In the 2007 video game Assassin's Creed, the player controls Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad in the main historical storyline.
Altaïr is a Syrian Assassin operating during the Third Crusade, primarily in cities including Masyaf, Jerusalem, Acre, and Damascus. The game follows his fall from grace after a failed mission and his gradual restoration of rank under the guidance of Al Mualim.
The modern-day sections follow Desmond Miles, who relives Altaïr's genetic memories through the Animus. Desmond is therefore another central character, but he is not the historical protagonist controlled during the main missions. Altaïr also appears in later franchise stories, including Assassin's Creed: Revelations, which explores his legacy alongside Ezio Auditore.