The Ismaili approach to castle architecture was more elaborate: for example, water was stored for the garrison and the local population (who took refuge inside the fortress walls). The author asserts that “the construction of such a fortress and its associated defensive positions and walls were an engineering achievement of the highest order.”
It is generally accepted that without the security provided by their castle, the Ismaili state would probably have crumbled much earlier. The location of the castles is, in fact, a geographical marker of the boundaries of the Alamut Ismaili state. The author considers these medieval castles as tangible evidence of the extraordinary genius of the Ismailis of this time. The construction of these fortresses is in itself a tribute to the expertise and scientific understanding of the Ismailis of this period, as well as an administrative ability of a very high order.
This publication provides a significant and timely contribution to Ismaili scholarship and history, by challenging and correcting the misinformed medieval myths that have pervaded to the present about the Ismailis of that era, the so-called Legends of the Assassins. The book is well illustrated with numerous photographs, maps and plans. As well as being a piece of original scholarship, it is a readable personal account of the challenges encountered in expeditions to remote, inaccessible and often hazardous locations. Eagle’s Nest is a rich source of information and resources, and is essential reading for scholars, students and others with an interest in medieval or Ismaili history.
via The Institute of Ismaili Studies – Eagle’s Nest: Ismaili Castles of Iran and Syria.
Video Interview with author Peter Willey
Online gallery on Ismaili Castles of Iran and Syria
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