Tamir

This article is about the character from Assassin's Creed. You may be looking for Tamir in Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles.

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"You think me some petty death-dealer, suckling at the breast of war? A strange target, don't you think? Why me, when so many others do the same?"

―Tamir on his death.

Tamir (c. 1147 – 1191) was an infamous black arms merchant who came to rule over the Souk Al-Silaah, the largest market of Damascus. As one of the nine leading members of the Knights Templar during the Third Crusade, he was responsible for the production and supply of the order's weapons.

For this, he was the first target assigned to the Assassin Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, in his pursuit of redemption, and the first major Templar killed in his quest.

Biography

Rise to notoriety

Altaïr: "You believe yourself different then?"

Tamir: "Oh but I am, for I serve a far nobler cause than mere profit. Just like my brothers."

—Tamir speaking with Altaïr of his motivations.

A notorious black market merchant, Tamir rose from obscurity as a minor supplier for the Saracen army to become the owner of the largest trading center in Damascus, the Souk Al-Silaah. At its peak, his souk dominated the commerce of the Poor District, selling everything from food, to perfumes, to spices, and weapons. He was popular for his ability to procure just about any item a client desired, no matter the legality, provided that the customer could afford the hefty price.

According to the propaganda of a herald, the merchant originally dealt in fruits and vegetables, making regular rounds between Damascus and Jerusalem. In the time leading up to the Battle of Hattin in 1187, however, demand for food produce had diminished in the region. Faced with a surplus of food, Tamir drove his caravan north in hopes of finding customers before his supplies rot. Much to his fortune, he chanced upon the famished army of Saladin, the Sultan of Egypt and Syria, then preparing for a major confrontation against the Crusaders. Reinvigorated by Tamir's abundant supply of food, the Saracen army went on to deal a critical victory at the Battle of Hattin. Tamir entered into the favor of Saladin after the battle and was awarded generously for his fortuitous contribution.

Regardless of the veracity of his propagandist's tale, by 1191, Tamir's business chiefly revolved around the black market trade. Specializing in the production of weapons and armor, he soon amassed a fortune selling not just to his own people, but privately to their Crusader enemies as well. Unbeknownst to Saladin, his true allegiance laid not with the Saracens but to the Templar Order.

The Templars benefited heavily from his devotion to their cause; he was a powerful man who dominated what was likely to be the largest underground trading network in the Holy Land, supported by many blacksmiths and financiers. From him, they could obtain a constant supply of weapons and gear. Arms shipments from Tamir were frequent and regular, but in the summer of 1191, they placed the largest order yet: enough weapons to field an army of at least a thousand men, all in a short time span. Such a tremendous order strained against Tamir's budget, and he critically required the waning support of the merchant guild and the donations of the Merchant King Abu'l Nuqoud, a fellow Templar.

Much to his fury, his men failed to fulfill the order by the expected date, even in spite of working overtime. As a result, he summoned the merchant guild to a meeting at the Souk Al-Silaah, seeking to pressure them into contributing to his labor. By this point, many members of the guild were disgruntled by his iron fist hold. Notwithstanding that they were often expected to work without pay, Tamir was feared for his tendency to carry out public executions of merchants that defied him. His influence was such that the local guards turned a blind eye to these crimes and abuses.

Assassination

"You will pay for this. You and all your kind."

―Tamir, moments before passing away.

Tamir's meeting with the merchant guild to reprimand them for the failed order was fated to be his last; he and the other Templar leaders had unknowingly been marked for elimination by the leader of the Assassins Al Mualim, ironically one of their secret conspirators for the New World Order. For this purge, Al Mualim relied upon his best agent Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, a former Master Assassin recently demoted to the rank of novice for violations of the Creed. Under the promise of redeeming his lost honor and rank, Altaïr was tasked with Tamir as his first target.

After having learned much about Tamir through his investigations, Altaïr arrived at the central courtyard of the Souk Al-Silaah moments before Tamir himself, deciding that this was the moment to launch his attack. Tamir strode in from one of the souk's arcades, arguing with one of his merchants, condemning him as lazy for failing to supply the large order in time. The merchant insisted in his defense that his men were already working overtime, notwithstanding that the route to their client's destination was quite perilous. This did little to placate Tamir, who dismissed them as incompetent excuses. When the merchant, firm in his conviction that Tamir's expectations were unrealistic, voiced as much, Tamir's wrath dramatically escalated. Outraged at this remark, Tamir pressed forward and spat in the merchant's face.

Altaïr assassinating Tamir

The merchant, now recognizing the threat, pleaded that he meant no offense, but by this point, Tamir's tantrum could not be abated. He spontaneously lashed out with his dagger, slicing the merchant across the abdomen. In terror, the merchant begged him to stop, but Tamir only laughed that it was just the beginning. He proceeded to savagely slash at the merchant, too wounded to flee, again and again, as many as eight times before pausing just a moment to scream at him. As the merchant, still barely alive, crouched by the fountain whimpering in agony, Tamir resumed his merciless assault. Four times he plunged his dagger into his back, before a final stab sent the man sprawling into the fountain, his blood pooling into the water. Afterward, Tamir stopped one of his guards from removing the body, intending it to serve as a lesson for others.

With that, the crowd around the courtyard, all having beheld the gory spectacle, dispersed and returned to their activities pretending that nothing had happened. Tamir set off to inspect the various stands and shops in the courtyard, each belonging to traders under his authority. At each stall, he was again infuriated by his employees' merchandise, always finding them to be of mediocre quality.

So preoccupied was he with berating more of his merchants that he failed to notice Altaïr creeping up behind him, the Assassin having witnessed his murder moments earlier with abject disgust. It had been part of the Altaïr's meticulous plan to wait for Tamir to engross himself with the affairs of multiple merchants before striking, and it was while threatening another one of his employees that Tamir was executed from behind with a Hidden Blade.

During his last moments, Tamir rejected his reputation as a "petty death dealer", claiming his motives to be far nobler than that of mere profit. Cryptically, he informed his killer that he was but a small piece in the wider schemes of his "Brotherhood's" plans. At that, the black arms merchant perished, and Altaïr was left to escape from the man's guards, who had only just then taken notice of their boss' demise.

Personality and characteristics

Tamir arguing with his merchant

"You came into MY souk! Stood before MY men! And dared to insult ME? You must learn your place!"

―Tamir murdering one of his merchants in a fit of rage, 1191

A true micro-manager at heart, Tamir was frequently seen in public inspecting the workshops and stalls of fellow merchants, criticizing them mercilessly for the poor quality of their goods. He cared nothing for his workers and forced them to work day and night to fulfill his business contracts; those who failed were executed by his private guards. Even his occupation as a "death dealer" did not move his heart. In fact, he made no secret of his admiration for the killing effectiveness of his blades.

Tamir was a proud but cold-hearted taskmaster, who would not take "no" for an answer. He had high expectations, and was vicious in punishing those who could not meet them; an example being his brutal killing of the merchant who could not complete the weapons order for his Templar brethren.

Unknown to the general population of Damascus, Tamir secretly worked with the Templars, and even at death's door, he insisted his cause was noble. He understood that he was merely a pawn, and warned Altaïr that the "others" would not take kindly to his assassination.

Tamir wore an auburn brown turban with a tint of yellow around it, accompanied by loose pantaloons that were a lighter shade of brown, with dark golden inscriptions surrounding them. Additionally, Tamir often wore a long, rust-colored embroidered tunic, which hung almost up to his knees.

From there, he also wore an orange leather belt with a darker yellow pair of shoes. He was of tall stature, and had a dark brown mustache.

Trivia

• Tamir, תָּמִיר, is a Hebrew name meaning "stately, wealthy", and is related to the female name Tamar, תמר, which means "date, date palm, palm tree".
• Tamir had his own personal bodyguards, who were dressed in crimson red and gold lined uniforms. He was one of five out of the nine to have personal bodyguards, the others being Talal, Abu'l Nuqoud, Majd Addin, and Jubair al Hakim.
• In the non-canonical mobile version of Assassin's Creed, he is named "Tamir bin Musa" and dons full battle armor. Bin (بن) is a colloquialism of ibn meaning "son of", whereas Mūsā (موس) is an Arabic variant of the name Moses. Unlike the console version, he is the fifth target of Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad and his assassination is set in 1190 in Masyaf. Despite canonically being the base of the Assassins, Masyaf is the location of a secret Templar base. He is killed when Altaïr acquires one of the bombs he created and throws it at him.

Gallery

• 
  Concept art of Tamir
• 
  Assassin's Creed: Memories art of Tamir
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  Tamir arguing with his supplier
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  Tamir stabbing the supplier in a fit of rage
• 
  Tamir's final moments

References

pl:Tamir uk:Тамір (Assassin's Creed)