S1, E6: Who were the original Assassins? To find out we need to go back to 11th Century Persia, a country torn apart by the age-old conflict between Shiite and Sunni Muslims. To survive, a tiny Shiite community, the Ismailis, begin a lethal terror campaign, targeting top Sunni leaders. In response, the Sunnis try to blacken the Ismailis' reputation, accusing them of being high on hashish. The name sticks and spawns our word, Assassin. In Syria, the Assassins are threatened by both Muslim and Christian enemies. Their lethal tactics seal the Assassins' reputation as the deadliest Special Forces in the medieval world.