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Rashid ad-Din Sinan

Type Figure Region Syria Time c. 1132–1193 Also known as Leader of the Syrian Assassins

Leader of the Syrian Nizari Ismailis, active at Masyaf castle from about 1132 to 1193 and known in Western sources as the 'Old Man of the Mountain.…

Timeline

  1. 1164–1180Masyaf · Hama GovernorateIn 1164 he became leader of Masyaf and the Syrian castles, establishing an independent political entity that used fedayi assassins as its instrument and maneuvered for survival between the Crusaders and the Muslim states.
  2. 1176–1188Masyaf · Hama GovernorateIn 1176 he sent assassins against Saladin, after which the two sides reached a peace agreement. Around 1188 Sinan supported Saladin against the Crusaders, and Nizari power gained a degree of autonomy within the Ayyubid framework.
  3. 1191–1193Masyaf · Hama GovernorateDuring the Third Crusade he maintained control of the Syrian castles, and legend holds that he threatened Crusader leaders with assassins. He died at Masyaf in 1193, and the Syrian Nizaris continued under his successors.

Sources