Sinan, Rashid al-Din:(d. 1193) Medieval Nizari Ismaili missionary in Syria. He reorganised the Nizari community in Syria and played a prominent role in the regional politics of his time, entering into shifting alliances with Salahal-Din(Saladin), theCrusaders, and others to safeguard the independence of his community. Sinan was the original “Old Man of the Mountain” of theCrusadersA term applied to Christian invaders who carried out numerous campaigns to capture Jerusalem and Palestine from the Muslims in the 11th and 14th centuries CE., who made the Nizari IsmailisAdherents of a branch of Shi’i Islam that considers Ismail, the eldest son of the Shi’i Imam Ja尪far al-廜〢diq (d. 765), as his successor. famous in medieval Europe as the Assassins together with a number of tales regarding their secret practices. An outstanding organiser and statesman, Sinan led the SyrianNizarisfor some three decades, to the peak of their power, until his death.
This article by was originally published in The Oxford Dictionary of Islam, 2004.
Author
Dr Farhad Daftary
Co-Director and Head of the Department of Academic Research and Publications
An authority in Shi’i studies, with special reference to its Ismaili tradition, Dr. Daftary has published and lectured widely in these fields of Islamic studies. In 2011 a Festschrift entitledFortresses of the Intellectwas produced to honour Dr. Daftary by a number of his colleagues and peers.