With our wonderful host in Tehran, Mr
Mousavi, following-up on getting the train tickets for Ankara, we were free to
explore other cities in Iran. A fast
train trip to Qazvin took us through relatively treeless, dry desert countryside
with the occasional splash of agricultural green.
Qazvin is a mini Tehran, less busy but
similar in look and feel. The main reason tourists go there is that it is the
gateway to the Alamut Valley and the land of the Assassins. We took a
savaris taxi (shared) to the valley from Qazvin, about a 70 km drive through
winding mountain roads. And what a ride it was! Iranians are speed
demons and the driver, with barely a hand on the wheel, zoomed around hairpin
turns. On the straight we thought Mr
Leadfoot was going for the Grand Prix!
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| The scenery while zooming through the valley |
The drive went through some beautiful
country that reminded us a lot of Australia. When we first left Qazvin
the rolling hills of dry yellow grass looked very much like the Monaro district
south of Canberra. Then as we went further into the mountains the reddish
rocky outcrops made us think we were in Central Australia.
The Castle of the Assassins is just outside
the little village of Gazor Khan in the Alborz Mountains. The castle was
built on a jutting ridge top in the 11th Century but all that remain are ruins.
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| The Castle ridge top |
The Assassins or were a branch of the Ismaili sect of Shia Islam. The founder of the Assassins was Hasan-e
Sabbah, who infiltrated the castle at Alamut with his followers, and
bloodlessly ousted the resident king of Daylam in 1090. The Assassins or Hashshashins repeatedly and systematically killed their enemies with guile and
stealth, striking them inside their own strongholds. Their tactics would be to infiltrate the court of
various princes who were not willing to convert. The agent would bide his time until one day
the unsuspecting prince would find a dagger in his back. These strategic assassinations were usually
enough to bend the other officials to their will.
The views from the castle ruins are
fantastic. You can just imagine Hasan-e Sabbah and the Ismalis slinking through
the valley.
Hulagu Khan, the
grandson of Genghis Khan, destroyed the castle in 1256. The ruins have been there ever since and only
recently have the archaeologists taken an interest.
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| Excavated ruins |
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| Castle lookout and tunnel |
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| Castle ruins |
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