Alamut Castle
The Nizari Isma'ili State, later known as the Assassins, was founded by Hassan-i Sabbah. Sabbah called his disciples Asāsiyyūn (Arabic: "أساسِيّون", meaning "people who are faithful to the foundation [of the faith]"). The state was formed in 1090 after the capture of Alamut Castle in modern Iran, which served as the Assassins' headquarters. The Alamut and Lambsar castles became the foundation of a network of Isma'ili fortresses throughout Persia and Syria that formed the backbone of Assassin power, and included Syrian strongholds at Masyaf, Abu Qubays, al-Qadmus and al-Kahf. The Nizari Isma'ili State was ruled by Hassan-i Sabbath until his death in 1124. The Western world was introduced to the Assassins by the works of Marco Polo who understood the name as deriving from the term hashish.