Eleven hundred years ago, a family hiding in a small Syrian town ran one of history's most effective secret networks — and launched an empire that built Cairo and al-Azhar.

This is the untold history of the Ismailis of Syria: from the hidden imams of Salamiyah to the Fatimid Caliphate, the mountain castles of Masyaf, the "Assassin" myths, Ottoman treason trials, and survival through war to today.

In Part 1, we cover:
Why the 765 succession split created the Ismailis
How Salamiyah became the secret headquarters of the da'wa
The 899 rupture that gave birth to the Fatimid Empire
Rashid al-Din Sinan, Saladin, and the truth behind the "Assassins"
How the Ismailis survived the Mongols, Mamluks and Ottomans
The 1849 return to Salamiyah and the turn to the Aga Khan
10 untold facts most people have never heard

CHAPTERS
0:00 A desert town that launched an empire
1:00 Origins: the split of 765
3:00 Salamiyah: the secret headquarters
5:30 1094: the Nizari–Musta'li schism
7:30 Sinan, Saladin & the "Assassin" myth
11:00 Mongols, Mamluks & the long survival
13:00 1849: return to Salamiyah & the Aga Khan
15:00 Ba'athists, poets & the 20th century
17:00 War, the fall of Assad & today
19:30 10 untold facts
21:30 What this history teaches us

▶ Part 2: coming soon
📚 SOURCES & FURTHER READING
Farhad Daftary, The Isma'ilis: Their History and Doctrines (Cambridge University Press)
Farhad Daftary, The Assassin Legends: Myths of the Isma'ilis (I.B. Tauris, 1994)
Dick Douwes & Norman N. Lewis, "The Trials of Syrian Isma'ilis in the First Decade of the 20th Century," IJMES (1989)
Syria Direct, "How Syria's Ismaili community keeps a fragile peace" (Oct 2025)
L'Orient Today, "The Ismailis, the quiet and unexpected winners in new Syria" (Dec 2025)
Minority Rights Group, "Isma'ili Shias in Syria"


This is an independent history channel. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Ismaili Imamat or the Aga Khan Development Network.

If your family is from Salamiyah, Masyaf or Qadmus, share your story in the comments — it's part of this history too.

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