Nadir ibn Havid

"That must be Admiral Nadir ibn Havid. A boastful fool, concerned more with his ships than his own men."

―Ali ibn Muhammad on Nadir, 860s.

Nadir ibn Havid (died 860s), also known as Al-A'eshma (English: The Angel of Wrath), was an Abbasid admiral who served as a commander of the Turkic Army in Baghdad in the 9th century. A member of the Order of the Ancients alongside Jasoor ibn Basil, he served under the warlord Wasif Al Turki and built warships for the caliphate while fighting the Zanj Rebellion led by Ali ibn Muhammad.

Biography

Military career

"Yet another shipment of military supplies has gone missing. That is the second time in as many months. I do not need to tell you what the consequences would be if the Caliph were to discover the contents of those shipments."

―Wasif in his letter to Nadir, 860s.

By the 860s, Nadir had become an admiral in the Abbasid Caliphate's Turkic Army, though according to Ali ibn Muhammad, a former Abbasid dignitary, he was "a boastful fool, concerned more with his ships than his own men." Around this time, Nadir was recruited into the Order of the Ancients, where he came to serve under Wasif al-Turki alongside a fellow military commander, Jasoor ibn Basil.

Nadir's role was to create warships for the Caliphate and to move equipment and materials for the Order hidden among his shipments. However, the admiral began secretly stealing from the Order for his personal gain. His thievery was soon discovered by Wasif, who demanded a final account of their wares when he returned to Baghdad.

Hunting the Zanj rebels

"As always, my friend, you worry too much. Which is why you are merely Al-Rukh, and I am... Al-A'eshma."

―Nadir to Jasoor, 860s.

Nadir and Jasoor were later tasked to bring an end to Ali's Zanj Rebellion and worked alongside an Abbasid captain, Dogan bin Arslan, to fight the rebels in both Baghdad and Jarjaraya. The two Ancients would hold periodic meetings with Dogan at the Officers' Club, where the latter reported his progress hunting rebels in Jarjaraya.

Nadir and Jasoor discussing Wasif

However, one day, Dogan was late for their scheduled meeting, worrying Jasoor. While awaiting the captain's arrival, Nadir and Jasoor discussed Wasif, whose wrath Jasoor was afraid of facing in the event the warlord discovered his fabricated military career. Nadir assured his colleague that his loyalty and recent deeds should make up for any past transgressions, and that perhaps Wasif should be the one to fear Jasoor, since ordering the executions of rebels took less bruatility than carrying them out.

Moments later, several soldiers walked into the room and informed Nadir and Jasoor that Dogan had been found dead. As they suspected an intruder had infiltrated the Officers' Club, the two Ancients immediately left for their own safety. Unbeknownst to them, the intruder was Basim Ibn Ishaq, the same Hidden One who had killed Dogan and who had eavesdropped on their meeting.

Death

"Guards, lock down the camp! Find the one responsible! No one who dares raise their hand against me escapes. I didn't survive a hundred ocean battles to suffer insult! I want the dogs found! Bring them to me, or you'll feel the bite of my lash yourselves!"

―Nadir ordering his guards to find the intruder who burned his warship, 860s.

Basim assassinating Nadir

After fleeing the Officers' Club, Nadir headed to an outpost southeast of Baghdad, where he oversaw the security and production of his warship prototype. While having given the order to have no flames come near his ship, it was all for naught once his vessel caught fire, secretly due to Basim's sabotage, as the Hidden One had tracked Nadir to the camp.

With his guards running around the outpost trying to put out the fire, Nadir went to inspect the burning ship and find out who had sabotaged his work. Out in the open, the admiral was assassinated by Basim, who then fled the camp. Before escaping, Basim found Wasif's letter to Nadir among the admiral's personal effects, in which the warlord accused Nadir of theft.

Behind the scenes

Nadir ibn Havid is a character in the 2023 video game Assassin's Creed: Mirage, where he was voiced by Amir Sám Nakhjavani. His Order cryptonym, Al-A'eshma (العايشمة), is a reference to a daeva from Persian mythology named Aeshma who represents wrath and served as a messenger for Zoroastrianism's central destructive spirit Ahriman.

Gallery

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  Close-up of Nadir
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  Nadir and Jasoor talking about the Zanj rebels
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  Nadir investigating his prototype warship ablaze

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Mirage