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After an introductory chapter on the Western discovery of the Assassins during the Crusades and the growth of research on the subject in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Lewis discusses their Ismailite origins ( the Ismailites are a Shiite sect). He briefly notes Ismailite history and theology, their evangelizing and secret "cell" system of organization; the Fatimid (Ismailite) Caliphate in Egypt; the Druze succession and Nizari offshoot, and Ismailite revival in the form of the fanatic Assassins in Iran in the eleventh century. He details their spread from Iran, the historical conditions in which they diffused into Syria, through Iraq; the murders they committed; and the Crusade period, not long after which they were destroyed as a power. An interesting book on a generally obscure but fascinating subject.
See also: Lewis, Bernard. The Origins of Ismai'lism : A Study of the Historical Background of the Fatimid Caliphate. New York, AMS Press, 1974 (Repr. of 1940 ed.) LC 74-180357. ISBN 0-404-56289-2 BP 195.15L4. 1974. DDC 297'.822