Cut up

The Assassins (Arabic: حشّاشين‎ Hashāshīn, also Hashishin or Hashashiyyin) were an order of Nizari Ismailis, particularly those of Syria and Persia that existed from around 1092 to 1265. Posing a strong military threat to Sunni Saljuq authority within the Persian territories, the Nizari Ismailis captured and inhabited many mountain fortresses under the leadership of the Persian Hassan-i Sabbah.

The name 'Assassins' was originally derogatory and used by their adversaries during the Middle Ages; the modern word "assassin" is derived from this name. Preserved within European sources, such as the writings of Marco Polo, they were depicted as trained killers, responsible for the systematic elimination of opposing figures. The term hashish connoted meanings such as "outcast" or "rabble". Various orientalist scholars believed the Nizaris consumed hashish before carrying out political killings