Editing Order of Assassins (section)

===Expansion into Syria===
The first ''da'i'' Hassan-i dispatched to Syria was [[al-Hakim al-Munajjim]], a Persian known as the physician-astrologer, establishing a cell in [[Aleppo]] in the early 12th century. [[Fakhr al-Mulk Radwan|Ridwan]], the emir of Aleppo, was in search of allies and worked closely with al-Hakim. The alliance was first shown in the assassination in 1103 of [[Janah ad-Dawla]], emir of Homs and a key opponent of Ridwan. He was murdered by three Assassins at the [[Great Mosque of al-Nuri (Homs)|Great Mosque of al-Nuri]] in Homs. Al-Hakim died a few weeks later and was succeeded by [[Abu Tahir al-Sa'igh|Abu Tahir al-Sa’igh]], a Persian known as the goldsmith.

While successful in cleaning the Assassins, they remained untouchable in their strongholds in the north. An eight-year war of attrition was initiated by the son of the first Assassin victim. The mission had some successes, negotiating a surrender of Khalinjan with local Assassin leader Ahmad ibn 'Abd al-Malik ibn Attāsh, with the occupants allowed to go to [[Tabas]] and [[Arrajan]]. During the siege of Alamut,<ref name="Wasserman, p. 102">Wasserman, p. 102</ref> a famine resulted and Hassan had his wife and daughters sent to the fortress at Gerdkuh. After that time, Assassins never allowed their women to be at their fortresses during military campaigns, both for protection and secrecy. In the end, ibn Attāsh did not fulfill his commitment and was flayed alive, his head delivered to the sultan.<ref>Boyle, J. A., Editor, ''The Cambridge History of Iran'', ''Volume 5: The Saljuq and Mongol Periods'', Cambridge University Press, 1968, pp. 443–444</ref>

In Syria, Abu Tahir al-Sa’igh, Ridwan and [[Abu'l Fath of Sarmin]] conspired in 1106 to send a team of Assassins to murder [[Khalaf ibn Mula'ib]], emir of Apamea ([[Qalaat al-Madiq]]). Some of Khalaf's sons and guards were also killed and, after the murder, Ridwan became overlord of Apamea and its fortress [[Qalaat al-Madiq|Qal'at al-Madiq]], with Abu'l Fath as emir. A surviving son of Khalaf escaped and turned to [[Tancred, Prince of Galilee|Tancred]], who was at first content to leave the city in the hands of the Isma'ilis and simply collect tribute. Later, he returned and captured the city for [[Principality of Antioch|Antioch]], as the town's residents overwhelmingly approved of Frankish rule. Abu'l Fath was tortured to death, while Abu Tahir ransomed himself and returned to Aleppo. This encounter, the first between the Crusaders and the Assassins, did not deter the latter from their prime mission against the Seljuks.<ref>Lewis (2003), pp. 102–103</ref>

Not so lucky were Ubayd Allah al-Khatib, ''qadi'' of Isfahan, and a ''qadi'' of [[Nishapur]], both of whom succumbed to the Assassins' blade.<ref>Lewis (2003), pp. 57–58</ref>

The Assassins wreaked havoc on the Syrian rulers, with their first major kill being that of [[Mawdud]], atabeg of Mosul, in 1113. Mawdud was felled by Assassins in Damascus while a guest of [[Toghtekin]], atabeg of Damascus. He was replaced at Mosul by [[Aqsunqur al-Bursuqi|al-Bursuqi]], who himself would be a victim of the Assassins in 1126. Toghtekin's son, the great [[Taj al-Muluk Buri|Buri]], founder of the [[Burid dynasty]], would fall victim to the Assassins in 1131, dying a year later due to his injuries.{{sfn|Lewis|1969|pp=113–118}}

Ridwan died in 1113 and was succeeded as ruler of Aleppo by his son [[Alp Arslān al-Akhras|Alp Arslan al-Akhras]]. Alp Arslan continued his father's conciliatory approach to the Assassins. A warning from Muhammad I Tapar and a prior attempt of the assassination of Abu Harb Isa ibn Zayd, a wealthy Persian merchant, led to a wholescale expulsion of the Assassins from Aleppo in that same year. Led by militia commander Sāʿid ibn Badī, the attack resulted in the execution of Abu Tahir al-Sa’igh and the brother of al-Hakim al-Munajjim, with 200 other Assassins killed or imprisoned, some thrown from the top of the citadel. Many took refuge with the [[Banu Munqidh#Provision of asylum|Banu Munqidh]] at Shaizar. Revenge was slow but sure, taken out on Sāʿid ibn Badī in 1119. The shiftless Arp Arslan had exiled Sāʿid to [[Qal'at Ja'bar|Qalʿat Jaʿbar]], where he was murdered along with two of his sons by Assassins.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Annals of the Saljuq Turks: Selections from al-Kamil fi'l-Tarikh ibn al-Athir, 1097–1146 |editor1-last=Richards |editor1-first=D. S. |publisher=Routledge Publishing |year=2005 |page=164}}</ref>{{sfn|Lewis|1969|pp=113–114}}

The Assassins struck again in Damascus in 1116. While a guest of Toghtekin's, Kurdish emir Ahmad-Il ibn Ibrāhim ibn Wahsūdān was sitting next to his host when a grieving man approached with a petition he wished be conveyed to Muhammad I Tapar. When Ahmad-Il accepted the document, he was stuck with a dagger, then again and again by a second and third accomplice. It was thought that the real target may have been Toghtekin, but the attackers were discovered to be Assassins, likely after Ahmad-Il, the foster brother of sultan.<ref>D. S. Edwards, Editor (2010). ''The Chronicle of Ibn al-Athir for the Crusading Period from al-Kamil fi’l-Ta’rikh. Part 1, 1097–1146,'' p. 177</ref><ref>Lewis (2003), p. 58</ref>

In 1118, Muhammad I Tapar died and his brother Ahmad Sanjar became Seljuk sultan, and Hassan sent ambassadors to seek peace. When Sanjar rebuffed these ambassadors, Hassan then sent his Assassins to the sultan. Sanjar woke up one morning with a dagger stuck in the ground beside his bed. Alarmed, he kept the matter a secret. A messenger from Hassan arrived and stated, "Did I not wish the sultan well that the dagger which was struck in the hard ground would have been planted on your soft breast". For the next several decades there ensued a ceasefire between the Isma'ilis and the Seljuks. Sanjar himself pensioned the Assassins on taxes collected from the lands they owned, gave them grants and licenses, and even allowed them to collect tolls from travelers.<ref>Wasserman, p. 105</ref>

By 1120, the Assassins' position in Aleppo had improved to the point that they demanded the small citadel of Qal'at ash-Sharif from [[Ilghazi]], then [[List of rulers of Aleppo#Artuqid Dynasty|Artuqid emir of Aleppo]]. Rather than refuse, he had the citadel demolished. The Assassins' influence in Aleppo came to an end in 1124 when they were expelled by [[Belek Ghazi]], a successor to Ilghazi. Nevertheless, the ''qadi'' [[Ibn al-Khashshab (died 1125)|ibn al-Khashahab]] who had overseen the demolition of Qal'at ash-Sharif was killed by Assassins in 1125.{{sfn|Lewis|1969|p=115}} At the same time, the Assassins of [[Diyarbakır|Diyarbakir]] were set upon by the locals, resulting in hundreds killed.<ref>''The Annals of the Saljuq Turks: Selections from al-Kamil fi’l-Tarikh ibn al-Athir'', p. 255</ref>

In 1121, [[Al-Afdal Shahanshah]], the [[Vizier (Fatimid Caliphate)|vizier of the Fatimid Caliphate]], was murdered by three Assassins from Aleppo, causing a seven-day celebration among the Isma'ilis and no great mourning among the court of Fatimid caliph [[al-Amir bi-Ahkam Allah]] who resented his growing boldness. Al-Afdal Shahanshah was replaced as vizier by [[Al-Ma'mun al-Bata'ihi|al-Ma'mum al-Bata'ihi]] who was instructed to prepare a letter of rapprochement between Cairo and Alamut. Upon learning of a plot to kill both al-Amir and al-Ma'mum, such ideas were disbanded, and severe restrictions on dealing with the Assassins were instead put in place.<ref>Lewis (2003), pp. 59, 108</ref>