The Most Reliable Historical Sources on Hasan Sabbah
Updated: 6 November 2026
Short answer
Start with Farhad Daftary's work and the TDV Encyclopedia of Islam entry. The core medieval sources are Juvayni, Rashid al-Din, Kashani and Ibn al-Athir. Most were hostile to the Nizaris and wrote later, so they must be read critically.
Medieval sources
Hasan's autobiography, the Sargudhasht-i Sayyidna, is known through Juvayni, Rashid al-Din and Kashani, who used lost Nizari chronicles. Juvayni saw Alamut for the Mongols and regarded its fall as divine punishment, so his account needs care.
Modern scholarship
Marshall Hodgson's The Order of Assassins, Bernard Lewis's The Assassins, Daftary's The Isma'ilis and The Assassin Legends, and Peter Willey's Eagle's Nest are the usual starting points. The sources listed below are those we read directly online. Treat the books as suggested reading rather than cited evidence here.
Frequently asked questions
- What are the most reliable historical sources on Hassan Sabbah?
- For a general reader, Daftary's articles are the best first step, followed by his books and Lewis's The Assassins.
Sources
- Farhad Daftary, “Hasan Sabbah”, Institute of Ismaili Studies (edited from Encyclopaedia Iranica, vol. XII)
- Farhad Daftary, “Assassin”, Institute of Ismaili Studies (from Medieval Islamic Civilization: An Encyclopaedia)
- Abdülkerim Özaydın, “Hasan Sabbâh”, TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, vol. 16 (1997), pp. 347-350 (in Turkish)
- “Hasan-i Sabbah”, English Wikipedia
Medieval authors such as Juvayni, Rashid al-Din and Ibn al-Athir are cited here through the listed studies, not directly. Prepared by the hasansabbah.com editorial team.