Abstract:
Qumis was one of the provinces of Iran where a part of the Ismaili activities was concentrated from the third century AH until the invasion of Hulagu. Given the geographical location of this region, the existence of Garmakuh Castle in Damghan, and the branching of various roads to it, controlling it was of great importance to the Ismailis; so much so that from the perspective of Hasan Sabbah and his successors, this province possessed special value. This article, while examining the activities of the Ismailis in Qumis, considers the importance of this province, its geographical location, and also its role in the establishment, consolidation, and empowerment of the Ismailis.
Machine summary:
Given the geographical location of this region, the existence of the Ghardkuh Castle in Damghan, and the branching of various roads to it, controlling it held great importance for the Ismailis; so much so that from the perspective of Hassan-i Sabbah and his successors, this province possessed special value.
Among the cities of the various regions of Qumis, three cities enjoyed more importance and prestige compared to the others, so that Masudi, in his famous book al-Tanbih wa al-Ishraf which he wrote in the early fourth century, narrates as follows: "Qumis is a province between Rey and Khorasan, and its cities are Bastam, Semnan, and Damghan".
The Conquest of Gardkuh and Ismaili Activities in Qumis Before Gardkuh Castle came under the control of Rais Muzhaffar Mustawfi, it had attracted the attention of Hasan Sabbah, so much so that it is stated in Zubdat al-Tawarikh by Kashani that he intended to make the Gardkuh plain his center of command and government in the first stage: After Hasan Sabbah's return from Egypt and the pursuit of Abu Muslim Razi, incited by Nizam al-Mulk, he came to Sari and wanted to take the Damavand road to Gardkuh, but the path became weak and dry, so they returned from that route that night and stayed in a village, and in the morning they set out and reached Damavand by the way of Qazi Besham.
[24] At this time, the Ismailis in the region of Qumis and Gardkuh had reached such a level of power that they would enter wars in favor of their supporters during political disputes and wars that occurred between emirs, in such a way that they rose with an army of five thousand people to support Amirdad Habashi and Barkiyaruq, who were at war with Sultan Sanjar.
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