The stronghold of the Ismaili Nizari sect at Alamut destroyed by Hulagu Khan

Compiled By: Syed Ali Shahbaz
On December 15, 1256 AD, Hulagu Khan captured and destroyed the Hashshashin (Assassins) stronghold of the Ismaili Nizari sect at Alamut, some 200 km west of Tehran. The almost impregnable fortress surrendered without a fight, by accepting a deal that spared the lives of the people. Among those freed was the prominent Iranian theologian and scientist, Khwaja Naseer od-Din Tousi, who was held against his will at the court of the Ismail ruler, Da’i an-Nasser, and for whom he had to dedicate the famous book \"Akhlaq-e Nasseri\" on ethics and scientific issues.
The Nizari-Musta’li split had occurred in Fatemid Egypt in 1095, following the death of Ma\'ad al-Mustansir-Billah and the installation of his younger son al-Musta’li as successor by the vizier al-Afzal Shahanshah who by-passed the claim of the elder son Nizar. After the defeat of Nizar’s revolt, his followers fled east towards Syria and Iran, where his close confidante, the Cairo-trained Iranian Ismaili missionary, Hassan Sabbah, chose the inaccessible fortress of Alamout as the Nizari headquarters.
The present leader of the Nizaris (known as Khojas), is the Europe-based Karim Agha Khan, while the chief of the Musta’lis, (known as Bohras), is the Mumbai-based Da’i Syedna Burhanuddin.