The Masyaf fortress in the first Assassin's Creed game is located in Masyaf, Syria.
Masyaf serves as the headquarters of the Assassin Brotherhood during the game's 1191 storyline. Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad returns there between missions to report to Al Mualim, the Brotherhood's leader. The settlement is presented as a mountain stronghold, making it visually and strategically distinct from the game's major target cities.
The game's other principal locations include Jerusalem, Acre, and Damascus. Those cities are visited for investigations and assassinations, while Masyaf functions mainly as the Assassins' home base. A common mix-up is treating Masyaf as one of the three target cities, but its role is different: it is the fortress from which Altaïr receives missions and where the game's opening and ending events are centered.