Masyaf is Altaïr's main base of operations in the first Assassin's Creed game.
Masyaf is a fortified mountain settlement in the Levant and the headquarters of the Assassin Brotherhood during the game's 1191 storyline. Altaïr returns there between major missions to receive instructions, report to Al Mualim, and advance the story. The location is presented as both a military stronghold and a community organized around the Brotherhood's teachings.
Players sometimes confuse Masyaf with the cities where Altaïr carries out his investigations. Damascus, Jerusalem, and Acre are important target locations, but they are not his home base. Historically, Masyaf is associated with the Nizari Ismaili state and its fortress, although the game's fictional narrative takes substantial creative liberties. The settlement also appears in later Assassin's Creed stories, linking Altaïr's era with the wider series mythology.