Origins & Early Life

Rashid al-Din Sinan (Arabic: راشد الدين سنان Rāshid ad-Dīn Sinān; 1131/1135 – 1193), also known as the Old Man of the Mountain (Arabic: شيخ الجبل Sheikh al-Jabal; Latin: Vetulus de Montanis), was an Arab Muslim missionary (dāʿī) who served as the leader of the Nizari Ismaili state and the Order of Assassins from 1162 until his death in 1193. An adherent of Nizari Ismailism, a branch of Shia Islam, he was a prominent figure during the Crusades. Rashid ad-Din Sinan was born between the years 1131 and 1135 in Basra, southern Iraq, to a prosperous family. According to his autobiography, of which only fragments survive, Rashid came to Alamut, the fortress headquarters of the Assassins, as a youth after an argument with his brothers, and received the typical Assassin training.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

In 1162, the sect's leader Ḥassan ʿAlā Dhikrihi's Salām sent him to Syria, where he proclaimed Qiyamah (repeating the ceremony of Hassan II at Alamut), which in Nizari terminology meant the time of the Qa'im and the removal of Islamic law. Based at the Nizari strongholds al-Kahf and later Masyaf, he controlled the northern Syrian districts of Jabal as-Summaq, Maarrat Misrin...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Benjamin of Tudela — Contemporary (Born in 1130) (1130): Medieval Jewish explorer whose travels described the geography of the 12th century.
• Herrad of Landsberg — Contemporary (Born in 1130) (1130): 12th-century Alsatian nun, abbess, and author of the pictorial encyclopedia Hortus deliciarum.
• Ibn Tumart — Contemporary (Died in 1130) (1130): Founder of the Almohad movement, a pivotal religious and political leader in North Africa.
• Lu Jiuyuan — Contemporary (Died in 1193) (1193): Founding father of the School of the Universal Mind, a major Neo-Confucian philosopher.
• Saladin — Contemporary (Died in 1193) (1193): Founder of the Ayyubid dynasty, a pivotal Sunni Muslim ruler in the Levant.
• Dobrodeia of Kiev — Historical peer (Died in 1131) (1131): Byzantine Empress and Scholar, wife of Alexios Komnenos, noted for her literary works.
• Omar Khayyam — Historical peer (Died in 1131) (1131): Persian polymath, poet, and mathematician known for work in algebra and astronomy.
• Chrétien de Troyes — Historical peer (Born in 1135) (1135): Master of Arthurian romance, pivotal figure in medieval French literature.
• Emperor Huizong of Song — Historical peer (Died in 1135) (1135): Eighth Emperor of the Song Dynasty, known for cultural patronage and eventual abdication.
• Fujiwara no Teika — Historical peer (Born in 1162) (1162): Master poet and literary critic of the late Heian and early Kamakura periods.
• 1130 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1130
• 1193 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1193