'GAZETTEER OF PERSIA. VOLUME II' [‎32v] (69/706)

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ASLA—ASSA
ABLANDOZ—
A village in Azarbaijan, just below the junction of the Karasu and
Ar vs. It is a collection of huts made of reeds and mats, tenanted by
a few miserable nomads. Here is an artificial hill in the shape of a cone
which has been fortified by the Persians to defend the adjacent fords of
the Aras, which are very practicable. Here the. Persian force under ’Abbas
Mirza was encamped in the war of 1828, when a Russian detachment under
General Ku itlerov'ki surprised it, and inflicted an immense loss, including
12 guns. Major Christie, an English officer of the Pers an army, refusing
to desert his men, was killed after a most desperate resistance, and
not withst ml.ng the generous efforts of the Russian General to spare him.
A good description of this battle is given in R. G. Watson’s History of
Persia, London, 1866. Christie was an officer of the Bombay Army and
came to Persia w.th Sir John Malcolm in 1810. The| ford here is of some
importance, and has been repeatedly used by troops operating in this
direction, notably so by Prince Madatoff, who crossed on February 28th,
1828, with a body of Russian troops, and carried dismay into the Persian
territory as far as Mishkin.— {Monteith; Morier.)
ASOLAT—
A village in Mazandaran, situated on the Chalus river near the junction
of the Pul (Paid) with it. It is about 60 miles north of Tehran and 20
south-east of ’Abbasabad on the Caspian.— (Lovett.)
ASPABlN—
Name of a valley in Kazvin crossed by the road from Kazvln to Rasht
at some 20 miles from the former ; it lies under the Piraz range.—
(Schindler.)
ASP-CHIN-
A river in Mazandaran crossed by the coast road between the villages
of ’Abbasabad and K r Krud. It flows into the Caspian, but has little
water except in the spring.— (Holmes.)
ASSASSINS —(Derived from Hashshdshin “ Eaters of Hash'sh”)
The name of a military and religious order, formed in Persia bv a sect
of Muhammadans in the ninth century, who, in process of time, obtained
possession of ten or twelve cities, and chose a leader or king to whom they
gave the name of the ‘ Old man of the Mountain,’ who resided in the hill-
fort of Alah-amat north of Kazvln and surrounded himself with a devoted
bind, dressed in a peculiar manner and armed with sharp daggers, who
paid the most implicit deference to his commands, esteemed°assassina-
tion meritorious when sanctioned by his mandate, believing that the
highest joys of paradise awiited them should their lives be sacrificed in his
service. Secret assassination, aga nst which no precaution could prevail,
was the tremendous instrument of his vengeance. The greatest monarchs
stood in awe of him, for his was a power which they could not <mard
against, and many princes fell under the daggers of their own followers
assassins who had succeeded in getting into their service for the purpose
of destroying them. About the middle of the thirteenth century, however