Shakiriyya
The Shakiriyya were elite guards of the Abbasid Caliphate during the 9th century. Skilled hunters who dual-wielded swords and daggers, they were called in to settle only the most dangerous threats to law and order.[1]
Most members of the Shakiriyya were of Khurasani and Persian origin and were rivals of the Turkic Army, as both groups vied for power and influence in the Caliphate during the period of extreme instability known as the Anarchy at Samarra.[2]
Description[edit | edit source]
Elite soldiers clad in heavy layers of armor and sporting black and red robes, the Shakiriyya were the most skilled guards in the Caliphate's military at the time of the Anarchy at Samarra. They dual-wielded a sword and a dagger, with which they could deflect most incoming attacks and retaliate with devastating strikes of their own. They also carried throwing knives, which they would hurl at fleeing targets, and flasks of medicine to heal themselves in the event they were injured.[3]
Despite their heavy and durable armor, the Shakiriyya were extremely agile, able to match even the most skilled Hidden Ones in terms of mobility and freerunning capabilities. They were also highly resilient, as they would not renounce their pursuit of a target until either they or their unfortunate victim ended up dead.[3]
Because the Shakiriyya were relatively few in number, they were only called to deal with the most serious threats in Baghdad, and were usually deployed by themselves. A single Shakiriyya would patrol the city streets in search of the dissident, though if any other guards happened to be nearby, they would come to the Shakiriyya's aid.[3]
Behind the scenes[edit | edit source]
The Shakiriyya are an elite guard archetype in the 2023 video game Assassin's Creed: Mirage. They are the most challenging enemies in the game, able to kill Basim Ibn Ishaq with just a few strikes and block or dodge most of his attacks. They are also the only guards in the game who can heal themselves after receiving damage, and the only ones who can stun Basim, leaving him vulnerable to an attack. Because of all these factors, defeating a Shakiriyya can be extremely challenging, especially on higher difficulties, though they do have a few weaknesses, being vulnerable to throwing knives, bombs, and assassinations.
The Shakiriyya function similarly to the bounty hunters in the 2014 game Assassin's Creed: Rogue, as they will only spawn once Basim's notoriety reaches the maximum level (3). A single Shakiriyya will spawn at any one time and will actively search for Basim until he either reduces his notoriety or kills the Shakiriyya. Successfully defeating a Shakiriyya will automatically clear Basim's notoriety, and will also fully restore his inventory if the Shakiriyya's body is looted afterwards.
While the Shakiriyya's presence in Mirage is mostly historically accurate, as they were active in Baghdad and other major Caliphate cities during the Anarchy at Samarra, their appearance and behavior are not. Historically, the Shakiriyya were a cavalry regiment, not city guards, and it is unlikely that they would have been deployed to search for dissidents.[2]
Etymology[edit | edit source]
The name Shakiriyya is derived from the Persian chākir, meaning "household servant", which later also came to mean "bodyguard". The term was first used during the Umayyad Caliphate, exclusively referring to the Iranian armed retinues of Transoxiana potentates, and vanished from historical sources until it was mentioned again in a letter to Caliph al-Ma'mun during the Fourth Fitna.[2]
Appearances[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Mirage – Database: Shakiriyya
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2
Shakiriyya on Wikipedia
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Assassin's Creed: Mirage