From the Thames to the Seine River, a person who murders is an assassin. In Spain, a man who undertakes to murder is called an asesino whereas the same criminal becomes an assassino in Portugal and Italy. Originally an assassin was a member of a military and religious order of Muslim fanatics. They were active in Persia, Syria and today's Iraq, between the 11th and 12th centuries. This Ismaili sect was founded by Hassan Ben Sabbat, in the late 11th century when he was banished from Cairo with his fellow-religious. He then travelled through Persia (Iran) where he gathered a number of followers and proceeded to settle into the fortress of Alamut, a robbers' retreat perched up the mountains at the border with Iraq. Ben Sabbat thus founded a sect of combatants called the"fedai" or "fedayeens". The sect spread to Syria and under the command of "the Old man of the Mountains" its members terrorized and killed enemies of their faith, mainly the Christian Crusaders invading the area, eager for power and wealth. The word "assassin" derives from the drug Ben Sabbat had some of his members taken before attacking the enemy. In fact, the fedayeens were given some haschich before combat and consequently they were called "hashshashin", an Arabic word meaning "haschich eaters".When his troops were "high" Ben Sabbat had them comfortably come to rest in paradise-like gardens where lavish beauties would take good care of them . Once asleep, the fedayeens where taken back to their "barracks". The following day, Ben Sabbat easily made them believe that, owing to him, they had reached Allah's paradise and that such a privilege was granted to those who were ready to give their life for their leader. No wonder why the fedayeens kept terrorizing and killing for so many years ! The "haschish eaters' sect" raged for over a century in this area. Eventually, the Mongol great invasions put an end to thoses raids.

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