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The Secret Order of Assassins: The Struggle of the Early Nizârî Ismâî'lîs Against the Islamic World
The sect known as "the Assassins," a corruption of an Arabic word that means hashish smoker, is familiar to the West as a mystical cult of killers led by the "Man in the Mountain" encountered by the Crusaders. But it was not defeat at the hands of Christians that ended more than a century of Assassin rule; it was the massive and brutal invasion of Mongols from the East who conquered Assassin strong points and mountain fortifications one by one, crushing nearly all traces of this once fearsome sect. For nearly two centuries the Fâtimids, Shi'ite Muslims who believed Mohammed's daughter Fâtimah was his successor, attempted to control the Islamic world from their seat in Cairo.
Following the death of the Fâtimid caliphate al Mustansir in 1094, members of a faction in Persia that supported a deposed claimant to the caliphate, Nizâr, believed they now represented Fâtimid interests. These Nizârî Ismâî'lîs ended up separating themselves from mainstream Islam and creating their own state in parts of present-day Syria, Iraq, and Iran. In order to establish and maintain regional control, the Nizârî Ismâî'lîs used political murders and spies to subjugate or influence rival caliphates and the dominant Saljûqs.
Marshall Hodgson's first major book, The Secret Order of the Assassins remains the most complete history of the Assassins. Beginning the story with the separation of Sunnis and Shi'ites and the rise of Ismâî'lîsm, an offshoot of Shi'ism, Hodgson traces the long and complex history of power struggles within Islam that led ultimately to the separation of the Nizârî Ismâî'lîs and their direct challenge to Muslim leadership. Hodgson goes on to explain the principles of the movement, provides an examination of their sacred texts, and follows the history of the group from the pinnacle of power in the mid-eleventh century to its legacy in the form of small pockets of followers in parts of contemporary Syria and India. Long out of print and appearing for the first time in paperback, this book is an illuminating study in the history of Islam.
Following the death of the Fâtimid caliphate al Mustansir in 1094, members of a faction in Persia that supported a deposed claimant to the caliphate, Nizâr, believed they now represented Fâtimid interests. These Nizârî Ismâî'lîs ended up separating themselves from mainstream Islam and creating their own state in parts of present-day Syria, Iraq, and Iran. In order to establish and maintain regional control, the Nizârî Ismâî'lîs used political murders and spies to subjugate or influence rival caliphates and the dominant Saljûqs.
Marshall Hodgson's first major book, The Secret Order of the Assassins remains the most complete history of the Assassins. Beginning the story with the separation of Sunnis and Shi'ites and the rise of Ismâî'lîsm, an offshoot of Shi'ism, Hodgson traces the long and complex history of power struggles within Islam that led ultimately to the separation of the Nizârî Ismâî'lîs and their direct challenge to Muslim leadership. Hodgson goes on to explain the principles of the movement, provides an examination of their sacred texts, and follows the history of the group from the pinnacle of power in the mid-eleventh century to its legacy in the form of small pockets of followers in parts of contemporary Syria and India. Long out of print and appearing for the first time in paperback, this book is an illuminating study in the history of Islam.
368 pages, Paperback
Published April 5, 2005
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About the author
Marshall G.S. Hodgson
18 books78 followersMarshall Goodwin Simms Hodgson was an Islamic studies academic and a world historian at the University of Chicago. He was chairman of the interdisciplinary Committee on Social Thought in Chicago.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 1, 2018
This is a de-romanticizing work, misleadingly titled. In fact, I guarantee you that it was the publisher who demanded the title, due to its dramatic draw and many are likely to be instinctively adding this to your interminable lists of things to read based on that alone.
However, reader beware: the book is best reflected in its less interesting subtitle. Now, if you don't know Hodgson's work or don't know what an early Nizari Isma'ili is or why they'd be struggling against the rest of the Islamic world, you are likely to be disappointed. This book has little to do with "the secret order of assassins".
In fact, the sole strength of the book lies in dispelling the hoary, shitty view of this movement. They didn't smoke weed ("assassin" comes from "Hashashin" or, "potheads"). They didn't trick assassins with fake, staged afterlives, and they didn't conduct Assassin's Creed-type assassinations. In fact, they used assassination as a political and military rule quite in keeping with pretty much every other polity that has ever existed.
This is a work that studies a very fringey sect of Shi'a Islam and their struggle to survive in an overwhelming Sunni environment. If anything, this is a religious history, with much detail on their beliefs and philosophical, exclusivist worldview. If you're not into ta'alim, qiyama, or the doctrine of the satr, you probably won't find much to love here.
I love Hodgson's work. His "Venture of Islam" is probably the best history of the religion and its folks that you will ever read. This, an earlier work dictated by the nichey rquirements of inane academia, is much less interesting save for the specialist.
However, reader beware: the book is best reflected in its less interesting subtitle. Now, if you don't know Hodgson's work or don't know what an early Nizari Isma'ili is or why they'd be struggling against the rest of the Islamic world, you are likely to be disappointed. This book has little to do with "the secret order of assassins".
In fact, the sole strength of the book lies in dispelling the hoary, shitty view of this movement. They didn't smoke weed ("assassin" comes from "Hashashin" or, "potheads"). They didn't trick assassins with fake, staged afterlives, and they didn't conduct Assassin's Creed-type assassinations. In fact, they used assassination as a political and military rule quite in keeping with pretty much every other polity that has ever existed.
This is a work that studies a very fringey sect of Shi'a Islam and their struggle to survive in an overwhelming Sunni environment. If anything, this is a religious history, with much detail on their beliefs and philosophical, exclusivist worldview. If you're not into ta'alim, qiyama, or the doctrine of the satr, you probably won't find much to love here.
I love Hodgson's work. His "Venture of Islam" is probably the best history of the religion and its folks that you will ever read. This, an earlier work dictated by the nichey rquirements of inane academia, is much less interesting save for the specialist.
April 18, 2012
For some reason, I thought Hodgson might abandon the dense prose of the Venture of Islam, and make this more accessible. He didn't.
September 11, 2020
"L’ordine degli assassini – La lotta dei primi Ismailiti Nizariti contro il mondo islamico”, titolo originale: “The Order of Assassins”, di Marshall G.S. Hodgson, traduzione di Svevo D’Onofrio, editore Adelphi, ISBN 978-88-459-3430-8.
Il saggio parla della genesi degli Nizariti, gli attuali seguaci dell’Aga Khan, principale setta degli ismailiti che, a loro volta, appartengono alla corrente dello sciismo islamico.
I Nizariti, furono particolarmente attivi e temuti fra l’XI e il XIV secolo dai contemporanei e, in particolare, dai musulmani sunniti, sulla base del loro programma rivoluzionario che, si rivolgeva principalmente contro questi ultimi.
La loro politica fu spesso attuata attraverso l’espansione territoriale imperniata sul controllo di fortezze ubicate in luoghi remoti e/o strategici ubicati principalmente in Persia e Siria, ma anche perpetuando minacce personali e omicidi mirati. Proprio da questa loro propensione essi finirono per essere avvolti da un alone di mistero e leggende nere, finendo per essere etichettati come “L’ordine degli assassini”; mentre lo stesso termine “Assassino” sembra proprio derivare ad una delle etichette affibbiate ai Nizariti.
La fine della loro potenza politica viene fatta coincidere con la consegna e distruzione di Alamūt, la più poderosa fra le loro fortezze, avvenuta nel 1256 a seguito dell’espansione dei mongoli.
L’Autore del saggio inquadra molto bene la genesi, l’evoluzione e le caratteristiche di quella che può essere definita una delle tante sette eretiche che si separarono nel tempo dal sunnismo e, allo stesso tempo, svela molte delle inesattezze storiche, dei pregiudizi e del folklore che, da sempre circolavano intorno ad essa e che hanno contribuito a crearne la leggenda nera.
Il Saggio è molto interessante e, contribuisce a spiegare a chi non ha dimestichezza con la cultura islamica quanto essa fosse variegata e ramificata e come, un po’ come è avvenuto per il cristianesimo, la religione maomettana fosse tutt’altro che monolitica ma anzi, frammentata in una pluralità di interpretazioni e sette più o meno da considerarsi eretiche sulla base dell’ortodossia sunnita di base.
Per il lettore non specialista però, il testo ha, a mio avviso un grosso difetto; manca di un glossario in coda al libro che permetta al lettore di ripassare continuamente il significato dei termini islamici usati nell’opera.
Questa mancanza è dovuta, penso, al fatto che il testo nasca come una rielaborazione di una tesi universitaria, dunque da uno studio discusso fra specialisti che, evidentemente, non avevano problemi a capire il significato dei tanti termini specifici utilizzati.
Personalmente, invece, io mi sono trovato in difficoltà a memorizzare le spiegazioni dei termini specifici che, magari, venivano fatte solo una volta nel corso dell’intera opera. In questo caso, anche le ricerche in rete, spesso non mi hanno aiutato dato che è difficile rendere le diverse traslitterazioni dei termini utilizzati (... però si finisce per piombare in una serie di siti “interessanti” ... anche se spesso incomprensibili 😊!).
Questo sarebbe un problema facilmente risolvibile per eventuali riedizioni dell’opera.
Il saggio parla della genesi degli Nizariti, gli attuali seguaci dell’Aga Khan, principale setta degli ismailiti che, a loro volta, appartengono alla corrente dello sciismo islamico.
I Nizariti, furono particolarmente attivi e temuti fra l’XI e il XIV secolo dai contemporanei e, in particolare, dai musulmani sunniti, sulla base del loro programma rivoluzionario che, si rivolgeva principalmente contro questi ultimi.
La loro politica fu spesso attuata attraverso l’espansione territoriale imperniata sul controllo di fortezze ubicate in luoghi remoti e/o strategici ubicati principalmente in Persia e Siria, ma anche perpetuando minacce personali e omicidi mirati. Proprio da questa loro propensione essi finirono per essere avvolti da un alone di mistero e leggende nere, finendo per essere etichettati come “L’ordine degli assassini”; mentre lo stesso termine “Assassino” sembra proprio derivare ad una delle etichette affibbiate ai Nizariti.
La fine della loro potenza politica viene fatta coincidere con la consegna e distruzione di Alamūt, la più poderosa fra le loro fortezze, avvenuta nel 1256 a seguito dell’espansione dei mongoli.
L’Autore del saggio inquadra molto bene la genesi, l’evoluzione e le caratteristiche di quella che può essere definita una delle tante sette eretiche che si separarono nel tempo dal sunnismo e, allo stesso tempo, svela molte delle inesattezze storiche, dei pregiudizi e del folklore che, da sempre circolavano intorno ad essa e che hanno contribuito a crearne la leggenda nera.
Il Saggio è molto interessante e, contribuisce a spiegare a chi non ha dimestichezza con la cultura islamica quanto essa fosse variegata e ramificata e come, un po’ come è avvenuto per il cristianesimo, la religione maomettana fosse tutt’altro che monolitica ma anzi, frammentata in una pluralità di interpretazioni e sette più o meno da considerarsi eretiche sulla base dell’ortodossia sunnita di base.
Per il lettore non specialista però, il testo ha, a mio avviso un grosso difetto; manca di un glossario in coda al libro che permetta al lettore di ripassare continuamente il significato dei termini islamici usati nell’opera.
Questa mancanza è dovuta, penso, al fatto che il testo nasca come una rielaborazione di una tesi universitaria, dunque da uno studio discusso fra specialisti che, evidentemente, non avevano problemi a capire il significato dei tanti termini specifici utilizzati.
Personalmente, invece, io mi sono trovato in difficoltà a memorizzare le spiegazioni dei termini specifici che, magari, venivano fatte solo una volta nel corso dell’intera opera. In questo caso, anche le ricerche in rete, spesso non mi hanno aiutato dato che è difficile rendere le diverse traslitterazioni dei termini utilizzati (... però si finisce per piombare in una serie di siti “interessanti” ... anche se spesso incomprensibili 😊!).
Questo sarebbe un problema facilmente risolvibile per eventuali riedizioni dell’opera.
August 4, 2021
Marshall G. Hodgson’s The Secret Order of Assassins: The Struggle of the Early Nizârî Ismâîlîs Against the Islamic World investigates the origins of Nizârî Ismâîlîs and how they became a formidable threat to Sunnî and Shîa sects of Islam. As most histories centered on the Muslim world tend to do, the account commences at the formation and rise of Islam on the Arabian Peninsula and the schism that occurred with the murder of Alî, the fourth Caliphate, in 661 C.E. From this schism emerged the division of Islam into two sects: Sunnî and Shîa. This partitioning of Islam led to further fissures in the religion, giving rise to various sub-sects.
Hodgson notes that there is no clear picture of the rise of Ismâîlîsm, but, after 900 C.E., a clear structure and organization became evident. The sect erected a power structure known as the Ismâîlî Dyansty of Egypt—also known as the Fâṭimid Caliphate. Within this empire, the doctrinal foundations of the sect are further elaborated and solidified; however, another schism occurred over the succession of the imâm. The setting aside of Nizâr, in his rightful ascendancy to the position of imâm, led Ḥasan-i Ṣabbâḥ to set out on his own with his followers to establish their sect: Nizârî Ismâîlîs. Under Ṣabbâḥ, the sect underwent a reformation of the original Ismâîlî doctrines and practices.
Hodgson pieces together the history of the sect’s exodus from Fâṭimid Egypt, indicating that Ṣabbâḥ initiated a military campaign simultaneously with their alienation away from their former home. The military operations were aimed at both Fâṭimid Egypt and the Saljûq Turks, who occupied Sunnî lands. They seized Alamût in 1090 C.E., an inaccessible, rough terrain location, which provided short routes between the important city of Qazwîn and the Caspian Sea. The barrage of assaults unleashed by the Nizârî Ismâîlîs horrified and baffled the Saljûq Turks, as they were devastated by the sect of Ṣabbâḥ. Hodgson presents a picture that shows the complexity of Islamic world and how factional disputes among the Saljûq Turks benefited the Assassins.
Also, Hodgson discusses and examines the employed method of struggle used by the Nizâris, assassination. He reexamines Islamic history when such precedents for the use of assassinations were set. Just as the Khârijites had done, they sought to overturn all who did not agree with their view of puritanical Islam. They labeled all their enemies as backsliders. This was deliberate imitation of that archetype deployed by Muhammad’s own military stratagem to take Mecca, posits Hodgson. Not only was assassination employed but also the use of blockages and the disruption of supply routes. However, from various other sources I’ve read, this seems to be a polemical view towards the sect. Understanding the religious teachings of the sect over time evinces a different motive behind their use of assassination. They aimed at protecting their hierarchical structure of knowledge, which the desired to preserve for future generations. This structure is what scared the Sunnî establishment.
Hodgson asserts that such tactics were not used for the sake of carving out a vast expanse of territory, but rather for the purpose of evincing to their enemies that they rule by a formidable power. Assassinations demonstrated to all that the absolute power of fear was the method for Ismâîlî governance. These methods allowed them to gain outposts away from Alamût, where they captured fortresses in Syria and Iṣfahân—just to name a few. Later, Syria would become an important outpost for one of the most heroic and well-known names of the sect, Râshid ad-Dîn Sinân.
The history contained in this book tries to evince not only chronology of events, but also the guiding philosophy behind the sect. Hodgson sets the account of the Nizârî Ismâîlîs in the light of their philosophical underpinnings. This seemed to be a painful chore, as the scholarship and pertinent documents addressing Ismâîlî had not been fully developed. As this book was written in the 1950s, many of the sources relied upon by scholars were those of medieval Sunnî sources or Crusader accounts. Ismâîlî sources were rare and seldom available for scholars. The Sunnî accounts resort to polemical attacks on the Assassins, which may have been justified. It must be remembered that most of the Middle East at that time, was ruled by Sunnî Muslims, who sought to extinguish all other sects of Islam. Hodgson makes ample use of these statements from the sources, but, just because they are Sunnî sources, does not mean they should be discounted. Hodgson works with the sources that are available to him, rending scholarly work with an interesting perspective of the Nizârî Ismâîlîs. The picture provided by Hodgson is a foundational starting point for any who are interested in the Assassins. Hodgson is not only known for this book, but also for the standard volume of texts that provide the best account of Islamic history as a whole, The Venture of Islam.
Hodgson notes that there is no clear picture of the rise of Ismâîlîsm, but, after 900 C.E., a clear structure and organization became evident. The sect erected a power structure known as the Ismâîlî Dyansty of Egypt—also known as the Fâṭimid Caliphate. Within this empire, the doctrinal foundations of the sect are further elaborated and solidified; however, another schism occurred over the succession of the imâm. The setting aside of Nizâr, in his rightful ascendancy to the position of imâm, led Ḥasan-i Ṣabbâḥ to set out on his own with his followers to establish their sect: Nizârî Ismâîlîs. Under Ṣabbâḥ, the sect underwent a reformation of the original Ismâîlî doctrines and practices.
Hodgson pieces together the history of the sect’s exodus from Fâṭimid Egypt, indicating that Ṣabbâḥ initiated a military campaign simultaneously with their alienation away from their former home. The military operations were aimed at both Fâṭimid Egypt and the Saljûq Turks, who occupied Sunnî lands. They seized Alamût in 1090 C.E., an inaccessible, rough terrain location, which provided short routes between the important city of Qazwîn and the Caspian Sea. The barrage of assaults unleashed by the Nizârî Ismâîlîs horrified and baffled the Saljûq Turks, as they were devastated by the sect of Ṣabbâḥ. Hodgson presents a picture that shows the complexity of Islamic world and how factional disputes among the Saljûq Turks benefited the Assassins.
Also, Hodgson discusses and examines the employed method of struggle used by the Nizâris, assassination. He reexamines Islamic history when such precedents for the use of assassinations were set. Just as the Khârijites had done, they sought to overturn all who did not agree with their view of puritanical Islam. They labeled all their enemies as backsliders. This was deliberate imitation of that archetype deployed by Muhammad’s own military stratagem to take Mecca, posits Hodgson. Not only was assassination employed but also the use of blockages and the disruption of supply routes. However, from various other sources I’ve read, this seems to be a polemical view towards the sect. Understanding the religious teachings of the sect over time evinces a different motive behind their use of assassination. They aimed at protecting their hierarchical structure of knowledge, which the desired to preserve for future generations. This structure is what scared the Sunnî establishment.
Hodgson asserts that such tactics were not used for the sake of carving out a vast expanse of territory, but rather for the purpose of evincing to their enemies that they rule by a formidable power. Assassinations demonstrated to all that the absolute power of fear was the method for Ismâîlî governance. These methods allowed them to gain outposts away from Alamût, where they captured fortresses in Syria and Iṣfahân—just to name a few. Later, Syria would become an important outpost for one of the most heroic and well-known names of the sect, Râshid ad-Dîn Sinân.
The history contained in this book tries to evince not only chronology of events, but also the guiding philosophy behind the sect. Hodgson sets the account of the Nizârî Ismâîlîs in the light of their philosophical underpinnings. This seemed to be a painful chore, as the scholarship and pertinent documents addressing Ismâîlî had not been fully developed. As this book was written in the 1950s, many of the sources relied upon by scholars were those of medieval Sunnî sources or Crusader accounts. Ismâîlî sources were rare and seldom available for scholars. The Sunnî accounts resort to polemical attacks on the Assassins, which may have been justified. It must be remembered that most of the Middle East at that time, was ruled by Sunnî Muslims, who sought to extinguish all other sects of Islam. Hodgson makes ample use of these statements from the sources, but, just because they are Sunnî sources, does not mean they should be discounted. Hodgson works with the sources that are available to him, rending scholarly work with an interesting perspective of the Nizârî Ismâîlîs. The picture provided by Hodgson is a foundational starting point for any who are interested in the Assassins. Hodgson is not only known for this book, but also for the standard volume of texts that provide the best account of Islamic history as a whole, The Venture of Islam.
October 13, 2012
Anyone who has read about the Crusades, or has read Marco Polo's Travels, has heard of the Old Man of the Mountain and his stronghold of fanatical Muslim assassins. The truth about this sect is just as interesting as the legend.
Hodgson's scholarly book, originally published in 1955, is a classic and is just as relevant today as it was when he wrote it. He does a remarkable job of explaining the difference between the Shiites and the Sunnis, and the various subgroups that were involved in all sorts of wars and intrigues.
The epithet "Assassins" is something of a slander, akin to calling the sect the crazed hashish users. Hodgson calls them the Nizaris, and as it happens this sect is very much alive today, albeit in a more peaceful mode.
Yes, they did engage in political assassinations, some of which were highly successful. They were very beleagured by more orthodox rulers who wanted to stamp them out as heretics. At one point they ruled a mountain fortress called Alamut, which is derived from the words meaning "eagle's nest", but the letters of it in Arabic also mean death.
I enjoyed reading this book tremendously. The drawbacks are that it could use some maps and a glossary, which I hope may be added in future editions.
Hodgson's scholarly book, originally published in 1955, is a classic and is just as relevant today as it was when he wrote it. He does a remarkable job of explaining the difference between the Shiites and the Sunnis, and the various subgroups that were involved in all sorts of wars and intrigues.
The epithet "Assassins" is something of a slander, akin to calling the sect the crazed hashish users. Hodgson calls them the Nizaris, and as it happens this sect is very much alive today, albeit in a more peaceful mode.
Yes, they did engage in political assassinations, some of which were highly successful. They were very beleagured by more orthodox rulers who wanted to stamp them out as heretics. At one point they ruled a mountain fortress called Alamut, which is derived from the words meaning "eagle's nest", but the letters of it in Arabic also mean death.
I enjoyed reading this book tremendously. The drawbacks are that it could use some maps and a glossary, which I hope may be added in future editions.
November 29, 2024
Tedious and pedantically academic. Words as dry as dust that leave no imprint on the mind. Thank you very much.
November 11, 2025
Mai sentito parlare di Assassin Creed, il celebre videogioco?
Oppure del Vecchio della Montagna?
O ancora della famigerata setta degli assassini, sicari pronti a tutto pur di tornare nel giardino della loro fortezza dove venivano ricompensati con oppio, donne e cibo a volontà?
In realtà, la setta degli assassini non era che il ramo siriano-iranico sciismo ismailita, affermatosi in Egitto con il califfato Fatimide. Gli ismailiti fuori dall'Egitto, in Siria e Iran, si staccarono dalla madre patria (facendosi chiamare nizariti, da Nizar, candidato al califfato che fu detronizzato) e perseguirono una storia tutta loro, fatta di radicalizzazione e lotta contro il mondo conosciuto, cioè quello musulmano, rappresentando una spina nel fianco sia dei sunniti (forma imperante di Islam) che degli sciiti duodecimani (l'attuale ramo iraniano). La storia di questo gruppo è oltremodo affascinante, fatta di comunità montane, chiuse in roccaforti (quasi) inespugnabili dalle quali cercavano di fare proselitismo o rimuovere i nemici più scomodi e rappresentativi (tra cui due califfi abbasidi). Nella loro storia i nizariti hanno subito varie evoluzioni, pendendo ora verso il cristianesimo, ora verso il sunnismo nelle sue forme più ascetiche (nda, i sufi). Un gruppo che, iniziando da una matrice religiosa ultraconservatrice e diminuendo col tempo il suo peso politico, rimase comunque fieramente aggrappato al senso di indipendenza, in un mondo dove qualunque soggetto politico era legato a mani e piedi a qualche entità di stampo imperialistico.
Irriducibili, furono spazzati via dai mongoli, sopravvivendo fino a riciclarsi nell'attuale comunità indù Khoja, che conta migliaia di proseliti.
Il libro ne illustra il percorso storico, ma soprattutto si perde nelle varie fasi teologiche che attraversarono. Non è un libro semplice: la prosa è densissima, ma soprattutto se non si ha una buona conoscenza dell'epoca della regione e della religione ci si può sentire ampiamente smarriti. Il testo è nato come una tesi accademica e si vede che l'autore dà molti concetti, nomi ed eventi per scontati essendo il testo rivolto ad esperti.
Hodgson si è affermato negli anni come il massimo esperto di islamismo ed ha propugnato un'idea storiografica che fosse meno "eurocentrica". Proprio per questo motivo, nonostante le intrinseche difficoltà del testo, è una lettura che vale ampiamente la pena. Stona abbastanza il titolo (che infatti fu imposto dall'editore quando la tesi fu trasposta in libro) che strizza a quella visione esoterica e orientalista della setta di sicari amorali e fumatori d'oppio.
Che, in un mondo che ricicla la faccia di un ultraconservatore cattolico in un paladino anarchico (si sta parlando di Guy Fawkes), mi sembra un peccato veniale.
Oppure del Vecchio della Montagna?
O ancora della famigerata setta degli assassini, sicari pronti a tutto pur di tornare nel giardino della loro fortezza dove venivano ricompensati con oppio, donne e cibo a volontà?
In realtà, la setta degli assassini non era che il ramo siriano-iranico sciismo ismailita, affermatosi in Egitto con il califfato Fatimide. Gli ismailiti fuori dall'Egitto, in Siria e Iran, si staccarono dalla madre patria (facendosi chiamare nizariti, da Nizar, candidato al califfato che fu detronizzato) e perseguirono una storia tutta loro, fatta di radicalizzazione e lotta contro il mondo conosciuto, cioè quello musulmano, rappresentando una spina nel fianco sia dei sunniti (forma imperante di Islam) che degli sciiti duodecimani (l'attuale ramo iraniano). La storia di questo gruppo è oltremodo affascinante, fatta di comunità montane, chiuse in roccaforti (quasi) inespugnabili dalle quali cercavano di fare proselitismo o rimuovere i nemici più scomodi e rappresentativi (tra cui due califfi abbasidi). Nella loro storia i nizariti hanno subito varie evoluzioni, pendendo ora verso il cristianesimo, ora verso il sunnismo nelle sue forme più ascetiche (nda, i sufi). Un gruppo che, iniziando da una matrice religiosa ultraconservatrice e diminuendo col tempo il suo peso politico, rimase comunque fieramente aggrappato al senso di indipendenza, in un mondo dove qualunque soggetto politico era legato a mani e piedi a qualche entità di stampo imperialistico.
Irriducibili, furono spazzati via dai mongoli, sopravvivendo fino a riciclarsi nell'attuale comunità indù Khoja, che conta migliaia di proseliti.
Il libro ne illustra il percorso storico, ma soprattutto si perde nelle varie fasi teologiche che attraversarono. Non è un libro semplice: la prosa è densissima, ma soprattutto se non si ha una buona conoscenza dell'epoca della regione e della religione ci si può sentire ampiamente smarriti. Il testo è nato come una tesi accademica e si vede che l'autore dà molti concetti, nomi ed eventi per scontati essendo il testo rivolto ad esperti.
Hodgson si è affermato negli anni come il massimo esperto di islamismo ed ha propugnato un'idea storiografica che fosse meno "eurocentrica". Proprio per questo motivo, nonostante le intrinseche difficoltà del testo, è una lettura che vale ampiamente la pena. Stona abbastanza il titolo (che infatti fu imposto dall'editore quando la tesi fu trasposta in libro) che strizza a quella visione esoterica e orientalista della setta di sicari amorali e fumatori d'oppio.
Che, in un mondo che ricicla la faccia di un ultraconservatore cattolico in un paladino anarchico (si sta parlando di Guy Fawkes), mi sembra un peccato veniale.
December 2, 2012
Marshal Hodgson stands on a pedestal among a select group of historians. The breadth and depth of his work speaks for itself.
This book recounts the Nizaris' history from the beginning of their career to 1955. It kicks off with their split from the Fatimid Caliphate and conveys a story which pits the Nizaris against the Ayyubids and Seljuk Turks for supremacy over the Muslim world; Crusaders for fortresses on the mountains of Western Syria; and the Mongols for their survival.
Hodgson even conveys how the Nizaris adapted their religion over time to accommodate for their ever changing circumstances. His work conveys a shocking depth of knowledge concerning their religious beliefs. In explaining them, he employs language to facilitate the understanding of complex religious ideas and systems.
Hodgson wrote like an author in love with his subject. He empathized with the Nizaris to such an extent that he may have eliminated the cultural barrier which usually stands in the way of authors writing about foreign peoples or events. While reading, I felt his mastery of his subject.
This book recounts the Nizaris' history from the beginning of their career to 1955. It kicks off with their split from the Fatimid Caliphate and conveys a story which pits the Nizaris against the Ayyubids and Seljuk Turks for supremacy over the Muslim world; Crusaders for fortresses on the mountains of Western Syria; and the Mongols for their survival.
Hodgson even conveys how the Nizaris adapted their religion over time to accommodate for their ever changing circumstances. His work conveys a shocking depth of knowledge concerning their religious beliefs. In explaining them, he employs language to facilitate the understanding of complex religious ideas and systems.
Hodgson wrote like an author in love with his subject. He empathized with the Nizaris to such an extent that he may have eliminated the cultural barrier which usually stands in the way of authors writing about foreign peoples or events. While reading, I felt his mastery of his subject.
February 4, 2012
Very interesting study, which demystifies the legend of the Assasins, the Nizaris, the Ismalites, the myth of the Old Man of the Mountains, as Marco Polo and de Sacy told about. Very elaborative are not only the historical description of the real facts, but also of the ideological currents that shaped the Islamic reality of this period (12th and 13th centuries). Especially, the analysis of Hassan-i Sabbah's treatise under the title Four Chapters seems very accurate and it illuminates his role in history, as a political leader, who followed his beliefs; writer's conclusion in the chapter on Hassan's theological doctrines is remarkable; he says nothing less than that, "it was not his fault, but that of truth itself, that the result was paradox!" (ibid., p. 58).
June 25, 2009
The Assassins are a topic (like the Templars) about which huge amounts of nonsense have been written. Hodgson looks at the Assassns as a serious movement within medieval Islam, explores their doctrines, and discusses how they were demonised by both Islam and Christendom. "The Secret Order of Assassins" doesn't pay as much attention to the development of the Assassin legend as Bernard Lewis' "The Assassins", but it gives a clear and thorough account of politics and heresy in a splintered Muslim world.
Want to read
January 8, 2013خیلی عالی است
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