destabilizing the empire and creating an opportunity for the Shia community to rise again
The Hashashin: Were They Really Stoned Assassins?
When Marco Polo traveled through the Middle East on his way to China, he was told a story about a group of assassins known as the Hashashin. According to the story, they lived in a hilltop fortress ruled by the mysterious “Old Man of the Mountain” and were known for their love of a certain substance. But is this just an exaggeration or an outright fabrication?
According to Polo’s account in his travel book Il Milione, the Hashashin’s fortress had a beautiful garden filled with lovely women and fountains spraying wine, honey, and milk. As part of their initiation ritual, the Old Man would drug his assassins and take them into this garden, making them believe they had arrived in Paradise. They could drink as much as they wanted and be entertained by the women before being sent off on their first assassination mission.
While the group Polo heard about did exist and were indeed assassins living in a hilltop fortress, there is no direct evidence to suggest that they were ritualistically drugged. So where did this idea come from?
Some believe that the substance in question was hashish, a cannabis concentrate that was widely consumed during the Islamic Golden Age. It is rumored that the Hashashin were such big fans of the substance that they became known as the “hashish users.” However, there is no concrete evidence to support this claim.
The Order of Assassins was formed in the late 11th century by Hassan-i Sabbah, a religious and military leader who created the order to fight against the powerful Seljuk Empire. Instead of confronting them directly, Hassan instructed his followers to go after individual Seljuk leaders in hopes of destabilizing the empire. This is where the idea of the Hashashin being stoned assassins may have originated.
While it is possible that the Hashashin did consume hashish, there is no solid proof to support this claim. So, were they really stoned assassins? The answer is uncertain, but one thing is for sure: the Hashashin were a formidable and mysterious group that left a lasting impression on history.
