Ark of the Covenant

Kadar: "The Ark... of the Covenant?"

Altaïr: "Don't be silly, there's no such thing. It's just a story."

—Kadar Al-Sayf and Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, upon seeing the Ark.

The Ark of the Covenant in Solomon's Temple.

The Ark of the Covenant was a golden casing first hidden under Solomon's Temple, which housed an Apple of Eden between the wings of the seraphim on its upper surface. It was crafted by the Israelites after their leader, Moses, used it along with the Staff of Eden to deliver them from slavery in Egypt. The Ark also contained the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments

History

In 1191, the Master Assassin Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, as well as the brothers Malik and Kadar Al-Sayf were sent to the temple to retrieve the Ark. During the mission, Altaïr broke all three tenets of the Creed, particularly in his foolish attempts to kill Robert de Sable, the Grand Master of the Knights Templar, who had also ventured to the temple to obtain the Piece of Eden for himself.

This failure on Altaïr's part cost the Assassins a great deal: Kadar was killed, Malik was severely injured, and the Templar forces were compelled to attack the Assassin fortress of Masyaf. Nevertheless, Malik was able to deliver the Ark and the Apple it contained to Al Mualim, who kept it safe in the fortress library.

Source

• Assassin's Creed