existing governments knew three things.1) I was that madman who had led the charge in Romania, clearly a man of bravery and humility. The odds were good that I was going to be a man they could rely on to adequately represent their interests with the government that currently mattered the most (aka The Khanate.)2) The Great Khan thought the world of me and in this nascent New World Order that meant way more than membership in NATO, or begging the United Nations to apply sanctions of dubious value.3) There would be a change of leadership by about 2040. Children of excellent ethnic parentage would succeed me in this ceremonial role in the region. These new princes and princesses would be the scions of the line of Nyilas and representatives of the various states (translation: I was going to be sexing it up with Georgian, Armenian and Kurdish members of the Hashashin).That would establish the three 'cadet' branches of House Ishara (Nyilas) (which I've listed because all three alphabets are so freaking beautiful) that could weave the Amazons, 9 Clans and the varying ethnic identities into a quilt that could stand together as a force in the Great Khan's inner circle. This new spate of aristocratic, 'Archer'-themed lineages would be:1.       Moisari, in Georgia.2.       Aġeġnajig, in Armenia.3.       Ram- alsham, in Kurdistan.This fiction made the key named entities happy. The combination of all these events applied another jolt to the heart of the global power structure (after all, Turkey was in NATO) and made the US and UK governments back off.By tidying up the world map, we'd brought our governmental chiefs to the chilling revelation that their sole conduit for insider information regarding the ongoing global calamity had reacted to their intransience by simply letting them be blind-sided by events. After the fact, Javiera and Lady Fathom relayed that message very clearly.

The Old Man on the Mountain is an expression used by Marco Polo to describe Muhammad III of Alamut, the grand master of the Order of Assassins. After, the name was used for various Isma'ili successors, especially in Syria.This week's prompt produced some fun, strange, and beautiful stories for you to listen to! We hope this podcast gets you excited about being creative.Happy writing, everyone!Be sure to follow us on Instagram (if that's your sort of thing). Please do send us an email with your story if you write along, which we hope you will do. Episodes of Radio FreeWrite are protected by a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-ND 4.0) license. All Stories remain the property of their respective authors.

Hello and welcome to the second episode of our two-part series on The Ismailis, which features Dr Farhad Daftary, Director Emeritus of the Institute of Ismaili Studies. This episode continues the history of the community, from the collapse of the Fatimid Empire - the only time Ismailis led a state - all the way to the present day.    One topic that dominates this episode is the legends about the community. 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 century when Crusaders in Syria came into contact with the Nizari Ismailis, who, at the behest of their leader Hasan bin Sabbah (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".  Dr Daftary addresses in detail the assassins legend created this time by Muslim polemicists aiming to discredit the Ismaili movement. As such, this episode reveals an extraordinary programme of propaganda rooted in the medieval Muslim world and medieval Europe's ignorance of this world. Do subscribe to our YouTube channel, and follow us for more: https://www.instagram.com/muslimfootprints/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/muslim-footprints https://x.com/MFootprintsPod https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557285590197 http://www.youtube.com/@MuslimFootprints https://www.threads.net/@muslimfootprints

Nous sommes en 1090, dans la vallée de l'Alborz, au sud de la mer Caspienne, à 100 kilomètres de l'actuelle Téhéran, dans le nord-ouest de ce que l'on appelait alors la Perse. Là où le jeune Hasan Sabbâh a trouvé refuge. Et c'est depuis la forteresse d'Alamût que cet ambitieux va fonder l'un des Ordres les plus décriés du Moyen Âge : les Assassins. Un ordre ismaélien nizarite, l'une des branches du chiisme. Il y règne une discipline implacable : ses membres sont liés par une culture du secret, par une abnégation totale pouvant aller jusqu'à la mort et par une culture ésotérique qui prône de hautes valeurs morales. Le Moyen-Orient est sous tensions, les Assassins font face aux Turcs, aux Mongols et aux Croisés qui veulent y installer des Etats latins et contrôler la Terre sainte. Des ennemis qui présentent les Assassins comme des fanatiques meurtriers. L'Ordre chute en 1256 mais il survit, d'abord dans la clandestinité puis sous le patronage de ses héritiers spirituels directs, les Aga Khans. Alors qui étaient réellement les Assassins : des terroristes ou des réformateurs de l'Islam ? SAvec nous : Yves Bomati, spécialiste de l'histoire de l'Iran. « Les Assassins d'Alamût – Les dessous d'une politique de la terreur » aux éditions Armand Colin. Sujets traités : Assassins, Alamut, Moyen Âge,Téhéran,Perse,Hasan Sabbâh,ismaélien,chiisme, Moyen-Orient, Turcs,Mongols,Croisés,Terre sainte,Aga Khans, islam Merci pour votre écoute Un Jour dans l'Histoire, c'est également en direct tous les jours de la semaine de 13h15 à 14h30 sur www.rtbf.be/lapremiere Retrouvez tous les épisodes d'Un Jour dans l'Histoire sur notre plateforme Auvio.be :https://auvio.rtbf.be/emission/5936 Intéressés par l'histoire ? Vous pourriez également aimer nos autres podcasts : L'Histoire Continue: https://audmns.com/kSbpELwL'heure H : https://audmns.com/YagLLiKEt sa version à écouter en famille : La Mini Heure H https://audmns.com/YagLLiKAinsi que nos séries historiques :Chili, le Pays de mes Histoires : https://audmns.com/XHbnevhD-Day : https://audmns.com/JWRdPYIJoséphine Baker : https://audmns.com/wCfhoEwLa folle histoire de l'aviation : https://audmns.com/xAWjyWCLes Jeux Olympiques, l'étonnant miroir de notre Histoire : https://audmns.com/ZEIihzZMarguerite, la Voix d'une Résistante : https://audmns.com/zFDehnENapoléon, le crépuscule de l'Aigle : https://audmns.com/DcdnIUnUn Jour dans le Sport : https://audmns.com/xXlkHMHSous le sable des Pyramides : https://audmns.com/rXfVppvN'oubliez pas de vous y abonner pour ne rien manquer.Et si vous avez apprécié ce podcast, n'hésitez pas à nous donner des étoiles ou des commentaires, cela nous aide à le faire connaître plus largement.

Send us a textA secret group of consensual cannibals have discovered the Holy Grail for their kind, and are having a calm, peaceful auction to sell the delicious treasure buried long ago by Ed Gein. But the night has surprises in store for them, and an extensive menu. Music:Death valley by Lobo LocoCannibal Cod by DesfontaneGarden of Alamut and Psychadelic Supper Part 1-4 by Hopalong Horus Heinsenberg Please subscribe through Buzzsprout, Stitcher, Spotify, Podchaser, or iTunesFind me on social media on Instagram Facebook and Twitter, or email me direct at AScaryHomeCompanion@gmail.comSupport our PATREON page! And check out the Redbubble merch shop. Support the show

En 1090, un jeune Iranien du nom de Hasan Sabbah trouve refuge dans la forteresse d'Alamût et y fonde l'un des Ordres les plus énigmatiques du Moyen Âge : les Assassins. Présentés par leurs ennemis comme de fanatiques meurtriers, ces derniers auraient fait régner la terreur au Moyen-Orient, aussi bien en Perse qu'en Syrie, durant près de deux siècles.Pour lire la réalité derrière le mythe, Yves Bomati interroge les sources occidentales et iraniennes et révèle le fonctionnement de cet Ordre médiéval à la discipline implacable, lié par une culture du secret, une doctrine ésotérique aux hautes valeurs morales et une volonté farouche de défier ses contempteurs.Dans un Moyen-Orient sous tensions, les Assassins se heurtèrent aux assauts répétés des empires concurrents – les Turcs seldjoukides ou encore les Mongols de Gengis Khan – ainsi qu'aux velléités des Croisés qui, dès 1095, poussèrent à la constitution des États latins d'Orient et au contrôle de la Terre sainte.Portant un regard neuf tant sur les plans historique, politique que religieux, Yves Bomati éclaire les dessous trop méconnus de cet Ordre ismaélien qui, à partir de sa chute en 1256, a survécu dans la clandestinité et continue d'exister aujourd'hui dans les actions de ses héritiers spirituels directs, les Aga Khans.Yves Bomati est notre invité pour les Interviews Timeline

Raquel Vázquez ha cruzado el sendero que separa los aforismos de la poesía para publicar 'Entre coche y andén', el último libro de nuestra Premio El Ojo Crítico de Poesía, Premio Loewe y Orizzonte Atlántico. Despedimos los viernes de ciencia ficción de Miguel Ángel Delgado con 'Flores para Algernon' de Daniel Keyes que publica Alamut en castellano y L'Altra Editorial en catalán. Viajamos hasta Venecia porque se celebra la Mostra y allí está nuestro corresponsal Jordi Barcia con Aitor Arregi, Jon Garaño, Eduard Fernández y Antonio Banderas. Seguimos en el cine con los estrenos que trae Conxita Casanovas: 'Volveréis' de Jonás Trueba, 'Bonnard, el pintor y su musa' de Martin Provost.Terminamos la sección de manga con Andrés Simón con un breve recorrido por los clásicos del terror: 'Berserk' de Kentaro Miura, el 'Uzumaki' de Junji Ito y 'The Horizon' de Jung Ji Hum. Nos vamos al fin de semana con las novedades cara a septiembre que trae Leyre Guerrero, directora de NaNaNa de Radio 3. Escuchar audio

In part 2 of our series, Stark heads into the mountains of Persia in search of the Valley of the Assassins - as well as the ruins of their legendary fortresses - including Alamut and Lambsar castles.  The Explorers Podcast is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising on the Explorers Podcast? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Svojo poslovno pot je začel že kot dijak pri stricu. Z delom je nadaljeval tudi med študijem, ki pa ga je zelo hitro opustil. Pri stricu se je redno zaposlil leta 1994, kot referent v komerciali. Leta 2001 je prevzel vodenje nabave in logistike, leta 2003 pa je postal komercialni vodja prodaje. Zase pravi, da je zaradi lastne samopodobe potrditev iskal drugje. Začenjal je namreč dvomiti vase; sem res sposoben ali imam strica? Tako se je leta 2005 zaposlil v trgovini IKEA v Gradcu, kjer je bil odgovoren za prodajo poslovnim uporabnikom. Vključen je bil v program izobraževanj za vodilne kadre pri IKEI, a po 13. mesecih ga je poklical stric s povabilom, da prevzamem vodenje podjetja. Od septembra 2006 je direktor družbe MIKRO+POLO. Od leta 2015 je podjetje na na evropskih trgih prisotno z lastno blagovno znamko laboratorijskega pohištva in specialne opreme, pod imenom LAB INTERIOR, ki ga v celoti proizvajajo v Mariboru. Leta 2022 so prvi na svetu predstavili pametno (digitalizirano) laboratorijsko pohištvo.   Naj quote: "Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. Therefore is called 'the present'." Naj knjiga: Alamut, Vladimir Bartol Naj serija: Big Bang Theory Hobiji: klavir, smučanje, fitnes Najljubša hrana: maline Naj app: Tesla Zaključni nauki za naše poslušalce: 1.    Življenje je kratko in je samo moje. 2.    Uspeha ne moreš dobiti, lahko si ga samo spodiš. 3.     Posel ni tekmovanje ampak neskončna igra.

Neo Nostromo #64 - Trilogía de los arquitectos, de Adrian Tchaikovsky. El viaje de la Neo Nostromo sigue avanzando en su exploración del universo. En esta ocasión, el viaje nos acerca al centro mismo del cosmos en nuestro repaso a “La mirada del vacío” y “Lords of Uncreation”, segunda y tercera (y final) entregas de la trilogía de “Los Arquitectos”, de Adrian Tchaikovsky. Le ponemos algun óbice, Miquel gruñe un poco, pero es una trilogía fantástica que vale la pena no dejar escapar. Recordad que dedicamos el programa 60 a hacerle un repaso bien completo a”Huérfanos de la tierra”, el primer volumen de la trilogía, y que podéis encontrar el primer y segundo volumen traducidos en Alamut. Merece la pena esperar al tercero. ¿Nos acompañáis en el viaje? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/neo-nostromo/message

Arabian Panther - "Gaza's Tears" from the 2023 compilation album By the People, For the People on House of Afandi Records French/Lebanese DJ/producer Arabian Panther has long used his music as a platform for social justice. He performs on stage obscured behind a black keffiyeh, as a sign of support to the Palestinian cause and to his roots. To him, the "Arabian Panther" is a fictional character, a warrior atop a feline, inspired by Alamut and the Ashashins.  He has long been a staunch supporter of Palestinian rights, and his first recording was released on the first Palestinian electronic music label, Harara. He's currently working on his third EP and his debut album.  Read the full story at KEXP.orgSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Frankfurtski knjižni sejem se preveša v drugo polovico. Eden od izpostavljenih dogodkov našega gostovanja je bil tudi nastop skupine Laibach. Njihovo izvirno simfonično delo Alamut obravnava zgodbo iz Perzije v 11. stoletju, kakor jo je v istoimenskem romanu opisal Vladimir Bartol. Še pred koncertom so ozadje romana osvetlili sodelujoči na okrogli mizi, kako pa lahko z Alamutom povežemo freske slovenskega slikarja Toneta Kralja? Odgovor na to vprašanje lahko slišite v oddaji Svet kulture, v kateri bomo predstavili tudi uprizoritev Kakor v nebesih, simpozij muzealcev in koncert Družinskega abonmaja.

Yksi maailman suosituimmista pelifranchiseista, Assassin's Creed sai uuden jatko-osan nimeltä Mirage. Inspiraationsa slovenialaiskirjailija Vladimir Bartolin teoksesta Alamut sekä 1000-luvun alkupuolella Lähi-idässä toimineesta hashashiineista saanut salamurhaajien kilta palaa tomintaseikkailupelissä juurilleen. Miragessa salamurhia, hiippailua ja parkouria harrastetaan islamin kulta-ajalla keskiajan Bagdadissa. Ranskalaislähtöisen pitkän linjan pelitalo Ubisoftin uusin satsaus julkaistiin sekä tietokoneille että konsoleille, ja sen teema ja tunnelma jatkavat entisten pelien linjassa mallintaen historiallisia paikkoja ja aikakausia. Miten Assassin's Creed onnistuu pelinä ja sekoittamaan historialliseen kokonaisuuteensa fiktiota? Onko pelisarjalla potentiaalia herättää aitoa kiinnostusta kulttuurihistoriaa kohtaan, vai onko kyseessä enemmänkin eksotisointi ja puhdas viihde? Kulttuuriykkönen tutustuu tähän jo vuonna 2007 ensimmäisen osansa ja lukuisia jatko-osia, spin-offeja sekä elokuvankin synnyttäneen pelisarjan maailmaan, ja pohtii sen suosiota yhdessä pelitutkija Heidi Rautalahden, islamin tutkimuksen dosentti Ilkka Lindstedtin sekä Ylen uuden pelisarjan Totta, tarua ja videopelejä toimittaja Harri Alanteen kanssa. Juhani Kenttämaa toimittaa.

Geçtiğimiz pazar (1 Ekim), kuşluk vakti Tahran'dan çıkıp batıya doğru yöneldik. Şehrin daha güneş doğmadan başlayan ve sonraki birkaç saat boyunca devam eden kilit trafiğinden biraz olsun kurtulmayı amaçlamıştık, ancak yine de Kerac'a kadar yoğunluk sürdü. Hepimizin şikâyetçi olduğu İstanbul trafiği, Tahran'ınkiyle kıyas edildiğinde, bir Anadolu kasabasının telaşesi mesabesinde kalıyor. Gerçeğini varın siz düşünün. Üç buçuk saatlik bir yolculuğun sonunda, Sultâniye uzaktan göründü. Burası, İlhanlıların çılgın hükümdarı Olcaytu'nun (1282-1316) başkentiydi ve onun inşa ettirdiği devasa kümbetle meşhurdu. Budist bir babayla Hristiyan bir annenin oğlu olan Olcaytu 1291'e kadar Budist, 1295'e kadar da Hristiyan olarak yaşamıştı. Sonrasında “Muhammed Hüdâbende” adını alarak Sünnî Müslümanlığa geçiş yapan hükümdar, 1310'da Şiîliğe yönelmiş, ömrünü de müfrit bir Şiî olarak tamamlamıştı. Iraklı meşhur Şiî din adamı Allâme Hillî'nin (1250-1325) tesiri altında kalan Olcaytu, Şia'nın On İki İmam'ına ait kabirleri Sultâniye'ye taşıtıp hepsini aynı kubbe altına gömdürmek gibi fikirleri de olan sıra dışı bir yöneticiydi. 1304'ten itibaren 12 yıl tahtta kalan Olcaytu, Kuzey İran havalisine Şiîliğin yayılması için olağanüstü gayret sarf etmişti. 1302-1312 arasında inşa ettirilen Sultâniye Kümbeti, 49 metre yüksekliğinde 200 tonluk dev bir kubbeyi taşıyor. Floransa Katedrali ve Ayasofya'dan sonra dünyanın üçüncü büyük briket kubbesi olan yapının türbe kısmına 1316'daki ölümünden sonra Olcaytu da defnedilmiş. Ancak kabri bugün mevcut değil. Kendisinin ölümüyle başlayan kaos ve karmaşa ortamında, mezarı da bilinmeyen bir yere taşınmış. Vaktiyle Tebrîz'le yarışacak kadar gelişen ve büyüyen Sultâniye, bugün küçük bir kasaba görünümünde. Sultâniye'den sonra Kazvîn'e geçtik. Selçukluların imar ettiği bu güzel şehir, Şah Abbâs 1598'de devletin başkentini İsfahân'a nakledene kadar Safevî payitahtıydı. Semerkand tadı veren cuma camiinde namazlarımızı kıldık. Ancak bu ihtişamlı mekân, İran devlet aklının, ibadet hayatının merkezine türbeleri ve Hüseyniye adı verilen özel mabetleri yerleştirme siyasetinin doğrudan bir sonucu olarak, terk edilmiş haldeydi. Kazvîn'i Kadîm Tahran Kapısı'ndan terk ederek, kuzeye, Elbruz Dağları'na yöneldik. İstikametimiz, İslâm tarihinin en dehşetli terör örgütü Haşhâşîlerin vaktiyle yuvalandığı Alamut Kalesi'ydi.

Si te gusta lo que escuchas y deseas apoyarnos puedes dejar tu donación en PayPal, ahí nos encuentras como @IrvingSun --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/irving-sun/message

Neo Nostromo #60 - Monográfico Huérfanos de la Tierra, de Adrian Tchaikovsky Los dos tripulantes de la Neo Nostromo estamos leyendo (un poco a trompicones) la trilogía de “La arquitectura final”, de Adrian Tchaikovsky, y nos está gustando tanto que le hemos dedicado este programa al primer volumen: “Huérfanos de la Tierra” (“Shards of Earth”). Es una space opera fenomenal que ganó el British Science Fiction Award a Mejor Novela en 2021, y la podéis encontrar traducida al castellano en Alamut. ¡No os la perdáis --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/neo-nostromo/message

“Não é possível encontrar novas terras sem consentimento em perder de vista a costa, por muito tempo.” (André Gide) Cada livro é o resultado único de inúmeras pesquisas, reflexões, buscas, percepções, aventuras. Nos episódios de AVENTURAS BIBLIÓFILAS, apresentaremos os bastidores editoriais de nossos livros, a longa senda de curadoria que resulta em um livro. Obras citadas: “Alamut”, Vladimir Bartol (Morro Branco, 2022); “Puissances du rêve”, Roger Caillois (org.), (Le Club Français du Livre, 1962); “Secret Societies of the Middle Ages”, (Charles Knight and Co., 1837); “Fundgruben des Orients”, terceiro volume, (Gedruckt Bey Anton Schmid, 1813). Apoie nossa nova campanha no Catarse: https://www.catarse.me/krzadock Entre para a nossa sociedade, dedicada à bibliofilia maldita e ao culto de tenebrosos grimórios: o RES FICTA (solicitações via http://raphuspress.weebly.com/contact.html). Nosso podcast também está disponível nas seguintes plataformas: - Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4NUiqPPTMdnezdKmvWDXHs - Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/podcast-da-raphus-press/id1488391151?uo=4 - Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy8xMDlmZmVjNC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw%3D%3D Apoie o canal: https://apoia.se/podcastdaraphus. Ou adquira nossos livros em nosso site: http://raphuspress.weebly.com. Dúvidas sobre envio, formas de pagamento, etc.: http://raphuspress.weebly.com/contact.html.

Njegovo najznamenitejše delo je roman Alamut. Preveden v številne jezike že dolgo potuje po vsem svetu in buri domišljijo bralcev. Francoski prevod je v hipu postal uspešnica, prva naklada je bila razprodana v nekaj mesecih, v Španiji je bilo prvih deset tisoč izvodov razprodanih še pred uradno predstavitvijo knjige. Svet je Bartola sprejel z odprtimi rokami, doma pa so bili številni do njegovega pisanja zadržani. Kritiki in esejisti so se dolgo ukvarjali z moralno presojo filozofskih temeljev njegovih del, z vprašanjem Bartolovega nihilizma in malo ali nič z literarno vrednostjo napisanega. In če je Alamut pozneje vendarle dosegel zasluženo priznanje tudi doma, so njegove zgodbe, ki jih sam poimenuje "zbirka literarnih sestavkov" in so zbrane v knjigi Al Araf, ostale v senci. Letos mineva 120 let od Bartolovega rojstva in v nočnem programu lahko prisluhnete nekaterim njegovim zgodbam. Izbrala jih je Nada Vodušek.

Aquesta setmana, A les Portes de troia, parlem sobre la secta dels Assassins: un grup de guerrers que va tenir un fort impacte entre els segles XI i XIII. També ens centrarem en la seva base d’operacions, Alamut, i en la figura llegendària del seu líder: el Vell de la muntanya.

BIBLIOTECA SUBMERSA é a nova série de episódios do Podcast da Raphus Press, uma ironia bastante séria com o conceito de canônico e marginal, de popular e elitista, de aceito e não aceito, a partir das obras de autores que, aparentemente, tinham alguma influência (ou relevância) de certas obras ou autores no passado e que, hoje, parecem ausentes das livrarias, cadernos culturais, canais de vídeo na Internet. Nossa inspiração é Jorge Luis Borges e uma conhecida citação de Virginia Woolf: “Livros usados são selvagens, destituídos; surgem em grandes bandos de penas variadas e possuem certo encanto que falta aos volumes domesticados de uma biblioteca.” Episódio de hoje: A vertigem da aniquilação (“Alamut”, de Bartol e a utopia niilista) Obras citadas: “Alamut”, Vladimir Bartol (Morro Branco, 2022). Apoie nossa campanha de visionários e malditos: https://www.catarse.me/3visionarios  Entre para a nossa sociedade, dedicada à bibliofilia maldita e ao culto de tenebrosos grimórios: o RES FICTA (solicitações via http://raphuspress.weebly.com/contact.html). Nosso podcast também está disponível nas seguintes plataformas: - Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4NUiqPPTMdnezdKmvWDXHs - Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/podcast-da-raphus-press/id1488391151?uo=4 - Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy8xMDlmZmVjNC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw%3D%3D  Apoie o canal: https://apoia.se/podcastdaraphus. Ou adquira nossos livros em nosso site: http://raphuspress.weebly.com. Dúvidas sobre envio, formas de pagamento, etc.: http://raphuspress.weebly.com/contact.html.

A history of knife wielding assassins, from medieval times to Salman Rushdie's attempted murder in New York, in 2022. The word “assassin” comes from the Persian “hashshashin,” eater of hashish. Who was the first assassin in history?This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Go to https://betterhelp.com/DUBIOUS for 10% off your first month of therapy and get matched with a therapist who will listen and help. We're talking about the attempted killing of Salman Rushdie by Hadi Matar, a New Jersey man obsessed with the Ayatollah Khomeini's Fatwa issued to encourage Rushdie's assassination back in the 1980s after the publication of Rushdie's novel The Satanic Verses. Please become a patron if you like our content, you'll get all of our public episodes ad-free. 1 Fatwas are mostly pretty silly, there are only three recent ones dealing with a person: one in the 1990s was issued for secular Egyptian writer Farag Foda who was murdered in 1992, one was issued in the early 2000s urging the assassination of Libyan president Muhammar al-Gaddafi, and the third for Salman Rushdie in 1989. Rushdie lived with a permanent security presence away from the public eye for a decade due to the threat of violence against him. The term assassin originated with Hassan as-Sabbah, an 11th century Shia revolutionary who seized Alamut castle and the surrounding region without killing soul... by disguising himself as a teacher and gaining the confidence of the castle's guards and diplomats while the ruler of the region was away. With co-conspirators in hand Hassan took control of the castle and founded both one of the medieval world's great libraries and centers of learning, as well as a school for hired killers. The word itself either came from the Persian word "eaters of hashish" or "hashashin" (because anyone who would kill a man who he had spent years befriending only to be killed by guards moments later must be high), or "hassa", the Arabic word for "killing a large population of people." Whichever was the true origin, the prevalence of the word in English comes from Shakespeare, who also used the word in Macbeth to describe the act of killing a king for profit and ambition. We finish by discussing a great article about the state of modern discourse by Kenan Malik printed in the Guardian in 2018, as well as quotes from Rushdie himself and the great fictionalized version of Hassan as-Sabbah's story written by Vladimir Bartol in 1938: the novel Alamut. 2, 3 Episode #DubiMeter = 8 1. Ray Sanchez, Adam Thomas, Kristina Sgueglia, Samantha Beech, Paul P. Murphy, and Lauren Said-Moorhouse. Authorities identify suspect who attacked author Salman Rushdie at western New York event. CNN. August 2022. ⇤2. Kenan Malik. The Satanic Verses sowed the seeds of rifts that have grown ever wider. The Guardian. September 2018. ⇤3. DJ Grothe. Salman Rushdie – Secular Values, Human Rights and Islamism. Point of Inquiry. October 2006. ⇤

Aleksij Kobal je v svojem jedru zavezan slikanju, a njegovi pogledi suvereno drsijo tudi čez druge pokrajine umetnosti – skozi video, glasbo in pisano besedo. Zvok ga je našel dobesedno med železjem, s katerim se je začel poigravati in nazadnje izdelal flavto in dva saksofona. Potem je glasbo raziskoval kot član skupine The Stroj. Čeprav je zdaj spet zavezan svojemu osnovnemu poklicu slikarja, ga zvoki iz preteklosti kdaj še vedno obiščejo. Tako sta letos nastala glasbena kompozicija in video z naslovom Alamut. Spomladi pa je izšel tudi njegov drugi roman Topologija zlatoroga. S slikarjem, glasbenikom in pisateljem Aleksijem Kobalom se na nočno plezalno avanturo po intrigantni psihološki zgodbi o samoodkrivanju in iskanju resnične ljubezni s primesmi kriminalke podaja voditeljica Nada Vodušek. Pridite z nami raziskovat skrivnosti rajske gorske planine in človeške globine.

Nismo želeli uglasbiti Bartolove ideje, ampak se temeljito poglobiti v besedilo ter označiti ključne elemente in probleme, ki se nam zdijo aktualni. Na 70. Festivalu Ljubljana bo v Križankah svetovna premiera projekta Alamut, izvirnega simfoničnega dela skupine Laibach, ki temelji na romanu Vladimirja Bartola. Projekt je nastal v sodelovanju z iranskimi skladatelji in sodelavci. Skladbo so napisali Luka Jamnik ter iranska skladatelja Idin Samimi Mofakham in Nima A. Rowshan. Simfoničnemu orkestru RTV Slovenije bo dirigiral iranski dirigent Navid Gohari. Skupina Laibach je imela veliko željo, da bi projekt Alamut svetovno premiero doživel v Teheranu in v sodelovanju s Teheranskim simfoničnim orkestrom, a je ta zaradi številnih zapletov ostala neuresničena.

This episode explores the historical and religious context of the first Assassin's Creed Game.The episode uses sound taken from gameplay footage from No Copyrightgfg Gameplaykj.Link to their video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3k2CfOK74c&list=UUMcIQ4ZIKaYC6YescDoyw2w&index=663Sources/Suggested Reading:Daftary, Farhad (2007). "The Isma'ilis: Their History and Doctrines". Cambridge University Press.#AssassinsCreed #Islam #History Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is it, y'all! We have made it to the season six finale with three absolute tanks ready to duke it out to become our next super mondo champion of champions. Look out for odd premises in round one where we insert the surnames of actors into unrelated properties that have their first name. But keep your eyes on the floor for round two so that you don't step on the bricks from the pop culture Lego sets we'll be quizzing our players about. Then an absolutely FAB lightning round caps off another exciting season! See you next week for something special! NOTES ⚠️ Inline notes below may be truncated due to podcast feed character limits. Full notes are always on the episode page.

This is it, y'all! We have made it to the season six finale with three absolute tanks ready to duke it out to become our next super mondo champion of champions. Look out for odd premises in round one where we insert the surnames of actors into unrelated properties that have their first name. But keep your eyes on the floor for round two so that you don't step on the bricks from the pop culture Lego sets we'll be quizzing our players about. Then an absolutely FAB lightning round caps off another exciting season! See you next week for something special!Support Us On Patreon

Canale Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Idufifk1hamoBzkZngr1wProduzione, Editing e Sound Design - Matteo D'Alessandro: https://www.instagram.com/unclemattprod/Volete far parte della community e discutere con tanti appassionati come voi? Venite sul nostro gruppo Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/groups/624562554783646/Se volete chiaccherare o giocare con noi, unitevi al server Discord : https://discord.gg/muGgVsXMBWIl nostro Instagram per essere sempre aggiornati sulle novità : https://www.instagram.com/bibliotecadialessandria/?hl=itGruppo Telegram : https://t.me/joinchat/Flt9O0AWYfCUVsqrTAzVcg

Hasan Sabbah ve adamları yani Haşhaşiler hakkındaki bilgilerimizin ezici bölümünü, Şiilik-Karmatilik-İsmaililik-Nizarilik zincirine düşman olan Sünni yazarlardan derlemiş bulunuyoruz. Resmi öğretiye göre Haşhaşilik, İslam dininde görülen mezhepsel kırılmanın ardından Şiiiliğe bağlı İsmailiye mezhebinin Nizari kolunu temel alan ve kendi çevresinde “Şeyhü'l Cebel” yani “dağın sahibi, dağın efendisi” olarak anılan İsmaili din adamı Hasan Sabbah tarafından 1090 yılında İran'da ele geçirilen Alamut kalesinde sınırları belirlenmiş bir tarikat öğretisinin genel adıdır. İsmaili kökenlere sahip olan Haşhaşilik öğretisini benimsemiş tarikat üyelerine “Haşhaşi” (çoğulu "Haşhaşin") denmektedir. Gerçekleştirmiş oldukları sayısız suikast ve terör eylemleri ile Batılı ve Doğulu birçok yazarı etkilemiş olan tarikatın kurbanları tarafından tarikata üye olanları tanımlamak için konulmuş Haşhaşi ismi tarikat örgütlenmesi hakkındaki rivayetlerde haşhaş bitkisinden elde edilmiş uyuşturucu ürünlerinin tüketiminin etkisiyle işlenmiş cinayetlerden gelmektedir. Bu hikâye Haçlılar tarafından Avrupa'ya, oradan Osmanlı'ya, oradan da günümüz Türkiye'sine taşınmış, özellikle son yıllarda iktidar sahiplerinin bazı siyasi muhalifleri için bolca kullandığı bir terim haline gelmiştir. Peki Hasan Sabbah ve öğretisi hakkında “öteki tarihçiler” ne der?

Assassin's Creed is an open-world action-adventure stealth video game franchise published by Ubisoft and developed mainly by its studio Ubisoft Montreal using the game engine Anvil and its more advanced derivatives. Created by Patrice Désilets, Jade Raymond, and Corey May, the Assassin's Creed series depicts a fictional millennia-old struggle between the Assassins, who fight for peace with free will, and the Templars, who desire peace through order and control. The series features historical fiction, science fiction and fictional characters intertwined with real-world historical events and figures. For the majority of time players control an Assassin in the past history, while also playing as Desmond Miles or an Assassin Initiate in the present day, who hunt down their Templar targets. The series took inspiration from the novel Alamut by the Slovenian writer Vladimir Bartol, based on the historical Hashashin sect of the medieval Middle East,[1] while building upon concepts from the Prince of Persia series.[2] The series's eponymous first title was released in 2007, and it has featured twelve main games in total, the most recent being 2020's Valhalla. Main games of Assassin's Creed are set in an open world and presented from the third-person perspective where the protagonists take down targets using their combat and stealth skills with the exploitation of the environment. Players have freedom to explore the historical settings as they finish main and side quests. Apart from single-player missions, some games also provide competitive and cooperative multiplayer gameplay. A new story and occasional new time period are introduced in each entry, and gameplay elements evolve from the previous one. There are three-story arcs in the series. For the first five main games, the framing story is set in 2012 and features series protagonist Desmond Miles who uses a machine called the Animus and relives the memories of his ancestors. Grab a beer, a slice of pizza, and come hang out with us. We play the greatest games from yesterday while discussing today's gaming news and reminisce on the past. A no topic, no fuks given eccentric cast. Come hang with us at 7:00PM EST | 6:00PM CST | 5:00PM MST | 4:00PM PST. ****** THE RETRO RENEGADES ARE ****** Graphic God Twitter: @Graphic_God Youtube: https://Youtube.com/GraphicGod​​ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/Graphic_God​​ SUPERSONICSTATION Youtube : https://youtube.com/user/SuperSonicSt... Twitch : https://twitch.tv/supersonicstation​​ STINKINCORPSE Twitter: @stinkincorpse Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UChhVxkV0... UK Dazarus Twitter: @UKDazarus Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCud_ef29... Jago Kuken Twitter: @RetroRenegade_ Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCqKT2pP9... CRISPYBOMB Twitter: @Crispybomb EnFin3t Twitter: @EnFiN3t Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/RetroRenegades DragonHeartYoby Twitter: @DragonHeartYoby Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/dragonheartyoby​ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/retro-renegades/support

In his new book Esoteric Islam in Modern French Thought: Massignon, Corbin, Jambet (Bloomsbury Academic Press, 2021) Ziad Elmarsafy maps the intellectual and personal genealogies of three French specialists of Islam, Louis Massignon, Henry Corbin, and Christian Jambet and the ways in which esoteric Islam, be it Sufism, Shi‘ism and/or Islamic philosophy informed their academic projects and worldviews. The first chapter situates Massignon’s travels (i.e., Iraq) and his studies of Arabic and Sufism (especially of Mansur al-Hallaj), which defined his conceptualizations and embodiments of hospitality and desire. Massignon’s student Corbin would also turn to the traditions of Sufism, Shi‘a thought, and metaphysics to grapple with notions of vision or theophany in his intellectual work. Finally, Christian Jambet, a student of Corbin, and a Maoist atheist would turn to the revolutionary history of the Alamut and Nizari Ismailis, as well as Mulla Sadra, to think through ideas of political change, eschatology, and resurrection. Throughout these rich and detailed chapters, one finds a textured discussion of the diverse ways in which esoteric Islam defined the intellectual lives and projects of twentieth and twenty-first century France. The book will be of interest to those who think and write about esoteric Islam, Islam in the west, Islamic and French philosophy, Shi ‘ism, and Sufism. Shobhana Xavier is an Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Queen’s University. More details about her research and scholarship may be found here and here. She may be reached at shobhana.xavier@queensu.ca. You can follow her on Twitter via @shobhanaxavier. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/middle-eastern-studies

In his new book Esoteric Islam in Modern French Thought: Massignon, Corbin, Jambet (Bloomsbury Academic Press, 2021) Ziad Elmarsafy maps the intellectual and personal genealogies of three French specialists of Islam, Louis Massignon, Henry Corbin, and Christian Jambet and the ways in which esoteric Islam, be it Sufism, Shi‘ism and/or Islamic philosophy informed their academic projects and worldviews. The first chapter situates Massignon’s travels (i.e., Iraq) and his studies of Arabic and Sufism (especially of Mansur al-Hallaj), which defined his conceptualizations and embodiments of hospitality and desire. Massignon’s student Corbin would also turn to the traditions of Sufism, Shi‘a thought, and metaphysics to grapple with notions of vision or theophany in his intellectual work. Finally, Christian Jambet, a student of Corbin, and a Maoist atheist would turn to the revolutionary history of the Alamut and Nizari Ismailis, as well as Mulla Sadra, to think through ideas of political change, eschatology, and resurrection. Throughout these rich and detailed chapters, one finds a textured discussion of the diverse ways in which esoteric Islam defined the intellectual lives and projects of twentieth and twenty-first century France. The book will be of interest to those who think and write about esoteric Islam, Islam in the west, Islamic and French philosophy, Shi ‘ism, and Sufism. Shobhana Xavier is an Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Queen’s University. More details about her research and scholarship may be found here and here. She may be reached at shobhana.xavier@queensu.ca. You can follow her on Twitter via @shobhanaxavier. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/intellectual-history

In his new book Esoteric Islam in Modern French Thought: Massignon, Corbin, Jambet (Bloomsbury Academic Press, 2021) Ziad Elmarsafy maps the intellectual and personal genealogies of three French specialists of Islam, Louis Massignon, Henry Corbin, and Christian Jambet and the ways in which esoteric Islam, be it Sufism, Shi‘ism and/or Islamic philosophy informed their academic projects and worldviews. The first chapter situates Massignon’s travels (i.e., Iraq) and his studies of Arabic and Sufism (especially of Mansur al-Hallaj), which defined his conceptualizations and embodiments of hospitality and desire. Massignon’s student Corbin would also turn to the traditions of Sufism, Shi‘a thought, and metaphysics to grapple with notions of vision or theophany in his intellectual work. Finally, Christian Jambet, a student of Corbin, and a Maoist atheist would turn to the revolutionary history of the Alamut and Nizari Ismailis, as well as Mulla Sadra, to think through ideas of political change, eschatology, and resurrection. Throughout these rich and detailed chapters, one finds a textured discussion of the diverse ways in which esoteric Islam defined the intellectual lives and projects of twentieth and twenty-first century France. The book will be of interest to those who think and write about esoteric Islam, Islam in the west, Islamic and French philosophy, Shi ‘ism, and Sufism. Shobhana Xavier is an Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Queen’s University. More details about her research and scholarship may be found here and here. She may be reached at shobhana.xavier@queensu.ca. You can follow her on Twitter via @shobhanaxavier. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

In his new book Esoteric Islam in Modern French Thought: Massignon, Corbin, Jambet (Bloomsbury Academic Press, 2021) Ziad Elmarsafy maps the intellectual and personal genealogies of three French specialists of Islam, Louis Massignon, Henry Corbin, and Christian Jambet and the ways in which esoteric Islam, be it Sufism, Shi‘ism and/or Islamic philosophy informed their academic projects and worldviews. The first chapter situates Massignon’s travels (i.e., Iraq) and his studies of Arabic and Sufism (especially of Mansur al-Hallaj), which defined his conceptualizations and embodiments of hospitality and desire. Massignon’s student Corbin would also turn to the traditions of Sufism, Shi‘a thought, and metaphysics to grapple with notions of vision or theophany in his intellectual work. Finally, Christian Jambet, a student of Corbin, and a Maoist atheist would turn to the revolutionary history of the Alamut and Nizari Ismailis, as well as Mulla Sadra, to think through ideas of political change, eschatology, and resurrection. Throughout these rich and detailed chapters, one finds a textured discussion of the diverse ways in which esoteric Islam defined the intellectual lives and projects of twentieth and twenty-first century France. The book will be of interest to those who think and write about esoteric Islam, Islam in the west, Islamic and French philosophy, Shi ‘ism, and Sufism. Shobhana Xavier is an Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Queen’s University. More details about her research and scholarship may be found here and here. She may be reached at shobhana.xavier@queensu.ca. You can follow her on Twitter via @shobhanaxavier. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/islamic-studies

In his new book Esoteric Islam in Modern French Thought: Massignon, Corbin, Jambet (Bloomsbury Academic Press, 2021) Ziad Elmarsafy maps the intellectual and personal genealogies of three French specialists of Islam, Louis Massignon, Henry Corbin, and Christian Jambet and the ways in which esoteric Islam, be it Sufism, Shi‘ism and/or Islamic philosophy informed their academic projects and worldviews. The first chapter situates Massignon’s travels (i.e., Iraq) and his studies of Arabic and Sufism (especially of Mansur al-Hallaj), which defined his conceptualizations and embodiments of hospitality and desire. Massignon’s student Corbin would also turn to the traditions of Sufism, Shi‘a thought, and metaphysics to grapple with notions of vision or theophany in his intellectual work. Finally, Christian Jambet, a student of Corbin, and a Maoist atheist would turn to the revolutionary history of the Alamut and Nizari Ismailis, as well as Mulla Sadra, to think through ideas of political change, eschatology, and resurrection. Throughout these rich and detailed chapters, one finds a textured discussion of the diverse ways in which esoteric Islam defined the intellectual lives and projects of twentieth and twenty-first century France. The book will be of interest to those who think and write about esoteric Islam, Islam in the west, Islamic and French philosophy, Shi ‘ism, and Sufism. Shobhana Xavier is an Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Queen’s University. More details about her research and scholarship may be found here and here. She may be reached at shobhana.xavier@queensu.ca. You can follow her on Twitter via @shobhanaxavier. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/religion

In his new book Esoteric Islam in Modern French Thought: Massignon, Corbin, Jambet (Bloomsbury Academic Press, 2021) Ziad Elmarsafy maps the intellectual and personal genealogies of three French specialists of Islam, Louis Massignon, Henry Corbin, and Christian Jambet and the ways in which esoteric Islam, be it Sufism, Shi‘ism and/or Islamic philosophy informed their academic projects and worldviews. The first chapter situates Massignon’s travels (i.e., Iraq) and his studies of Arabic and Sufism (especially of Mansur al-Hallaj), which defined his conceptualizations and embodiments of hospitality and desire. Massignon’s student Corbin would also turn to the traditions of Sufism, Shi‘a thought, and metaphysics to grapple with notions of vision or theophany in his intellectual work. Finally, Christian Jambet, a student of Corbin, and a Maoist atheist would turn to the revolutionary history of the Alamut and Nizari Ismailis, as well as Mulla Sadra, to think through ideas of political change, eschatology, and resurrection. Throughout these rich and detailed chapters, one finds a textured discussion of the diverse ways in which esoteric Islam defined the intellectual lives and projects of twentieth and twenty-first century France. The book will be of interest to those who think and write about esoteric Islam, Islam in the west, Islamic and French philosophy, Shi ‘ism, and Sufism. Shobhana Xavier is an Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Queen’s University. More details about her research and scholarship may be found here and here. She may be reached at shobhana.xavier@queensu.ca. You can follow her on Twitter via @shobhanaxavier. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/french-studies

In this episode we conclude the search for Aga Khan's Ancestor. We trace the last 1000 years of Ismaili and Nizari history and find out the reason for the fall of Alamut in Iran.

Continuamos a revelar os segredos do Clã Assamita! Nesse episódio, Domy Perretti e Marco Antônio Loureiro, vulgo Boi, continuam a desbravar os eventos históricos do clã, eles falaram sobre a Segunda Guerra contra os Baali, o Primeiro aparecimento do poderoso e mais famoso feiticeiro Assamita, Ur'Shulgi, a Diáspora e a Fundação do Alamut!

Exploring #Tesla, #BladeRunner2049, #COVID strand 2, the #Alamut, and more...⁣ ⁣ * * * * * *⁣ Come hang out with us:⁣ https://www.twitch.tv/socraticgamers⁣ ⁣ Check out our podcast on Spotify:⁣ https://open.spotify.com/show/0ruiwFMC2GSOVCJHP2BrOS?si=RyL3w5odTsquiIaiK8aLTg⁣ ⁣ Check out our podcast on Apple Podcasts:⁣ https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/socratic-gamers/id1281834128⁣ ⁣ Check out our official sponsor, ZEN REAL Clothing Co., and be sure to use code SOCRATES at checkout for 20% off select items!⁣ http://www.zenrealclothingco.com⁣ ⁣ Also, if you're in the Port Union area of Scarborough, Toronto, Canada, be sure to check out the Port Union Bakery: http://www.portunionbakery.ca

1087A.D-The Crusaders sack Mahdiya in North Africa.The assassin terror grows in Iraq and Syria.1090A.D-Al Ghazzali teaches at NizamiyaCollege, Baghdad.The Crusaders capture Malta.The assassins capture Alamut in northern Syria and establish a training center for fidayees.1091A.D-End of Muslim presence in Sicily.Smyrna in Anatolia becomes the Seljuk capital.Death of Sultan Malik Shah.The assassins murder grand vizier Nizam ul Mulk.1094A.D-Al Mustansir becomes the Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad.Al Mustadi becomes the Fatimid Caliph in Cairo.1095A.D-Pope Urban II declares a Crusade to take Jerusalem.Al Afdal, grand vizier of Fatimid Egypt, recaptures Jerusalem from Turkish emir Duqaq of Damascus.1096A.D-The start of the First Crusade.1097A.D-Konya Anatolia becomes the Seljuk capital.The Turks retreat before the advancing Crusaders.The Fatimids in Egypt start negotiations with the Crusaders to divide up Seljuk territories.1098A.D-The Crusaders capture Antioch.1099A.D-Jerusalem falls to the Crusaders. The Muslims and the Jews are massacred. Baldwin becomes king of Jerusalem.1100A.D-Al Ghazzali writes a powerful diatribe, Tahaffuz al Falsafa, against speculative philosophy. In Ihya al Uloom, he accords tasawwuf an honored position in the Islamic sciences.1101A.D-Shaykh Abdullah Arif introduces Islam into the island of Sumatra, Indonesia.1106A.D-Death of Yusuf bin Tashfin, emir of the Murabitun.1111A.D-Abu Hamid al Ghazzali dies after transforming the intellectual landscape of the Islamic world.1113A.D-Maudud, a Seljuk officer from Mosul, defeats King Baldwin of Jerusalem.1118A.D-Al Mustarshid, Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad.1123A.D-Death of Omar al Khayyam, mathematician, mystic.1124A.D-Death of Hassan al Sabbah, leader of the Assassins.1126A.D-Archbishop Raymond establishes a school in Toledo to translate Arabic books into Latin.1127A.D-The Assassins murder Turkish officer Maudud.1130A.D-Death of ibn Tumart, leader of the Al Muhaddithin.1132A.D-Roger II of Sicily invites Muslim scholars to work at his court.1139A.D-Birth of Khwaja Moeenuddin Chishti, Sufi sage. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/history-of-islam/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/history-of-islam/support

In the dusty flood plain, 100,000 men and many times that in horses surround the walls of Baghdad. Catapults lob stones relentlessly into the city walls, hauled from great distance. Here, towers collapse under the barrage; there, ladders bring Mongol and subject peoples onto the fortifications, seizing them from the disorganized and panicking garrison. Arrows, some bearing messages, bring both confusion and injury where they land. The mighty Tigris River, the city’s lifeblood, is now part of the trap; pontoon bridges, from them dangling nets embedded with iron hooks, rest both north and south of the city to catch those trying to flee. The final ‘Abbasid Caliph sits frightened and overwhelmed in his palace, as the grasp of Hulegu Khan closes around him. Today, we discuss the fall of Baghdad, 1258. But first, we’d like to remind you that for those of you who enjoy the podcast, your support would be highly appreciated and would help us keep going. We have a patreon available for monthly or even one-time donations or, if you aren’t able to support us financially, positive reviews on Apple Podcasts or other review sites really helps us out. And now, I’m your host David, and this is Kings and Generals: Ages of Conquest.   We left our previous episode off with Hulegu destroying the Nizari Ismaili state, better known at the Order of Assassins, who had controlled a series of fortresses across eastern and northern Iran. By the end of 1256, Hulegu had reduced them to but a few holdouts, and he could begin to look to his next target. Considered heretics of the worst variety by most Sunni Muslims, the Persian writer Juvaini, a member of Hulegu’s retinue, described his victory over the Nizaris in glowing terms, Hulegu as a sword of Islam carrying out God’s will. Juvaini presents Hulegu’s war as a more ‘civilized’ form of conquest compared to that of his grandfather, Chinggis Khan. Destruction was limited to Ismaili territories and the towns and fortresses that failed to submit, as opposed to the veritable tsunami of bloodshed Chinggis Khan wrought on the Khwarezmian empire over thirty years prior. What Hulegu was soon to do in Baghdad and to the titular head of Sunni Islam would not be so praised, and it is perhaps no coincidence that Juvaini’s own chronicle ends with the fall of the Ismailis. As Hulegu left Ismaili territory in the final month of 1256, his eye was drawn to the ‘Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad.   In Islam, the spiritual leader of the religion was whoever was considered the successor to the Prophet Muhammad. For Shi’a Muslims, this was the imam- for Nizari Ismailis, the Imam was the ruler of Alamut, who had just been put to death on Mongol orders. For the majority of Muslims, known as Sunnis, the head of their faith was the Caliph, literally meaning ‘successor.’The first four Caliphs to succeed the Prophet were the “Rightly Guided,” the Rashidun, whose legitimacy is generally unquestioned by most Muslims. The Rashidun were succeeded by the Umayyads, who greatly extended Muslim rule east and west, across North Africa into Spain and across Eastern Iran into Central Asia. In 750, the Umayyad Caliphs were overthrown in the ‘Abbasid revolution. Claiming descent from the Prophet’s uncle ‘Abbas, it was under the early ‘Abbasids that the Caliphal capital was moved from Damascus to the newly established Baghdad along the Tigris River. Never comparable to the power of the Umayyads at their height, from the 9th century onwards the still vast ‘Abbasid empire fragmented with threat from all directions: the Fatimids in Egypt, the Samanids, Buyids and Saffarids of Iran and finally from the steppes, the Great Seljuqs, all of which ground the ‘Abbasids down until their state hardly stretched past the walls of Baghdad. The weakening of the Seljuqs after Sultan Malik-Shah’s death in 1092 allowed the ‘Abbasids to gradually reclaim independence and some authority, even repulsing a Seljuq army attacking Baghdad in 1157. The long reigns of Caliph al-Nasir and al-Mustansir, from 1180 until 1242, saw the ‘Abbasids reclaim much of central and southern Iraq. A far cry from the sweeping power they had held in the 8th century, by the 13th century they still remained influential and held prestige. For 500 years they had been the heads of Islam, and had long cultivated an useful image as invioable and holy, above temporal affairs though they were more often than not mired in them.    For instance, in the late 12th century Caliph al-Nasir was in conflict with the Seljuqs who continued to rule in Iran. He allied with the rising power northeast of the Iranian Seljuqs, the Khwarezmian Empire. Once vassals of the Great Seljuqs, the Khwarezm-shahs now butted heads with them as they expanded southwards, and the reigning Khwarezm-Shah, Tekesh bin Il-Arslan, was happy to ally himself with the Caliph. In 1194 at Rayy, modern Tehran, Tekesh defeated and killed the last Seljuq Sultan in Iran, Toghrul III, ending the dynasty and sending the Sultan’s severed head to al-Nasir in Baghdad. Rather than provide freedom for the Caliphate, Tekesh now wanted to step into the place of Seljuqs. The Seljuqs’ territory in Iran was largely annexed by Tekesh Khwarezm-shah, who soon began making aggressive motions to the Caliph. Al-Nasir encouraged the Khwarezmians’ eastern neighbours, the Ghurids, in their war with Tekesh. Tekesh died in 1200, succeeded by his son Muhammad II as Khwarezm-shah who, through luck, timely assassinations and military victories, overcame the Ghurids, consolidated power over Iran and in 1217 tried to march on Baghdad itself. Muhammad’s march on Baghdad was halted by a vicious snowstorm as he crossed the Zagros mountains, forcing him back. Returning to the northeast of his empire, Muhammad would there make the poor decisions which led to the Mongol Invasion of Khwarezm, covered way back in episode 9 of this podcast.   Now, some authors of the period assert that Caliph al-Nasir actually invited Chinggis Khan to attack Muhammad of Khwarezm- when placed in the context of the Caliph switching to support whoever was on the eastern side of his current foe, there is definitely a logic to it. However, as we described in detail in episode 8 of the podcast, the cause of the Mongol invasion can be found in the foolery of Muhammad Khwarezm-shah alone. Had the Mongols come on the invitation of the Caliph, then surely they would have publicized that to justify the attack and sow further confusion among the Khwarezmians.    In fact, in 1221 when detachments of Jebe and Subutai’s army penetrated into northern Iraq, Caliph al-Nasir was hardly welcoming. Along with the rulers of northern Iraq’s most important cities, Muzaffar ad-Din of Irbil and Badr al-Din Lu’lu’, the de facto ruler of Mosul, the Caliph organized a short lived military coalition, which proved unnecessary as the Mongols soon withdrew. Evidently, the ‘Abbasids spread a rumour that their army was absolutely gargantuan, their power unassailable and heavenly protected, and the Mongols were hesitant to commit. Had they paid close attention in the following years, they might have called the Caliph’s bluff. In 1225 that favoured Khwarezmian rapscallion, Jalal al-Din Mingburnu, defeated a Caliphal army after the ‘Abbasids failed to provide him assistance. Jalal al-Din chased the survivors right to the suburbs of Baghdad, then went north, defeated an army from Irbil sent to assist the Caliph and captured Irbil’s ruler, Muzaffar ad-Din. Caliph al-Nasir, by then elderly, paralyzed and blind for three years, died soon after Jalal al-Din’s attack, and was succeeded by his son, az-Zahir, as the 35th Caliph… for nine months. On Caliph az-Zahir’s death in 1226, he was succeeded by his own son, al-Mustansir, the 36th and penultimate ‘Abbasid Caliph of Baghdad.    As Caliph, al-Mustanir continued to try to strengthen ‘Abbasid control in Iraq and expand the army, but Mongol rule steadily spread over the region. By the start of the 1230s, Chormaqun Noyan and his lieutenants brought the submission of most of Iran and cast Mongol authority over the Caucasus. For Caliph al-Mustansir, the Mongol empire was a vast crescent to his north and east, where it stretched seemingly indefinitely. By 1235, Mongol forces mainly under Chagatai Noyan, “the Lesser,” were probing northern Iraq and directly, but hesitantly, testing ‘Abbasid hegemony in the region. In June 1237, Chagatai Noyan captured Irbil in what is now Iraqi Kurdistan, though the Citadel held out and in August Caliphal forces relieved the city. In February of 1238, an attack was launched on Baghdad, and a panicked Caliph al-Mustansir sent messages to the remaining independent Muslim powers from the Jazira and Syria down to Egypt for aid. Only 2,000 troops from the Ayyubid Sultan of Egypt,  al-Kamil, reached Baghdad, and in June 1238 a caliphal army was defeated near the city. However, the defences of Baghdad itself remained formidable and the city stood defiant while the Mongols turned back from the walls, unprepared for both a long siege and or the fearsome Iraqi summer.  Possibly, the Mongols suffered some sort of reverse while attacking Baghdad; some sixty years later, when the Persian historian Wassaf [vassaf] visited Baghdad, he recorded a Mongol defeat outside the walls, though this goes unmentioned by the other sources.    While Baghdad remained independent, the Mongols continued to take cities in the region. Chormaqun’s successor Baiju brought the submission of the Seljuqs of Anatolia in 1243; in 1244, the Mongol general Yasa’ur rode into Syria, dislodging the remnants of Jalal al-Din’s Khwarezmians. The Ayyubids of Syria, the successors of the once mighty empire of Saladin Ayyubi, largely submitted over 1244-5, and even Antioch, one of the last of the Crusader Kingdoms, offered its submission.  In late 1245 another attack on Baghdad was launched but soon aborted. The new Caliph since 1242, al-Mustasim ibn al-Mustansir, was lucky the attack was called off, for he was rather rapidly running out of allies. It seem that the new Caliph managed to avoid further attacks with a token submission: the Franscisan Friar John de Plano Carpini, present at the coronation of Guyuk Khaan in 1246, noted ‘Abbasid envoys were present in Karakorum and believed they paid a regular tribute.    The 38th and final ‘Abbasid Caliph of Baghdad, al-Mustasim, was not the equal of his father or great-grandfather. While al-Nasir and al-Mustansir sought to strengthen the Caliphate, al-Mustasim was more interested in the luxury of Baghdad, and was nearly universally condemned for decadence. A great lover of music, he sponsored an entire neighbourhood in Baghdad to house musicians, including the most famous of the age, Saif al-Din Urmawi. A lover of pigeon racing, art, calligraphy and treasures, al-Mustasim was also indecisive and easily swayed by factions in his court, some of whom, such as the vizier, sought accomodation with the Mongols, while others urged to meet them in battle. As we will see shortly, the result was al-Mustasim vacillating in policy, wavering between antagonizing the Mongols and sending them gifts. Essentially, the worst sort of man to have in power when Hulegu marched on him with upwards of 100,000 men.    Neither was weak leadership the only problem. Corruption and decadence of Baghdad’s elite alienated the lower classes. A weak currency and high food prices contributed to revolts; many of Baghdad’s soldiers increasingly found themselves unpaid and resorted to bandity or desertion. Topping off years of natural disasters- heavy rain, storms, annual flooding, in 1256, the Tigris, the river which runs through Baghdad, flooded for over a month, washing away much of Baghdad’s lower city. Attributed to divine displeasure at the decadent al-Mustasim, for decades afterwards this flood was remembered as the “Mustasimid flood.” As Mongol armies approached the city, pestilence killed many hundreds, if not thousands. The Caliph stood in a precarious position.   Likely in late 1255, Hulegu sent a message to Caliph al-Mustasim demanding, as Hulegu had done with other rulers across the region, that Baghdad supply troops to help in the attack on the Nizari Isamilis. Al-Mustasim refused. As the ‘Abbasids had been sending tribute in the previous years and were considered vassals, such a refusal was a declaration of independence. Hulegu, having been sent in part to find how sincere the Caliph’s submission was, now had his casus belli, for to the Mongols, the Caliph of Baghdad was now in open revolt. War with the Caliph was not intended to punish Islam specifically; had the Mongols caught the Pope and considered him a rebel, certainly he would have shared a similar fate. What mattered to the Mongols was submission to their divinely mandated rule; refusal to submit was blasphemy of the highest order.   After the fall of Alamut in December 1256, and spending some time near the still-resisting Nizari fortress of Lammasar, Hulegu stayed in Qazwin, just south of Alamut, until March 1257. From Qazwin he undertook a somewhat repetitive journey: from Qazwin he went to Hamadan, then to Dinavar, then Tabriz, then back to Hamadan, then back to Tabriz, then back to Hamadan in September 1257, from whence he would finally march on Baghdad. The reasons for this were multiple, and not just because Hulegu really liked northwestern Iran, though it did give him good time to evaluate the region. Firstly, Hulegu did not want to besiege Baghdad in the summer months, and instead needed to time the march so he arrived outside the city in the winter. Secondly, it provided time for his lieutenants to secure the neighbouring theaters: Kitbuqa Noyan secured through force and diplomacy Luristan and the passes through the Zagros mountains, ensuring Hulegu’s main army could march unimpeded when the time came. In Anatolia, Baiju Noyan had needed to put down a Seljuq revolt, culminating in the battle of Aksaray in October 1256. Baiju then needed to move back east, in order to march on Baghdad from the west when the time came.   Thirdly, Hulegu and the Caliph engaged in an entertaining round of diplomatic fisti-cuffs. Hulegu offered the Caliph another chance to surrender, repudiating him for his failure to send troops against the Nizaris. Hulegu’s threat, as recorded by the Ilkhanid vizier Rashid al-Din, went as follows:   “Previously we have given you advice, but now we say you should avoid our wrath and vengeance. Do not try to overreach yourself or accomplish the impossible, for you will only succeed in harming yourself. The past is over. Destroy your ramparts, fill in your moats, turn the kingdom over to your son, and come to us. If you do not wish to come, send all three, the vizier [al-Alqami], Sulaymanshah, and the Dawatdar, that they may convey our message word for word. If our command is obeyed, it will not be necessary for us to wreak vengeance, and you may retain your lands, army, and subjects. If you do not heed our advice and dispute with us, line up your soldiers and get ready for the field of battle, for we have our loins girded for battle with you and are standing at the ready. When I lead my troops in wrath against Baghdad, even if you hide in the sky or in the earth, ‘I shall bring you down from the turning celestial sphere; I shall pull you up like a lion. I shall not leave one person alive in your realm, and I shall put your city and country to the torch.’ “If you desire to have mercy on your ancient family’s heads, heed my advice. If you do not, let us see what God’s will is.”   The Caliph refused Hulegu’s demands, and when he sent back Hulegu’s envoys, they were harassed by the people of Baghdad; the Caliph’s vizier, ibn al-Alqami, had to send soldiers to protect the envoys to ensure they weren’t killed. When Hulegu learned of the incident, he derided the Caliph as a total incompetent, and then flew into a rage when he heard the official response, which called Hulegu a young and inexperienced man: somewhat humorous, considering al-Mustasim was only four years older than Hulegu. Hulegu’s response was about as subtle as you’d expect. Again, as per the account of Rashid al-Din, quote:   “God the eternal elevated [Chinggis] Khan and his progeny and gave us all the face of the earth, from east to west. Anyone whose heart and tongue are straight with us in submission retains his kingdom, property, women, children, and life. He who contemplates otherwise will not live to enjoy them. Love of status and property, conceit, and pride in transitory fortune have so seduced you that even the words of your well-wishers have no effect on you. Your ear cannot hear the advice of the compassionate, and you have deviated from the path of your fathers and forebears. You must get ready for battle, for I am coming to Baghdad with an army as numerous as ants and locusts. Be the turning of the celestial sphere how it may, the power to command is God’s.”   Upon hearing this message, al-Mustasim’s vizier ibn al-Alqami understood the colossal danger they were in, and fervently argued for the Caliph to appease the Mongols. Al-Alqami has something of a bisecting reputation in the Islamic world. For some, reading the Mamluk sources, the Shia Muslim ibn al-Alqami was a conspirator, plotting with Hulegu to topple the head of Sunni Islam for his own gain. For those reading from Persian and Ilkhanid sources, ibn al-Alqami was earnestly trying to steer the Caliph away from annihilation and save as many lives as he could. On this last response from Hulegu, al-Alqami was able to convince al-Mustasim to send gifts, only for the Caliph to be talked out of it by the dawatdar, Mugahid al-Din Aybek, the Caliphate’s top military man and a staunch supporter of resistance against Hulegu. Convincing the Caliph to abandon the expensive gifts, al-Mustasim sent the following message to vizier al-Alqami to assuage his worries:   “Do not fear the future, and do not talk fables, for there is friendship and unity, not enmity and hostility, between me and Hülägü and [Mongke Khaan]. Since I am their friend, they are of course friendly and benevolent toward me. The envoys’ message is false. Even if these brothers contemplate opposition to or treachery against me, what has the Abbasid dynasty to fear, when the monarchs of the face of the earth stand as our army and obey our every command? If I request an army from every country and mount to repulse the foe, I can incite Iran and Turan against these brothers. Be of stout heart, and do not fear the threats of the Mongols, for although they are powerful upstarts, they pose nothing but an empty threat to the House of Abbas.” If Rashid al-Din is accurate in recording this message, then it goes some way to demonstrate just how greatly al-Mustasim misunderstood the situation. al-Mustasim’s next letter to Hulegu spoke of monarchs who had attacked the ‘Abbasids and suffered divine retribution for it, noting specifically Muahmmad Khwarezm-shah, who for his attack on Baghdad in 1217 suffered the power of Hulegu’s grandfather. Hulegu sent another threat, promising to bring the Caliph “down miserably into the jaws of a lion,” and had enough of parlay.   Hulegu had only to check with the astrologers and diviners of his retinue in order to ensure the assault had good fortune. Variously they warned of failure, catastrophe, and death for harming the Caliph. Finally, Hulegu turned to the famed Iranian scholar rescued from the Nizari fortresses, Nasir al-Din Tusi, and asked what he thought of the matter. After thinking for a moment, Tusi told Hulegu that none of these things would happen. Hulegu asked what would. Tusi replied, “Hulegu Khan will take the Caliph’s place.” And that was enough for Hulegu. The border passes were now secured, and the march on Baghdad could begin.    As Hulegu marched through Kermanshah, massacres followed him. His army approached Baghdad in three directions. Kitbuqa took a route through Luristan, and would march on Baghdad from the south. Baiju Noyan came through northern Iraq, crossing the Tigris near Irbil and closing in on Baghdad’s west and north. Hulegu took the main army through the Hulwan pass and would close off Baghdad from the east, thus encircling the city.    As the armies entered Iraq, cities and towns across Mesopotamia surrendered to them. In January 1258 as the Mongols closed in on the city, the Caliphal army under the Dawatdar tried to repulse Baiju’s army. They were lured into a feigned retreat; a dyke was broken and their camp flooded. Few survivors escaped back to Baghdad. By January 22ned, the Mongol armies had linked up around the city. Not just Mongols, but subject Iranians, Turks, Georgians and Armenians made up this force, with a thousand Chinese siege engineers. The defenders of Baghdad were outnumbered and without hope. For a week, the Mongols prepared their siege lines. Pontoon bridges were built across the Tigris, nets and iron hooks hanging from them to ensure none could escape either up or downriver. No stones for the catapults were within the area, so they needed to be hauled in from elsewhere. A ditch was dug around the city, the earth from the ditch used to build a rampart with gates set in it. Protective coverings were built for the siege engines. With the typical thoroughness of the early Toluids, Baghdad was closed off, its fate sealed.   The assault began on January 29th. An incessant barrage of stones and arrows brought the defenders to their knees. The artillery upon the walls of Baghdad was poorly maintained and outranged by that of the Mongols, useless in the words of one source. Under mobile wooden shelters, the Mongols advanced on the walls, sending arrows deeper into the city. One of the Caliph’s daughters was killed when an arrow passed through a window in his palace. Messages were tied to arrows, proclaiming that all those who did not resist would be spared. By the start of February, towers and bastions along the walls were collapsing. By February 3rd, Mongol forces were capturing the walls. When one of Hulegu’s commanders was killed by an arrow sent from the city, he angrily forced his army on at greater speed.   Realizing just how monumentally he had erred, al-Mustasim sent envoys, among them the once bellicose Dawatdar, to discuss terms with Hulegu. They were quickly put to death. Nothing but the unconditional surrender of the Caliph himself was good enough. Finally, on February 10th, al-Mustasim and his family came out from Baghdad, and put his life in the hands of Hulegu. Initially, the Caliph was treated respectfully. Other notables came out to submit to Hulegu, and many others fled out of the city to escape the pestilence which had already claimed thousands within. These who came out were trapped between the walls of Baghdad and the Mongol palisade. Once the garrison and its weapons were collected, on the 13th of February, the sack of Baghdad began.   In popular culture, the sack of Baghdad is uncontrolled, disorganized, horrifically violent and results in the city’s utter destruction and death of a million people. In reality it was controlled, organized, horrifically violent and resulted in only most of the city’s destruction and deaths of thousands. Rather than wiping Baghdad from the map, it was more of an organized dismemberment. Evidence comes from multiple accounts, but we’ll focus on that of the musician, Urmawi. In contrast to the image of the mob running wild over Baghdad, Urmawi’s account, recorded by the Mamluk historian Shihab al-Din al-’Umari, records the Mongols meticulously planned the sacking. Depending on rank, commanders were given 1 to 3 days to collect loot from sections of the city allotted to them. In Urmawi’s case, his neighbourhood was allotted to Baiju Noyan and his retinue- notably just men Baiju picked to bring into the city with him, rather than a whole portion of his army. Urmawi greeted Baiju with gifts and hosted a feast for him, entertaining him with music and ingratiating himself to the Noyan. Baiju was so pleased he urged Urmawi to come with him to play before Hulegu. Hulegu enjoyed a concert before the walls of Baghdad, ordered Urmawi’s neighbourhood spared and protected with picked men, and even granted Urmawi gardens which had belonged to the Caliph.   Likewise, various sources note that a number of segments of the populations were spared and their property protected: Christians, notably Nestorian priests; Shi’ites and Alids; Khurasani merchants, Qadis, scholars, shaykhs and in one source, Jews. Individuals are mentioned petitioning Hulegu to spare their homes- likely for a hefty payment, of course- but in order to follow these orders, the forces looting the city had to be disciplined enough to actually take note of addresses. Even the oft-repeated statement that the Tigris River ran black with ink of the books of Baghdad’s library must be re-examined, for Nasir al-Din Tusi took many with him to Maragha, where he built his famous observatory. A number of sources indicate the city’s looting lasted only a week, rather than a full month.   Clemency was extended to multiple groups… but for the majority of the city’s population who did not fall into these categories, it appears no quarter was given. For all the gated neighbourhoods like Urmawi’s which were protected, many more were gutted and looted. Treasures collected over the city’s 500 years were stolen, the finest architecture of the ‘Abbasids ruined and torn down. Hulegu entered the city on February 15th, visiting the Caliph’s palace, where al-Mustasim was forced to reveal where he had hidden his wealth. 12,000 severed ears were brought before Hulegu to mark the slain citizenry. The dead littered the street; after a few days, the heat and stench of the rotting bodies led Hulegu to end the looting by February 20th. Notably, the city was not to be left to brigandage: a governor and Mongol officials were appointed, ibn al-Alqami kept his position as vizier, to clean up the bodies and restore the city.   On the 20th of February, Hulegu moved to the village of Waqaf to avoid the foul air of Baghdad, from which he apparently fell sick. At Waqaf, Hulegu had al-Mustasim put to death, most likely rolled into a carpet and stomped upon to avoid spilling his blood on the earth. His family soon followed him.  In European accounts, the popular version was that Hulegu locked Mustasim in his treasury, where he starved to death in an ironic punishment to mark the Caliph’s failures to pay for troops and defences.   So ended the 500 year old ‘Abbasid Caliphate. The impact on Islam is hard to understate. Since the death of the Prophet Muhammad in 632, there had been a widely recognized successor to him in the form of the Caliphs -Rashidun, Umayyad and ‘Abbasid. Most Muslims saw him as the spiritual, if not the actual political, head of Islam. For the Caliphate, seemingly inviolable and permanent, to come to such a violent and sudden end sent shockwaves throughout the Islamic world. Caliphates had been overthrown before; previous dynasties like the Buyids and Seljuqs had held the Caliphs as puppets and militarily defeated them, while the Nizari Assassins had claimed the lives of at least two; but never before had the Caliphate actually been erased from existence by a power claiming universal sovereignty in its place. Distant relations of al-Mustasim were eventually set up in Mamluk Cairo as new Caliphs, but were never widely recognized. The Ottoman Sultans would also claim the title of Caliph in time, but none have ever been able to step into the position held by the ‘Abbasids. It’s no surprise that many Muslims throughout the following centuries have referred to the sack of Baghdad as a scar of the psyche of the ummah, one which it has not recovered from today. With the fall of Baghdad, Hulegu could now cast his eyes onto Syria, down the Levantine coast to the newly established Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt. The sense was real that Hulegu was about to bring the whole of Islam under the authority of the house of Chinggis. Our next episode takes us to the Mongol drive to the Meditteranean- and the famous clash of ‘Ayn Jalut, an episode you won’t want to miss. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast, and to help up continue bringing you great content, consider supporting us on Patreon at www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. I’m your host David, and we’ll catch you on the next one.

Before we get into this week's episode, I want to give a shout out to another podcast that we’ve recently discovered here at Ages of Conquest! Pax Britannica is a narrative history podcast on the British Empire. Season 1 covered the start of English colonisation in North America and the Caribbean, the first decades of the East India Company, and the ruthless politics of the British Isles. Season 2 has just begun on the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. Civil war and revolution erupt in England, Ireland, and Scotland, pitting the forces of Charles I against his own subjects. By the end, the king will be dead, the monarchy abolished, and Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell will be at the head of a militarised and expansionist Commonwealth. If any of this sounds even remotely appealing, go give Pax Britannica a listen; available where all fine podcasts are downloaded. And now, on with OUR show!   “You are to go with a large army and innumerable force from the borders of Turan to the country of Iran. Observe Chinggis Khan’s customs and yosun and yasa in all matters large and small. From the River Oxus to the farthest reaches of the land of Egypt, treat kindly and affectionately and reward sufficiently whoever obeys and submits to your orders. Grind beneath the feet of your wrath those who resist, along with their wives, children, and kith and kin. Begin with Quhistan and Khurasan, and destroy the fortresses and castles. Rip up GirdKoh and [Lammasar] fortress and turn them upside down! Neither let any bastion remain in the world nor leave a pile of dust standing! When you are finished there, head for Persia and eliminate the Lurs and Kurds who constantly practice brigandage along the highways. If the Caliph of Baghdad comes out to pay homage, harass him in no way whatsoever. If he is prideful and his heart and tongue are not one, let him join the others. In all cases make your clear-sighted intelligence and golden mind your guide and leader, and be awake and sober in all situations. Let the subjects be free of excessive taxes and impositions. Return devastated lands to a flourishing state. Conquer the realm of the rebellious through the might of the great god so that your summer and winter pastures may be many. Consult Doquz Khatun on all matters.”       So were the orders Mongke Khaan, Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, gave to his brother Hulegu on the outset of his campaign in 1253, according to the Ilkhanid vizier Rashid al-Din. Among the most famous of the Mongol campaigns, Hulegu led Mongol armies to destroys the Ismaili Assassins in Iran, the ‘Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad and into Syria, the prelude to the famous clash at Ayn Jalut. As this is perhaps the Mongol campaign with the greatest surviving detail, and one of the most well known, we’re going to take you on a thorough look at Hulegu’s western march, beginning with the destruction of the so-called “Order of Assassin.” I’m your host David, and this is Kings and Generals: Ages of Conquest.       Hulegu, the famed sacker of Baghdad, was the younger brother of Great Khan Mongke and Kublai, the third son of Tolui with Sorqaqtani. As mentioned back in episode 23, Mongke Khaan took the throne in 1251 with a renewed drive to complete the Mongol conquest of the world. He organized administrative reforms, censuses, and new taxes to levy the forces of the empire for this goal. In 1252, he held a meeting in Mongolia to put this next round of conquest in motion, placing his brothers at the head of two great armies. Kublai was sent against the Kingdom of Dali, in China’s modern Yunnan province, as the opening move in the conquest of Song Dynasty. Hulegu meanwhile was to march west and subdue the few independent powers of the Islamic world: specifically, the Nizari Ismailis, popularly known as the Assassins; the Kurds and Lurs of western Iran, who annoyed the Great Khan through their brigandage, and the ‘Abbasid Caliph of Baghdad.       There is discrepancy in the sources as to what precisely Hulegu’s mandate was. A number of later authors of the Ilkhanate- the state which emerged from Hulegu’s conquests- assert that Mongke intended for the area from the Amu Darya River to the Meditteranean to be ruled by Hulegu as another ulus, or Khanate of the empire, a counterbalance to those of Jochi and Chagatai, a sort of Toluid axis across Asia sandwiching the Chagatayids. This is hardly agreed upon however. Other sources present Hulegu’s command as a temporary military one. The Ilkhanid vizier and historian Rashid al-Din wrote that Mongke told Hulegu to return to Mongolia once he had achieved his tasks; Hulegu had to confer with his commanders on all strategic decisions, which included representatives from the houses of Jochi, Chagatai and even Ogedai, a first amongst equals rather than an almighty prince; and when Hulegu began to seize Jochid possessions in Iran, Khurasan and the Caucasus after Mongke’s death, it seems to have taken them quite by surprise, for in the early 1250s Mongke confirmed grants of Caucasian territory to the house of Jochi. It’s likely that Mongke had intended for Iran and much of the Middle East to be dominated by the Central Imperial Government, but did not intend to remove land rights the other branches of the family enjoyed in the region.          So, who was Hulegu? Born in 1217, he was two years younger than Kublai, almost ten years younger than Mongke, and a few years older than their youngest brother, Ariq Boke. His life before the ascension of Mongke is almost totally unknown to us, but he presumably received similar education in both governing and warfare to his brothers.  While Mongke was groomed for the possibility of stepping into the imperial throne, Hulegu, to our knowledge, was not provided any such pretensions. He was well exposed to other religions and cultures; his mother, Sorqaqtani was a Nestorian Christian, as was his most influential wife, Doquz Khatun, who had been a widow of his father Tolui. Despite this, he showed more personal interest in Buddhism, though he took part in shamanistic practices throughout his recorded life. He was interesedt in science, especially astronomy, though for Hulegu this was more so in the form of astrology, which he often consulted for major decisions. He was a heavy drinker, with the lovely combination of often flying into horrific rages. Even reading pro-Ilkhanid sources like Rashid al-Din, who long served the descendants of Hulegu, one is shocked by the regularity in which Hulegu fell into a towering rage, which tended to be quite dangerous for whomever it was targeted at. His final years were marked by ill health, brought on excessive drinking, and at least one source indicates he suffered from epilepsy.       With the quriltai of 1252, the plan to finalize the conquest of western Asia was set, and Hulegu put in motion. A member of Mongke’s keshig was provided for Hulegu’s command, Kitbuqa of the Naiman tribe, also a Nestorian Christian. Kitbuqa departed as Hulegu’s vanguard in August 1252 with 12,000 men, beginning operations against the Ismailis in eastern Iran. Various sources give Hulegu’s own departure from Mongolia as Autumn 1253 or 1254. By the 1250s, the Mongols had an absolutely massive army: some estimates put the nomadic soldiers at their disposal upwards of one million men, and many more among the sedentary peoples across Eurasia to be called upon.  Mongke provided Hulegu with a relatively small contingent of Mongols at the outset: perhaps as low as a tumen, 10,000 men, for Hulegu in addition to the 12,000 Kitbuqa had already set out with. As Hulegu moved west, his army snowballed, as contingents from across the empire met with him. 1,000 Chinese siege engineers and crossbowmen were provided for him. Most of the former warriors of the house of Ogedai were conscripted for Hulegu’s army. He was joined by a contingent of Oirats under Buqa Temur, the brother of Hulegu’s first senior wife, named somewhat amusingly, Guyuk. A grandson of Chagatai, Teguder, headed the perhaps 10,000 Chagatayid troops provided for Hulegu as he marched through their ulus. As many as 30,000 troops under the Jochid princes Balaghai, Quli and Tutar were provided by Batu. Tamma forces stationed in Kashmir and in the Caucasus, under Baiju Noyan, would also link up with Hulegu, and forces were supplied by all the client sultans, maliks, and atabegs of Iran, the Caucasus and Anatolia. By the time Hulegu’s army converged on Baghdad at the start of 1258, he commanded perhaps 150,000 men if not more.        Extensive preparation was necessary for this army’s movement. We are told that roads were cleared of obstructions, bridges built and boats readied to cross rivers. All the pastures and meadows on Hulegu’s route were reserved for the feeding of his army’s horses and livestock. Flour and skins of wine were levied from across the subject populations and stored at depot stations along the way. Thanks to the census launched at the start of Mongke’s reign, the imperial government had a good idea of what could be called upon to provide for Hulegu’s army.        By Autumn 1255 Hulegu was near Samarkand, where he rested for 40 days, feasting with the head of the Secretariat for Central Asia, Mas’ud Beg. Another month was spent at Kish, about 80 kilometres south of Samarkand and the later birthplace of amir Temur, or Tamerlane. There, Hulegu feasted with the head of the Secretariat for Iran and Western Asia, Arghun Aqa. These were not just engagements for drinking (though there certainly was that) but to confer with the regional administrators and line up further provisions, troops and intelligence. At Kish, messengers were sent to vassals across Iran calling upon them to provide troops and assistance against the Ismaili assassins, whose territory Hulegu entered in the spring of 1256.   This takes us to Hulegu’s first target, the Assassins, which we’ll introduce and address some popular myths. Though popularly known as the Order of the Assassins, this is quite the misnomer; more accurately called the Nizari Ismaili state, they controlled a number of fortresses and settlements in three general regions; in Syria, centered around Masyaf; in the rugged eastern Iranian region called Quhistan; and in northwestern Iran’s Alburz mountain, where their  leadership was based across several mountain fortresses, most famously Alamut. Leadership of the branches in Quhistan and Masyaf was generally appointed by Alamut, but were autonomous otherwise. Shi’a Muslims, specifically Ismailis, in the late 1080s and 1090s the Ismaili Fatimid Caliphate in Egypt suffered a succession dispute as to who would succeed the Imam, the rather distant successor to the Prophet Muhammad and ehad of Shi’a Islam. The supporters of one candidate, Nizar, were known as Nizaris, and hence, Nizari Ismailis. For the majority of Muslims, who were Sunnis, the Nizaris were seen as a sect within a sect, and heretics par excellence. At the same time as this succession dispute an Ismaili revolt broke out in Seljuq ruled Iran. In 1090, Hassan-i Sabbah captured the fortress of Alamut, while other adherents seized territory in Quhistan and elsewhere. The last of the Great Seljuqs, Sultan Malik-Shah I, attempted to crush them, but his untimely death, and the ensuing succession risis which splintered the vast Seljuq Empire, allowed the Ismailis to consolidate. Geographically spread out and lacking great economic or military power, they had to rely on other means to protect themselves and convince their neighbours to not attack them.  One tool was assassinations, making a big splash with the murder of the Great Seljuq Vizier Nizam al-Mulk in 1092. Alongside well defended and inaccessible fortresses, it was a useful deterrent for any would-be conqueror. The assassinations were often public and dramatic to make the message as loud as possible. One method was for Ismailis to infiltrate the households of powerful figures as servants: they could then kill the man when he became too great a danger, or leave a warning, such as a knife, on the sleeping man’s pillow. The threat of assassination was as effective as an actual assassination, and soon anyone could be worried he had a secret Nizari Ismaili hiding in his entourage. Because of this, popular myths that the Ismaili imbued copious amounts of hashish before going on assassinations can be ignored. There is no evidence for this, and it’s unlikely considering the patience and planning that went into these missions. However, the appellation of them as heavy users of hashish stuck, hashishiyya, which became “assassin.”   So the Nizaris carried on for over a century. Hassan-i Sabbah and his successors, without any clear imam after Nizar’s death in 1095, basically stepped into the role themselves. The Ismaili leaders -popularly known in the West as ‘the Old Man of the Mountain,’- were generally long reigning without succession disputes, withstanding outside pressures while they mulled over doctrine, all the while being decried as just the worst sort of heretic by Sunni Muslims. In 1210, the ascension of the new imam and Ismaili leader, Hassan III, brought something of a rapprochement. Generally, the Ismailis had poor relations with the head of Sunni Islam, the ‘Abbasid Caliphs in Baghdad. They had after all claimed responsibility for the murders of two Caliphs in the 1130s. Yet Hassan III dramatically declared he followed the Sunni Sharia and fostered better relations with both the Caliph and other neighbouring Sunni rulers, such as Ozebg, the Eldeguzid Atabeg of Azerbaijan, and Muhammad II Khwarezm-shah. According to ‘Ata-Mailk Juvaini, a member of Hulegu’s entourage, Hassan III was also the first monarch west of the Amu Darya to submit to Chinggis Khan. Despite his state being largely surrounded by the Khwarezmian Empire, Ismaili fortresses in the Elburz Mountains and Quhistan were spared Mongol attacks. Indeed, Quhistan was a veritable island of security as the Mongols overran the Khwarezmian Empire. Juzjani, a Sunni Khwarezmian refugee who fled to Quhistan before later finding refuge in Delhi, describes the Ismailis in glowing terms.    Hassan III’s successor, ‘Ala al-Din Muhammad III, abandoned the overtures to the ‘Abbasid Caliph, but maintained the ties with the Mongols. When Jalal al-Din Mingburnu returned to western Iran in the mid 1220s, the Ismailis had no love for him and assassinated at least one of his lieutenants. When major Mongol forces returned to the region under Chormaqun Noyan at the start of the 1230s, the Ismailis provided valuable information on the whereabouts and weaknesses of Jalal al-Din, and within a year the Khwarezmian Prince was driven to his death. The details of the Mongol relationship with the Ismails for the next decade is difficult to discern. In 1246 Ismaili representatives came to the coronation of Guyuk Khaan in Mongolia, where they were insulted and sent off. Precisely what occurred is unclear. A possible reconstruction is offered by historian Timothy May in his article on the “Mongol-Ismaili Alliance.” He suggests the positive Mongol-Ismaili relationship was a case of “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.” No record is made of Mongol demands for troops or tribute from the Ismailis, and it may have been that while powerful Khwarezmian elements were still extant, relative Ismaili independence was permitted as they were useful allies. After Mingburnu’s death in 1231, and especially after the death of Chormaqun in 1241, Mongol demands on the Ismailis may have increased, and in the early 1230s the Mongols annexed Ismaili controlled Damghan. The Ismailis were so concerned that in 1238, the English Monk Matthew Paris recorded that representatives of “the Old Man of the Mountain,” had come to England and France trying to organize a Christian-Muslim alliance against the Mongols, warning the King of England that “if they themselves could not withstand the attacks of such people, nothing remained to prevent their devastating the countries of the west.” Three years later, Mongol armies under Subutai and Batu crossed the Carpathian Mountains into Hungary.   Back in the Middle East, one Mongol commander, Chagatai Noyan “the Lesser,” may have moved to enforce demands on the Ismailis, and was assassinated at some point in the early 1240s. Perhaps intended as just a warning, the Ismailis realised this was a mistake and sent representatives to Guyuk’s coronation in 1246. The Mongols were never forgiving of such things, and the destruction of the Ismailis was added to the agenda. An opportunity to actually do this didn’t present itself until the reign of Mongke Khan. The qadi of Qazwin, a city south of Alamut and quite antagonist to the Ismailis, came to Mongke’s court and revealed, in quite the breach of etiquette, that he had a suit of maille worn underneath his robes, claiming that his fear of the Ismailis was so great even in the Mongol court he needed this protection. When the Franciscan Friar William of Rubruck came to Mongke’s court in 1253, he heard rumours that 400 assassins had been dispatched to kill Mongke, and the Mongols were concerned enough that they were checking and interrogating everyone entering Karakorum. The threat of the assassins was taken seriously, and on Mongke’s directive Hulegu would treat the assassins very seriously   By then, the only independent power within proximity to Alamut was, somewhat ironically, the Caliph in Baghdad. The Ismailis stood alone against the incoming might of Hulegu. In the winter of 1255, as Hulegu stood at the border of Ismaili Quhistan, the imam ‘Ala al-Din Muhammad was murdered, quite likely on the instigation of his young and inexperienced son, Rukn al-Din Khwurshah, who then ascended to the imamate.  ‘Ala al-Din was long on bad terms with his son, and seems to have suffered some sort of mental decline as news of Hulegu’s overwhelming force approached. Rukn al-Din may have thought himself capable of maneuvering them out of the impending disaster, but would have no success in the matter.   In the spring of 1256, Hulegu and his ever growing army entered Quhistan. Kitbuqa had been campaigning throughout the region since 1253, but had had no success in holding settlements like Tun, Ismaili Quhistan’s chief city, taking them only to lose them once he moved on. The Ismaili fortresses, built on imposing mountains and hard to access sites, proved beyond his means to siege. On Hulegu’s arrival, the dynamic was quickly changed. Vague ‘incidents’ mentioned by Juvaini and Rashid al-Din as Hulegu entered the region may refer to Ismaili attacks in some form, but Hulegu’s army was beyond compare. The chief cities of Quhistan fell within days, and by the summer Kitbuqa led the vanguard to Mazandaran and raiding parties probed towards Alamut. Once Quhistan was subdued, Hulegu moved west, skirting around the edge of Iran’s uninhabitable Great Salt Desert, the Dasht-e Kevir, to arrive at the eastern endof the Alburz mountains. Near Damghan stood the Ismaili fortress of Girdkuh; Kitbuqa had first attempted to attack it in May of 1253. Hulegu committed more troops for it, then moved on. The castle, receiving only minor reinforcement from Alamut, held out until 1271. Such was the design of these fortresses when properly defended.   Rukn al-Din Khwurshah was within the fortress of Maymundiz, downstream of Alamut towards the western end of the Alburz mountains. As Hulegu moved westwards along the Alburz, he sent messengers to Rukn al-Din, demanding his submission. He was nervous, and as Hulegu’s second set of messengers arrived at the beginning of September 1256, Rukn al-Din was convinced to offer submission by the captive scholar, polymath, mathematician, astronomer and theologian, Nasir al-Din Tusi. Tusi was a much, much smarter man than Rukn al-Din Khwurshah and well respected. Having lived through Chinggis Khan’s destruction of Khwarezm, Tusi calculated that a lengthy Mongol siege wouldn’t be very healthy for anyone left inside the citadel. Therefore, on Tusi’s urging, Rukn al-Din sent his brother to Hulegu, offering the submission of the Ismailis. Hulegu thought this was nice, and treated Rukn al-Din’s brother well. He then sent another embassy with demands that Rukn al-Din tear down the Ismaili forts. Rukn al-Din was slow to respond; Hulegu was quick to advance. The token attempt by the Ismaili leader to abate Hulegu by abandoning 5 lesser castles and demolishing a few towers on Alamut, Maymundiz and Lammasar did not succeed. Unwittingly, Rukn al-Din was caught in a nerge, a Mongol hunting circle, as multiple armies converged on him from several directions and trapped him. As the armies neared Maymundiz, taking castles and settlements as they went, Rukn al-Din frantically sent a son and another brother to Hulegu, to no avail, hoping to at least stall until the cold of winter set in. By the 7th of November 1256, the three armies had Maymundiz surrounded.   Hulegu needed a quick victory. So many troops and horses needed a vast quantity of feed, the local environment was depleted and winter was forthcoming. Hulegu demanded provisions from across Iran and the Caucasus be delivered and, as if the seasons themselves adhered to the bidding of the Great Khan, the winter was mild and refused to hampher the Mongols as they approached Maymundiz. Once the armies were arrayed outside of the fortresses, Hulegu surveyed the site. Like so many Ismaili fortresses, Maymundiz was perched on a mountaintop, and hard to access. But Hulegu had his plan.    Fighting began on November 12th, 1256. The first weapons Hulegu brought forth were the kaman-i-gav, as they were known in Persian sources, generally taken to refer to the ox-bow, a Chinese siege machine which was essentially a large, mounted crossbow. These were not for destroying walls, but for picking off defenders. The writer ‘Ata-Malik Juvaini, who accompanied Hulegu on his sieges of the Ismaili cities describes “meteoric shafts,”  from these weapons “burning up” the “devil-like heretics” of Maymundiz, in constrast to stones cast by the defenders which could only hurt single persons. Historian Stephen Haw postulates that this is a reference to gunpowder weapons being used by the Mongols, in the form of explosives tied to the shafts fired from the oxbow, perhaps propelling it as an early rocket. A common critique of this argument is that such poetic language is rather typical of Juviani’s writing, and nowhere else in Hulegu’s campaign does he appear to use such dramatic weapons.    By November 17th, Hulegu’s teams had constructed their catapults and hauled them to a nearby hilltop. It’s possible that these were not just traction style Chinese catapults, but those of the counterweight variety- trebuchets. It’s not specified in written sources that Hulegu used them, but we know they were used by the Mongols by the 1270s, in addition to artwork from later in the century depicting them. Some modern authors like Michael S. Fulton believe the speed at which the major fortresses and cities of the region fell to Hulegu, even those of stone as opposed to stamped earth or mud brick, indicate the usage of counterweighted artillery. Far more powerful with greater range than man-powered traction catapults, instead of teams of men hauling on ropes, the counterweight catapult relied on, well, a counterweight instead, using gravity to propel the projectile with much greater force. Some authors also assert that the Chinese had their own counterweight catapult which the Mongols also used, but the matter is contentious, our sources providing no illumination.   The Mongols differed in their usage of artillery by relying on constant barrages. Their access to a large number of knowledgeable engineers, teams of specialists and overseers allowed them to keep up an unceasing rate of fire day and night, often from dozens of machines at once. For the defenders huddled behind the walls, psychologically it was exhausting. Aside from stones, naphtha, a petroleum-based weapon, was hurled into the city to start fires. Gunpowder bombs may have been lobbed as well. Unused to such weapons, especially in the form of the noise and smell they made, the impact must have seemed unearthly. After less than a week of bombardment, Rukn al-Din Khwurshah surrendered, and the Mongols soon demolished Maymundiz.   Hulegu received the Khwurshah kindly, for he needed him. Through his mediation, Rukn al-Din convinced some 40 odd Ismaili strongholds to surrender to Hulegu and tear down their walls. Alamut and Lammasar held out, and both were put under siege. Rukn al-Din was able to get Alamut’s garrison to come to terms, and it surrendered by December 15th. Briefly, Hulegu went sight-seeing around the castle after it surrendered, amazed by the size of the mountain, the many storerooms and indomitable defenses. It certainly saved him some time to not have to storm it! ‘Ata-Malik Juvaini was able to get permission to take some of the rare and useful tomes from Alamut’s library before the fortress was destroyed and its books burnt. Lammasar took a year to fall, but fall it did.   Hulegu kept Rukn al-Din with him until the great majority of the Ismaili fortresses in Iran had submitted or been torn down. He humoured Rukn al-Din, granting him a Mongol wife and watching Rukn al-Din’s favourite sport of camel fighting. Helping the Mongols avoid many lengthy, difficult sieges on the well defended Ismaili strongholds saved Hulegu considerable effort, but personally Hulegu found him repellent. Once his usefulness was over, in early 1257 Hulegu shipped him off to Mongke Khaan to deal with. According to Rashid al-Din, when Mongke learned the Khwurshah was in Karakorum, he was annoyed and said, “why are they bringing him and tiring a horse uselessly?” then ordered Rukn al-Din’s death. Upon learning of this, Hulegu ordered the deaths of the rest of Rukn al-Din’s captive family, sparing only a young son. Some Ismaili traditions attest another son was snuck away and kept safe, raised as the next imam in secret, but such beliefs never found widespread acceptance. As far as we are concerned, the Nizari Ismaili state ceased to exist by the end of 1256, sparing a few holdouts in Iran and their castles in Syria, as yet untouched by the Mongols.    Hulegu had completed the first of his tasks. After wintering near Lammasar and then Qazwin, in the early months of 1257 he set out west for the greatest target of the campaign: Baghdad, and the 500-year-old Abbasid Caliphate. So be sure to subscribe to the Kings and Generals Podcast to pick up with that next week. To help us continue bringing you great content, consider supporting us on Patreon at www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. I’m your host David, and we will catch you on the next one. 

Katarina Raičević je po izobrazbi diplomirana pedagoginja in profesorica sociologije. Zase pravi, da je stara duša v mladem telesu. Je v razmerju s fenomenalno osebo že 17,5 let in ima sina starega 5,5 let. Njena kariera je bila zelo raznolika, od njene prve zaposlitve, ki je bila prodaja Kirbi sesalcev, kar je delala natanko 1 teden, nato je delala tudi kot hostesa pa do dela v gostilni in v trgovini z interierjem. Kasneje so prišle bolj pomembne zaposlitve, kot je IBM (2 leti), Microsoft (8 let), kjer je dodobra spoznala korporativni svet, saj je bila kar na sedmih različnih funkcijah, nato pa je prišla v podjetje Bisnode (najprej vodja SME prodaje za južne trge, sedaj pa je vodja korporativne in SME prodaje za Jugovzhodno Evropo, kjer pokriva ekipo sedmih trgov in kjer vodi ekipo izjemnih vodij lokalnih prodaj. Izobrazba ji veliko pomeni (“Some people would call me a nerd”,) kar se je odrazilo v zlati maturi, nato Zoisovi štipendiji in na koncu Prešernovi nagradi za diplomsko delo z naslovom Homoseksualnost in religija (kjer je proučevala odnos krščanstva, judovstva in islama do homoseksualnosti). Vedno so jo zanimale tabu teme in teme, ki so na robu (s kolegico na faksu sta npr. naredili seminarsko o prostituciji v Sloveniji). V življenju jo vodi rezultat in je sama sebi svoj idol čez x let. Verjame, da smo vsi ljudje najboljša verzija sebe v danem trenutku. Osebni razvoj, samospoznavanje in krpanje lastnih ran je nekaj, v čemer uživa. Fascinira jo, če lahko navdihuje druge, jim svetuje in pomaga. Ima močno razvito intuicijo, ki ji tudi sledi. Je velik ljubitelj poletja, zimski športi pa ji niso najljubši. Trenirala je košarko, odbojko ter kasneje postala inštruktorica aerobike. Navdihuje jo iskrenost, odlične debate in obkroža se predvsem z ljudmi, s katerimi ima lahko globoke debate ter uživa v odgovornosti. Iskrenost zanjo predstavlja najvišjo stopnjo spoštovanja. Pri vodenju je pragmatična, transparentna in poizkuša ustvariti varno mrežo za svoje ljudi, da so lahko to kar so. Po njenem mnenju le tako lahko začnemo delati premike. Če lahko vidi sadove svojega dela, ustvarja nove ideje in jih testira, ji je to odlično, ker samo eksekucija nečesa ji ni dovolj. Fun facti: Kot otrok je želela postati pevka ali igralka. Je celo šla na karaoke in tam pogorela. Pela je pesem Zemlja pleše. Ker ima izredno zabavnega partnerja, ki je rad DJ na internih zabavah, je v jutranjih urah vedno igrala ta pesem. Rojena je na dan 18.4. (dan, ko je umrl Einstein) in rada fantazira, da je neka povezava zadaj. Mogoče je zato v srednji šoli razmišljala o študiju astronomije. Zase skrbi fizično, mentalno, psihično in spiritualno. Naj quote: V poslu “Vision without execution is hallucination“ in “Assumption is the mother of all mistakes. “ Privatno pa “Šele z distanco se rodi oblika, Kajetan Kovič“ in pa “Če bi živela svoje življenje še enkrat, bi naredila vse popolnoma enako, neznani avtor. “ Naj knjiga: Alamut, Življenje je tvoje in 12 rules for life, Naj serija: Ray Donovan in VEEP Trije nauki: 1. Ljudje si ne bodo zapomnili, kaj si rekel/-la, si bodo pa dobro zapomnili, kako so se počutili zraven tebe (neznani avtor). 2. Vsaka pot okoli sveta se začne s prvim korakom. Dovoli si spoznati sebe, se sprejeti in se izboljšati na področjih, kjer si to sam/-a želiš. Ne nosi mask na obrazu, ker je to izredno revno življenje. 3. Perspektiva – na vsako stvar lahko pogledaš z več vidikov. Negativne besede spreminjaj v pozitivne. S tem se bodo misli umirile in osebnost se bo okrepila. *Slovenian Research Agency, Program P5-0364 – The Impact of Corporate Governance, Organizational Learning, University of Ljubljana, School of Economics and Business, Slovenia.

Hasan Sabbah ve Fedaileri - Alamut Kalesi by Oğuzhan Yüksel

Ligne 2: Alamut - Venezia Santa Lucia by Prokrast

[...] reposée par les festivités du nouvel an, la Salle 101 entame l’année sans perdre une seconde et te balance coup sur coup des trucs dispensables et indispensables : Alamut, par Vladimir Bartol, Philip K. Dick goes to Hollywood, par Léo Henry, et Utopiales 2015, par tout un tas de gens dont l’ineffable Jérôme Noirez. [...]

[…] reposée par les festivités du nouvel an, la Salle 101 entame l'année sans perdre une seconde et te balance coup sur coup des trucs dispensables et indispensables : Alamut, par Vladimir Bartol, Philip K. Dick goes to Hollywood, par Léo Henry, et Utopiales 2015, par tout un tas de gens dont l'ineffable Jérôme Noirez. […]

The main games in the franchise were developed by Ubisoft Montreal for the single player and Ubisoft Annecy for the multiplayer, with the handheld titles developed by Gameloft and Gryptonite Studios, with additional development by Ubisoft Montreal. The series has been well received by the public and critics, and has sold over 73 million copies as of April 2014, becoming Ubisoft's best selling franchise. The series took inspiration from the novel Alamut by the Slovenian writer Vladimir Bartol, while building upon concepts from the Prince of Persia series.--- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/southarcadia/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/southarcadia/support

"Alamut", Jorge Serrano

"Alamut", Jorge Serrano

Estamos en la fortaleza de Alamut; visitamos al viejo de la montaña Hasan-i Sabbah dónde nos hace pasar a ver sus jardines paradisíacos. Consumimos con él el preciado cáñamo indio. No somos muy listos pero este viejales no nos engañará con la historieta de las 40 vírgenes si nos sacrificamos por la causa. En este mundo ya no queda nada virginal y menos mujeres. Quizá en el planeta rojo, que podría ser azul, sí que hay esa fauna mitológica aquí desconocida. Estamos hablando ni más ni menos que del planeta Marte con sus dos lunas; Phobos y Deimos... musa de la CiFi y de las payasadas de los controladores de Curiosity que se dedican a dibujar pollas con los neumáticos. Pensamos que antes de finalizar el periplo nos vendría bien hacer deporte... pero deportes extraños cómo el chess boxing o el disc golf.