I got a call …It was about 5 days before the tour I got a call on my mobile number from an Iranian sim card.I replied as I do if I am receiving this call from a Farsi-speaking person.”Aloo,” I said. This is a phrase we say when answering phone calls. The same as the …
Fortresses of solitude: a journey through northern Iran’s Alamut Valley Armaan journeys through Iran’s northern Alamut region in the South Caspian province of Qazvin, and soon finds himself captivated by the ruined fortresses that rise from the rocky landscape.By Armaan – 30 June 2023I had just bitten into a sugar cube when we almost set …
Start of an ExplorationIt was in the spring of 2022 that I received an email. The tourist was asking for a multi-day trekking trip in Alamut Valley including the visit to Alamut Castle, Lambesar Castle and the climb to Alam Kooh. The itinerary also included an exploration of Navizar Castle in Alamut Valley.Up to that …
Lambsar, the Shield of AlamutLambesar, Lamasar, Lamyasar or Lambsar are different names for the largest and the second most military castle of the Assassins. Following the local dialect, we call it Lambsar.Lambsar within the local dialect comes from two different words. “Lam” means “a plain on a height” and “besar” means “on the head”. So, …
City of Good FortuneAs we have seen, the castle of Alamut was both the starting point and the constant power centre of the whole Ismaili movement.In recognition of its crucial strategic importance to his cause, Hasan Sabbah renamed it “Baldat al-Iqbal” (Arabic: بلدة الاقبال ), the “City of Good Fortune”.It was from here that messengers …
