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

As an Ismaili myself. I loved the games. I knew of the true history and to take the "assassin" title with a pinch of salt. Sometimes people forget that movies, games, music is just entertainment purposes. There is an onus on everyone to educate themselves and learn more before making a conclusion and judgement. Thank you for your videos. It's a shame the assassin's Creed series has forgotten its main story line of templars vs assassin's. Even though it is a piece of fiction there was something there that wanted me to learn more about the true history in period of the games. Really wish Ubisoft would go back to the Alamut period and possibly even cover the mongol conquest into the games.

its so weird how a few days ago i was thinking about this game and how i never found an in depth analysis of the history of assassins and ismailis in the form of video essays.. and then you came and delivered lol! thanks for the video

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

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

Another thing that made the Hashashin popular was the 1938 novel "Alamut", by Slovenian writer Vladimir Bartol.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Really appreciate such a good research and study of history and the way presented, will be waiting for more such informative videos

One Proud of all Persians🇮🇷 (IRAN) .. Master Hassan Sabah .. Master of all hashashins ... You can easy find eagle🦅 castle(ALAMUT) near qazvin in (Iran🇮🇷) now ... Just please dont believe their use drugs or abuse others because true story so so different... Love and respect from 🇮🇷 to all country in world

Your knowledge & content is exceptional. Thank you for sharing

You are very vast in your ideas, grounded in historical events, evolutionary ideas behind revolutions, free from prejudices...I bow down to you...

I can't stop watching your videos, also I was searching for the actual history of assassins for a loooong time. Thank you!

I've seen this video 3 times, it's so well researched. You have to do a follow up with the new Assassin's Creed: Mirage game coming out!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thanks for the upload

Omg Philip! I've been binge watching your videos about islam, magic in islamicate world, esotericism in Islam etc. Absolutely in love with your well rounded videos. Keep up the good work!!

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

Alamut castle is still in Iran and you can visit it✌🏻

I love the music that you use in your videos, it really puts me in the mood, its almost mesmerizing haha... and excellent video on a game that I love 👏

These are some of the historical roots and reasons why Iran and Syria support eachother even today- great work

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

This was my introduction, though still a bit fantasy, I was so curious, so many sounds and sights to decipher 😊

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

"They would use clever techniques of infiltration disguising themselves as monks, as servants or infiltrating the inner circles of their targets and biding their time before striking." While I do not question the accuracy of this description, you forgot to mention the technique of blending in the group of five scholars _without_ a disguise, as well as the most clever technique of them all: sitting on the bench with two other people after getting guards to lose the sight of them.

Thank you for this history, and especially for explaining that the hashish story has been disproven.

Great job on this, man!

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

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

Excellent video as always!

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

This is by far my favorite KZfaq channel.

I enjoy and learn from your videos

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

Thanks for the real Explanation 💚💙❤

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

Very interesting and worthwhile video.

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

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

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

Regardless of the quality after Odyssey as that's the last one I played and I still very much love it and Origins (even if people disagree), Assassin's Creed is extremely good at weaving their own story into the events of the times they base the games in. Altair fights against the Templars in a Crusade. Ezio is best buddies with Leonardo Da Vinci and travelled all over Renaissance Europe, fighting the Borgias for a decent bit. Connor fought directly against the British in the American Revolution and literally told George Washington that he would kill him in revenge for Connor's village being burned if he saw him again. Edward was a pirate who rubbed shoulders with the likes of Blackbeard and Calico Jack Rackham. Evie and Jacob Frye meet Jack the Ripper and fight the Industrial Revolution itself in my opinion, just endless industrialists and businessmen are a bunch of the Templars in Syndicate. Bayek meets Julius Caesar and gets to see the tomb of Alexander the Great, the Great Pyramids in their ancient beauty, and the rise of the Roman Republic (can you tell I absolutely love Origins?), and of course Alexios/Kassandra get to meet Socrates and Herodotus and witness Ancient Greece in it's glory days after the Persian Invasion that led to Thermopylae. There's just something cool about fiction mixed with actual history the way Assassin's Creed is.

Nice video dude

Can’t wait!

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

Incredibly well done explanation

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

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

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

I wish you talked also a little about those potions and formulas that they were making in Alamut and the secret knowledge that Sabbah was teaching to his loyal soldiers. Last bit not least, the connection between freemasonry and Hasan Sabbah.

Please do a video on differences between roman catholic and eastern orthodox theology

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

13:30 Interestingly, Al mualim did use the word Asasiyyun to describe the group in the first game but in Valhalla, we are told that the word Assassin comes from Hashashin.

the video was posted on 21st March - Nizari Ismaili's /persian new year- that doesn't look like a coincidence appreciate that

Fantastic video keep it up your doing amazing job.

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

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

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

It's worth pointing out that the Order of Assassins live on also with their descendants, the modern day Nizari, based largely in Portugal. Unlike every other branch of Shia Islam, they've got a living, breathing imam that's not in hiding or occultation. The stories of fidayeen and success against larger empires must have helped hold their community together.

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

Beautiful explanation.... ❤️❤️

👍 good video

Interesting to think they exist and as far i can tell, i grew up with assassin's creed, but what i often disappointed from these historical facts, is that they don't parkour their way to stab somebody like a eagle dive, but its really nice to know that your childhood once exist during the crusade.

Great. Keep up the good work.

Assassin's Creed made me get into the study of religions. Watching this makes me come full circle

Very informative, great video.

May I suggest to make a vídeo about Saladin, please make one about this important historical figure. Thank you.

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

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

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

What’s the background Music? I love it

Can make an episode about Metualis (Levantine twelver shias)?

Unbiased documentary. Great..

We are wait for....... 💜

The word assassin could have originated from the Arabic word عساسين which means guards, but it also can be used to refer to military personnel or militias

Finally, a video about my people.

Super interesting video thanks!

Beautifully summed up:)

I love this channel.

Man you're doing a great job

I learned about Hassan Sabbah from William S Burroughs

Thank you

Proud to be a nizari ismaili muslim.

awesome vid !

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

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

The meaning of the world hashashin is pharmacist because they produced a lot of medicine in alamut and sent it to other cities there were hashashin bazars in some of the cities in iran that got supplies from alamut

Shia faith basically translated the structure of Monarchy into religion where as Sunnis went on a meritocratic way of having open debates between scholars to find out the correct answer to a question when it comes to religion.

Great video

In my opinion the book "god of alamut" is a good source to study about the assassins in persia .

Make a vídeo about the mistic Mansur Al-hallaj please.