The southern foothills of the Alborz between the Qazvin plain and the Nizari valleys of Alamut and Taleqan.
Qazvin has fought the Nizaris since the 1090s, and the war is hot in the winter of 1199-1200: during 1199 Tekish, using Qazvin as his base, besieged the Nizari castle of Arslan-gusha (Qahira) near Qazvin for four months and took it, then attacked Alamut without taking it (Juvaini and Ibn al-Athir as summarised by Wikipedia and TDV). No truce for Rudbar is recorded (the 100,000-dinar truce reported in these years concerns the Quhistan fort of Turshiz, not Rudbar). Raids run both ways: Nizari bands and assassins against Qazvin's villages and the Khwarazmian garrison, the town's volunteers and the garrison against the Nizari foothill villages.
Who raids whom
The Nizaris of Rudbar and Taleqan (imam Nur al-Din Muhammad II at Alamut; cas researcher's records) against Qazvin and the Khwarazmian garrison; Qazvin's volunteers and the Khwarazmians against the Nizari villages and castles.
Anchoring fortresses
Sunni side: Qazvin, and Arslan-gusha in Khwarazmian hands since 1199 (site not securely identified). Nizari side: Alamut, Lamasar and the Taleqan castles.
Last campaign
1199: Tekish's four-month siege of Arslan-gusha and his attack on Alamut. Exact months not pinned.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: The 1199 campaign is well attested; raiding in the winter itself is inferred from the state of war and the long Qazvin-Alamut feud.
On the map: Narrow on purpose: the Alamut valley and Taleqan are drawn by the cas researcher.
Sources and studies
- Wikipedia: Ala al-Din Tekish
- TDV Islam Ansiklopedisi: Tekis, Alaeddin
- Ibn al-Athir, The Chronicle of Ibn al-Athir for the Crusading Period, part 3, tr. D. S. Richards (archive.org text, years 589-594)
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.