History
1090 A.D. - 1256 A.D. In Khorasan, Persia, Hasan ibn al-Sabbah, the Old Man of the Mountain,
recruits followers to commit assassinations...legends develop around their supposed use of hashish.
These legends are some of the earliest written tales of the discovery of the inebriating powers of Cannabis
and the supposed use of Hashish. 1256 Alamut falls.
1155 A.D. - 1221 A.D. Persian legend of the Sufi master Sheik Haidar's of Khorasan's personal discovery of Cannabis and it's subsequent spread to Iraq, Bahrain, Egypt and Syria.
Another of the ealiest written narratives of the use of Cannabis as an inebriant.
Early 12th Century Hashish smoking very popular throughout the Middle East. Erowid Vault Cananbis History Hanging Gardens of Babylon
Its Actually A Garden Of Paradise ! Fine Arab Foods
Spend eternity in gardens of tranquillity.
Youths of never-ending bloom will pass hookahs,
and beakers full of sparkling wine ...
And suck fruits as they fancy.
Bird meats as they relish.
And companions with big beautiful eyes
Like pearls within their shells ...
In an aside, one has to wonder how long it will be before US troops begin to use some of the drugs they are capturing. After all, in a war-torn land where they must celebrate New Year's with non-alcoholic beer, the desire of some soldiers for some kind of mood modification and stress release will eventually override any fear they have of the military's anti-drug regimen. Sure, it's not the 1960s or Vietnam, but many human psyches can take only so much of a life without the type of release afforded by alcohol and other mood altering substances. During the Soviet war in Afghanistan their military also suffered from a drug problem thanks to the easy availability of hashish and opium combined with troop morale as low as that of the American soldiers during the last few years of America's war in Vietnam.
Whistle Ass Hash Wars