Assassins: Beyond the Legend is a groundbreaking new video series from The Institute of Ismaili Studies. This collaborative effort between Rehana Virani, from the Office of Communications and Development, the Ismaili Special Collections Unit, and IIS scholars seeks to uncover the dark history and legends associated with mediaeval Ismailis.
In the first episode, The Origins, Dr Daryoush Mohammad Poor sits with Dr Farhad Daftary, former co-chair of The Institute of Ismaili Studies and author of The Assassin Legends, to hold a dialogue on the origins of the assassin legends from anti-Ismaili polemics to Crusader fantasy. While the conversation is conducted in Persian, subtitles are available in English.
This episode addresses questions such as:
- What are the origins of the ‘assassin legends’?
- Did Ismailis use hashish (from which the term ‘assassin’ is supposedly derived)?
- What political and religious factors encouraged the spread of the ‘assassin legends’?
- What are the earliest sources on the ‘assassin legends’ from Ismailis and other groups?
Join Dr Daftary and Dr Mohammad Poor for episode two of Assassins: Beyond the Legend, coming soon. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to be notified of its release.
