Castle in the hills behind Tortosa, acquired by the Nizaris in 1141 and refurbished by Sinan; the Nizari outpost facing the Templars (Bohemond IV's siege of it comes in 1214-1215, later).
Who holds it
- Name
- Probably Nasr al-Ajami (castellan not pinned)
- Title
- Chief da'i of the Syrian Nizaris
- Since
- 1141 (Nizari)
- Confidence
- low
Lord in 1200
The Nizari chief.
How things stand that morning
Nizari on 1 January 1200.
Charter
No charter: Muslim towns of Ayyubid Syria had no communal charters. The prince's governor, the qadi and the market inspector (muhtasib) govern, and the notables (a'yan) speak for the townsmen.
Council
No town council; the notables, the qadi and the governor deal with the prince.
Communities
Nizari garrison; villagers.
Fairs and markets
No fairs in the Latin sense; trade runs through the daily markets (suqs) and the caravan seasons. No market days are recorded for 1200.
Militia
No recorded town militia in 1200; the garrison is the prince's or the castle-holder's.
Walls and castle
Castle.
Trade and crafts
None of note.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Acquisition dated.
Primary sources for The Nizaris
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- The Complete History, Izz al-Din Ibn al-Athir (about 1200 to 1231, at Mosul). The widest Muslim narrative for the years 596 to 597 AH (1199 to 1201): al-Adil's entry into Cairo and his taking of the sultanate from his nephew al-Mansur Muhammad early in 1200, the quarrels of the Ayyubid princes at Damascus, Aleppo and Hama, the Nile failure and the great famine of Egypt, Mosul under Nur al-Din Arslan Shah and the Jazira under Gokbori and the Artuqids, Baghdad under the caliph al-Nasir, the Khwarazmshah Tekish's death in 1200 and Muhammad's accession, the Ghurid wars in Khurasan, the Eldiguzids and Georgia, the Almohads in the west, and the Seljuks of Rum in passing. Read online
- The Itinerary of Benjamin of Tudela, Benjamin of Tudela (about 1173). A generation before 1200 but the only survey of its kind: the Jewish communities and their heads from Navarre through Provence, Italy, Constantinople and the Aegean, Antioch, Tyre, Jerusalem, Damascus, Mosul and Baghdad to the Persian Gulf, with notes on rulers, trades, the exilarch at Baghdad, the Assassins of Syria and Persia, and hearsay on India, Ceylon and China. Read online
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.