19 Facts About Masyaf

Masyaf is the most probable site of the ancient Aramean city of Mansuate that existed in the 8th century BC.

However, because a fortification at Masyaf likely existed prior to the 11th century, it is probable that the Aleppo-based Hamdanid dynasty built a fort at Masyaf, due to its position as an outpost overlooking the mountain roads.

In 1140, Masyaf was captured by the Nizari Ismailis, a sect of Ismaili Shia Muslims who had been exiled from their previous stronghold in Alamut in modern-day Iran.

Masyaf served as the headquarters of the Ismaili da'i Rashid ad-Din Sinan and his elite unit of fida'i who were known as the Assassins.

Masyaf arranged a truce with Sinan mediated by the Ayyubid emir of Hama, Shihab al-Din Mahmud al-Harimi, Saladin's uncle.

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Wall around the town of Masyaf was built in 1249 by the Persian leader of the Ismailis, Taj al-Din Abu'l Futuh.

In 1262, Masyaf's rulers were ordered to pay tribute to the Mamluk sultan Baibars and some time after, the sultan had Masyaf's emir Najm al-Din Ismail replaced by Sarim al-Din Mubarak.

Towards the end of the century, Masyaf became a major stopping point on the Mamluk postal route and was controlled by a commander who answered directly to the sultan due to its strategic role as a frontier fortress.

In 1320, the historian and Ayyubid emir of Hama, Abu'l Fida, noted that Masyaf was a "center of the Ismailian Doctrine" and that it was "beautiful" with gardens and a spring from which flowed a small stream.

Masyaf was later separated from Tripoli and transferred to the authority of Damascus province.

Masyaf became a part of the liwa of Homs, and along with the other Ismaili fortresses in its vicinity (qala' al-da'wa), was responsible for paying a special tax.

In 1703, the Raslan clan, an Alawite tribe, took over Masyaf and controlled it for about eight years until it was restored to the Ismailis following the intervention of the Ottoman authorities.

In 1808, the Raslan clan led by Sheikh Mahmud Raslan attacked Masyaf, killing its Ismaili chief, Mustafa Milhim, and his son, and captured the fortress.

About 300 of the town's Ismaili inhabitants were killed, while many others, including the da'i of Masyaf, fled for Homs, Hama and other areas in central Syria, settling in those places temporarily.

British general T E Lawrence rested in Masyaf and remarked that the fortress was being used as a poorhouse at the time.

Masyaf was made a part of the State of Damascus, but in 1929, a number of rural Alawite villages in its immediate vicinity, including al-Rusafa, al-Bayyadiyah, Akakir, Maryamin and Abu Qubays, were ceded to the Alawite State.

In 1970, much of the town of Masyaf still remained within the confines of the city walls.

Masyaf is situated along the foothills of the eastern slopes of the Jabal Ansariyah coastal mountain range.

Masyaf is featured as the base of operations of the Assassin Order during the Third Crusade in the Assassin's Creed games series.