Tired of waiting for Assassin's Creed? Perhaps a story of a real-life assassin's nest in Syria, which was erected during the era of the Crusades, will get you going.

Saladin, a great general who lived during the 12th century, was also the Sultan of Egypt and Syria during his time. He was the target of two known assassination attempts during one of his campaigns. The last one was almost successful, even managing to draw blood. It is believed that this was the initial cause of why he decided to besiege the castle of Masyaf, the Assassin's fort in Syria.

Even for Saladin, this was a hard decision to make. The Assassins of Masyaf, a sect of Nizari Ismaili of Islam, had a terrible reputation, and anyone daring to take the castle was as good as dead. In the end, even Saladin was not able to take the castle; the siege ended up in a truce. It was only finally conquered by the Mongols in 1260.

Apparently, assassins were really poor during that time, so in turn the castle's defenses were also inadequate. Although the castle had its own share of secret passageways and chambers, it was only the assassins' strength and posture of danger that was useful for defending the castle.

The castle's restoration finished last year, sponsored by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture Historic Cities Support Program, and is now open for visitors. The restoration started back in 2000.