Alamut

Alamūt (Persian _fa. الموت "Eagle Peak", often appearing in the folk etymological form _ar. قلعه الموت "Qal‘atu l-Mūt" "the Castle of Death" in Arabic) was once a mountain fortress located in the central Alborz Mountains south of the Caspian Sea close to Gazor Khan near Qazvin Province, about 100 km from present-day Tehran in Iran. Only ruins remain of this fortress today.

Origin

Alamut lies on the peak known as "Alah Amut". Among suggested etymologies are "Eagle's Nest" (according to "Sar Guzasht-i Sayyidna")cn|date=November 2007 and "Eagle's Teaching" (according to "Kamil fit-Tarikh" of Ibn Athir)cn|date=November 2007.

According to Hamdollah Mostowfi, the first fortress was built in 840 at an elevation of 2100m. It was built in a way that had only one passable artificial entrance that wound its way around the cliff face (the one natural approach, a steep gravel slope, was too dangerous to use); thus making conquering the fortress extremely difficult. The fort had an unusual system of water supply. The top was extremely narrow and long — perhaps 400 meters long, and no more than 30 meters wide in any place and usually less.

In 1090 the fortress was infiltrated and occupied by the powerful Hashshashins, a faction of Nizāri Ismā‘ilī Shī‘a Islam known to the West as "the Assassins", and was then fabled for its gardens and libraries. The ruins of 23 other fortresses remain in the vicinity.

Commanders of Alamut (1090-1256)

* Hasan-i Sabbah (1090–1124)
* Buzurg-Ummid (1124–1138)
* Muhammad I of Alamut (1138–1162)
* Hassan II of Alamut (1162–1166)
* Muhammad II of Alamut (1166–1210)
* Hassan III of Alamut (1210–1221)
* Mohammed III (1221–1255)
* Ruknud-Dīn Khurshāh (1255–1256)

The fortress was destroyed on December 15, 1256 by Hulagu Khan as part of the Mongol offensive on Islamic southwest Asia. The fortress itself was impregnable, but Ruknud-Dīn Khurshāh surrendered it without a real fight, in the vain hope that Hulagu would be merciful.

In 2004, an earthquake further damaged the already crumbling walls of the fort.

Popular culture references

Slovenian novelist Vladimir Bartol's novel "Alamut" stands as a canonical work of Slovene literature, and has been translated into most major literary languages. [ [http://www.ukom.gov.si/eng/slovenia/background-information/vladimir-bartol/ The Hundredth Anniversary of Vladimir Bartol, the Author of Alamut] , Government Communications Office, Republic of Slovenia, 2003. Accessed 24 March 2007.]

Judith Tarr wrote a series of novels centered on Alamut.

In White Wolf Game Studio's original World of Darkness storyline, Alamut is the primary base of operations for the Assamite vampire clan. In a carefully hidden underground city, the clan's elders direct the global movements of these vampiric assassins. The mountain fortress also serves as a training grounds for neonate vampires.

In his story "The Walking Drum", Louis L'Amour uses Alamut as the setting for the rescue of Kerbouchard's father.

Alamut is listed as one of the 6 Templar meeting places in Umberto Eco's novel, "Foucault's Pendulum".

References

ee also

* Iranian architecture
* List of Iranian national heroes
* Hassan-i-Sabah
* "Alamut", 1938 novel by Vladimir Bartol

External links

* [http://www.alamutbase.ir "Alamut Cultural Heritage Base - Official Website"]
* [http://www.vmfa.state.va.us/worlds/worlds_hulagu_khan_68_8_53.html "Page from a Manuscript of the Chinghiz-nama: Hulagu Khan Destroys the Fort at Alamut"] (Retrieved February 23, 2005)
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