Mediaeval Isma'ili History and Thought

Until recently, the Isma'ilis were judged almost exclusively on the basis of hostile Muslim and European sources. This volume, the result of some of the most recent scholarship in the area, written by leading contemporary authorities in the field, sheds a new and more realistic light on their history. Until recently the Isma`ilis were judged almost exclusively on the basis of the hostile accounts of their Muslim enemies and the fanciful tales of the Crusaders. As a result, numerous misconceptions were disseminated about the teachings and practices of the Isma'ilis, known in European tradition as the Assassins. In the 1930s, however, authentic Isma`ili texts began to be recovered from private collections which shed new light on mediaeval Isma`ili history and thought. This collective volume brings together some of the original results of modern scholarship in the area, written by leading contemporary authorities, as well as distinguished Islamists.