Muhammad II now ruled as Imam over all Nizari Ismailis from his castle in Alamut, Persia whilst the Syrian Ismaili faction operated under the delegated leadership of the legendary Old Man of the Mountain. Feared by Crusaders and Saladin alike for his devoted assassins who wreaked havoc and terror in the Holy Land, he even had the King of Jerusalem assassinated in 1192.
In 1210, Muhammad II died and was succeeded by his son, Hassan III who immediately ordered his followers to embrace Sunni Islam. Acknowledging that the Nizari Ismaili revolt had failed, the Imam was adopting the Ismalii doctrine of taqiyya. By allowing Ismailis to appear like their neighbours, the Imam was hoping to guarantee the survival of his people.
Such hopes were soon crushed. In 1253, the Mongol assault began. Three years later, Alamut fell to the Mongols and with it, the Ismaili Nizari state in Persia was lost to history. The 27th Imam of the Ismailis was led to Mongolia in chains and murdered on his return journey. Persian Ismailis were massacred, including 12,000 in Quhistan. The Syrian Ismailis held out a little longer, but in 1267 eventually succumbed to Baybars I, the Mamluk whose forces had defeated the Mongols.
Nizari Ismailis were defeated, scattered and without an Imam. Their next 500 years passed in relative obscurity.
Originally published 1 year ago