Eastern Orders: Assassins, Wahhabis, Basmachi, Dervishes

A new job by Russian historians-archivists Alexander and Maxim Andreev is devoted to “The Unexpected East,” whose history was marked by a significant imprint of a secret order of assassins, the religious movement of the Wahhabis, uprisings of the Basmachi, and the dervish orders. The publication also tells the surprising story of Iran, Turkey, and Afghanistan. Excerpts from the “Code of Decency in the East,” gathered by a 19th-century Arab researcher Sadik ibn al-Kashkari, are included. A terminology dictionary explains many Eastern terms—from a vizier to a shahid.

In addition to “Eastern Orders,” the authors have also published “Monastic Orders,” “Mystical Orders,” and “Political Orders” on Litres, assembling a wealth of material on these fascinating phenomena in human history.