The World\'s Most Dangerous Secret Societies: The Illuminati, Freemasons, Bilderberg Group, Knights Templar, The Jesuits, Skull And Bones And Others pdfdrive com

was
true, and that
the only permissible “belief” was 
action
, and furthermore that the only possessor
of the reasons for carrying out any action whatsoever was the mysterious
Grandmaster of the Order—Hassan-i-Sabbah himself.
How were so many impressionable young men so easily swayed to renounce
their upbringing and the beliefs of conventional Islam and plunge headfirst into
nihilism and martyrdom for the sake of one man’s lust for omnipotence and
revenge?

---

Deep within the maze-like fortress of Alamut, Hassan had constructed a
lavish artificial paradise, replete with beautiful gardens, music, flowing rivers
and ravishing dancing houris to bedazzle the eyes of would-be converts, 
unwittingly drugged with liberal amounts of hashish (from where the Order 
derived their namesake.) With his Propagandists leading them through a tour of 
this paradise, the pilgrims either became so entranced by the visions before them 
that they converted on the spot, begging to while away their time in this Eden; or 
became so frightened that they begged to flee, swearing that their hosts must be 
sorcerers or magicians. In either case, it was only through obedience to divine 
will of Hassan-i-Sabbah that entrance or exit was permitted. Only by swearing 
their fealty to this mysterious Master were these senseless young men granted 
access to paradise on earth; or return to their former lives. Few refused.
And how successful was this tactic, which marks the first historical instance
of brainwashing?
The influence of Hassan swept not only through Persia, but Egypt, Syria, 
Azerbaijan and much of the Arab world—rumored to reach as far as France.
Acting upon the Grandmaster’s orders, his faithful 
fedayin
gained entrance into 
courts, villages and camps, often disguised in local garb and speaking in local 
dialects. After gaining the trust of those rivals they were ordered to infiltrate,
they assassinated each target by dagger, always in full public view and always in
daylight (it is worth noting that the Hashishin were never permitted to murder a 
civilian.) Their first target was Hassan’s old rival, Nizam-al-Mulk. Their 
network of fear and stealth soon spread throughout Persia and Syria, with 
hundreds—perhaps thousands—of assassinations being committed before the 
eyes of a quivering public, who no longer knew which stranger to trust. Nor did
neither the Order nor their campaign of terror end with the death of Hassan-i-
Sabbah. Over time, new Grandmasters were selected, each swearing to uphold 
the legacy begun by this mysterious Old Man of the Mountains. Countless 
regions and properties were brought under their command. Crusading knights 
spun endless tales regarding their ruthless and mercenary foes, giving rise to the 
eventual adoption and latinization of the term, “assassin.” And then—it came to 
a halt.
The fall of the Hashishin empire came about with a Mongol attack at
Alamut in 1256. Their fortress and paradise, seized. Their spirits and numbers, 
diminished substantially. The few remaining members spread out into Syria, 
where they acted as mercenaries for hire by local sultans and emirs. There is 

---

some speculation that they continued their teachings and practices well into the 
fourteenth and perhaps even early fifteenth centuries. And there is even some 
speculation that the influence of their internal teachings lives on to this very day, 
embodied in certain sects of the Iranian Mandaean faith and Kurdish Yezidi
religion. But the prestige that the Hashishin enjoyed for almost two hundred 
years is now a fleeting memory. Or is it?