Antioch

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Antioch is an ancient city whose ruins are located in the south of Turkey, close to the Orontes River. Founded by the Greeks, it was a wealthy cosmopolitan city for most of its history, serving as the capital of the Seleucid Empire and later as a regional capital for both the Roman and Byzantine Empires. During the Crusades, it was conquered by Crusader forces and subsequently entered a period of decline, eventually becoming abandoned by the late 15th century.

History

Abbasid Caliphate

As a part of the Silk Road, Antioch became a rich cosmopolitan city in the Abbasid Caliphate. By 870 CE, the Hidden Ones had established a bureau in a caravanserai near Antioch and a hideout within the city itself. That year, the Snake-Eaters, a group related to the Order of the Ancients operating on the Silk Road, arrived in Antioch and eliminated the Hidden Ones in the city. The Snake-Eaters then installed themselves in a casern and began to extort the merchants of the city.

Basim Ibn Ishaq, the leader of the Hidden Ones bureau in Constantinople, arrived in Antioch with his apprentice Hytham to investigate the Snake-Eaters. As the militia began to track them, the Hidden Ones hid in the abandoned bureau and sent letters to other Hidden One guilds around the world. The Egyptian Hidden Ones Jessamyn, Kalim, Rashid and Sihem from Alexandria were the first to arrive in the city and joined Basim. The Frankish Hidden Ones Oisel and Matthias from Chinon also explored the city to find Basim, finding the empty hideout. As the two groups met, they reunited with Basim, who tasked them to go on the Silk Road to eliminate the Snake-Eaters. Basim and Hytham then returned to Constantinople, sending a letter to their brethren in Rome informing them on the situation in Antioch and the need to rebuild a bureau in the city.

Modern day

In 2012, Abstergo Industries used a virtual representation of the location in the second stage of the Animi Training Program.

The simulation depicted a thriving city that had a large building, presumably a mosque, at its center, as well as an accompanying minaret. Traffic circled this mosque continuously, necessitating wide roads and open spaces, making hiding difficult. Though most residences were structurally sound, a part of town had fallen into disrepair. In the distance, one could glimpse the city's massive fortification walls.

Antioch, like most of the simulated locations in the first and second stage, had two aesthetic variations. As such, it could be utilized during dusk or the day.

Gallery

• 
  Antioch at dusk
• 
  A team of Vanguards facing off against a team of Sentinels in an Artifact Assault match
• 
  Vanguards defending their artifact against a group of Viziers
• 
  A group of Thespians making a run for the artifact, with a Sentinel lurking nearby
• 
  The Renegade chasing after the Bombardier in Antioch
• 
  An aerial view of the Antioch map, with the Chase breakers marked

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Revelations (first appearance)
• Assassin's Creed: The Silk Road
• Echoes of History (mentioned only)