Alamut
is a novel written in Slovenian language by Slovenian writer Vladimir Bartol and first published at Ljubljana in 1938. Although the historical framework used by Bartol is very thorough, we find in the novel many elements of adventure literature but also frequent forays into philosophical-religious doctrines and psychology.

The narrative picks up from the simultaneous arrival of two youths, Halima and Tahir, at the fortress of Alamut, a mysterious and impregnable place where Ḥasan-i Ṣabbāḥ is organizing a powerful army around his now prophetic figure among the Ismailites of Iran. The very young Halima was sold to Hasan, called the Seyduna, by a disgraced merchant named Ali with whom the child had grown up. Instead, Tahir's father wants his son, by joining the Seyduna's army, to avenge the beheading of his grandfather, who was an Ismailite follower, ordered by Nizam al-Mulk, vizier of the Seljuk sultans the Sunni Iranians.

The first chapters tell of the education of the two youths, which, for the girl, involves learning philosophical subjects, religious and poetic subjects, as well as the dance and erotic teachings of a sullen old courtesan. Instead, the boy receives a robust philosophical and religious education, accompanied by extremely harsh training intended to make him an invincible warrior capable of controlling his every emotion. Both are brought up in strict adherence to the rules of Alamut and total veneration for the mysterious Hasan, presented as a prophet on a par with Muhammad, who never appears to the students for whom he remains a mythical figure.

The two young men live in distinct locations in Alamut. The young woman and her companions live in a kind of enchanted garden, populated by domesticated animals and beasts, along with other girls and some eunuchs who serve as teachers. The boy, however, in a kind of barracks near the heart of the fortress with nineteen other trainees destined to form an elite corps and called "fedayn." It is explained to them that the extremely harsh training to which they are subjected and the annihilation of their own will in favor of blind obedience to the masters will be rewarded with access to the delights of the paradise of Allah of whose keys Hasan ibn al-Sabbah is the only man on earth to be in possession.

In the course of the narrative we discover a number of details about the life of the Seyduna, who, at the time of the action, is sixty years old, while he has only been in possession of Alamut for two, intending to take advantage of the impregnability of the fortress and to reorganize the entire Ismailite world, preparing for the destruction of the Seljuk enemies.

The narrative undergoes a sudden acceleration as news reaches the fortress that the army of sultan of Baghdad is moving to seize and destroy Alamut. It is at this juncture that the Seyduna finally appears to readers as he receives the messenger, his old friend and protector, who advises him to leave the fortress and take refuge in India. Despite the fact that the news represents a setback in the plans of Alamut's boss, he decides that it is time to put a decisive twist on his project, which is gradually revealed to various protagonists and the reader himself.

The plan, worked out in great detail over the course of two decades, is an attempt to put into practice what Seyduna says is the secret core, i.e., revealed only to a few initiates, of Ismaili doctrine, summed up in the maxim "Nothing is real, everything is permitted." To explain this maxim, and the project he derived from it, the Seyduna explains to his closest associates that throughout his existence he delved into the study of all religious, scientific and philosophical doctrines in search of truth, finally coming to the realization that no religion or philosophy is capable of making man understand the universe. He has therefore reached the conviction that what man truly pursues throughout life is the pursuit of pleasure, and that all he can do he can do only on earth, circumscribing his entire universe to it. He therefore decided to be to the earth what Hallah is to the universe. He had the splendid gardens built in which Halima and the other maidens dwell, erecting an impenetrable barrier between their enchanted world and the rest of the fortress of Alamut: those gardens will be used as a prize for the fedayn, to reinforce not only their courage but even their death wish. In this way they will be willing even to the extreme sacrifice to honor the Seyduna who alone holds the keys. This miracle will be performed with the help of hascisc tablets, which, due to the stun and visions induced, will serve to better simulate the temporary transition to an extra-terrestrial condition.

On the occasion of the first attempted assault on the fortress by the Seljuk sultan's Turkish vanguards, the fedayn were consecrated as combatants and allowed to participate in the battle. Following the victory Hasan decided to open the doors of his paradise for the first time for three young fedayn, including young ibn-Tahir.

Gradually the fedayn will become the deadliest weapon any ruler has ever been able to use and will turn into ruthless killers.

Source: Wikipedia

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