Wikipedia
Masyaf
Masyaf ( ) is a city in northwestern Syria, in the Hama Governorate. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics, Masyaf had a population of 22,508 in the 2004 census. It is the administrative center of the Masyaf District and the Masyaf Subdistrict. The latter had a population of 68,184 in 2004. In the mid-1940s, its inhabitants were predominantly Ismailis. Today, it is a religiously mixed city of Ismailis and Alawites.
The city is notable for its large medieval castle. It was used by the Nizari Ismailis and their elite Assassins (Hashashin) unit as the headquarters of their territory in the Jabal Ansariyah range.