Alamut

The remains of the fabled Alamut castle. Multiple earhquakes continue to reduce the castle to rubble.
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The remains of the fabled Alamut castle. Multiple earhquakes continue to reduce the castle to rubble.

Alamut was once a mountain fortress in the arid hills south of the Caspian Sea, near Qazvin, about 100 km from present-day Tehran in Iran. Only ruins remain of this fortress today.

The fortress was built in 840 according to Hamdollah Mostowfi at 2100 m elevation. It was built in a way that had only one possible entrance, thus making conquering the fortress extremely difficult. The fort has an unusual system of water supply.

In 1090 the fortress was invaded and occupied by the powerful Hashshashin (Assassins), and was then fabled for its gardens and libraries. The ruins of 23 other fortresses remain in the vicinity.

Alamut fortress was destroyed on December 15, 1256 by Hulagu Khan as part of the Mongol offensive on Islamic southwest Asia. The fortress itself was impregnable, but Ruknuddin Khor-shah surrendered it without a real fight, in the vain hope that Hulagu would be merciful.

In 2004, an earthquake further damaged the already crumbling walls of the fort.

See also: Hashshashin.

Later influences

References

http://www.vmfa.state.va.us/worlds/worlds_hulagu_khan_68_8_53.html (Retrieved February 23, 2005)

See also

de:Alamut fa:دژ الموت fr:Alamut sl:Alamut

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