Altaïr is the protagonist’s first name in the original Assassin’s Creed game.
Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad is a Syrian Assassin operating during the Third Crusade. The game follows his fall from favor after a failed mission, his demotion within the Brotherhood, and his gradual restoration through investigations across the Holy Land. His name is sometimes written as Altair when the diacritic is omitted.
The character is not Ezio Auditore, who stars in Assassin’s Creed II and its Renaissance-era follow-ups. Altaïr also appears in later stories, especially Assassin’s Creed Revelations, which explores his later life and legacy. His mentor is Al Mualim, the leader of the Levantine Assassin Brotherhood.
The original game presents Altaïr’s memories through Desmond Miles, a modern descendant connected to the Animus. That framing distinguishes Altaïr from the historical setting itself: the player is seeing a reconstructed genetic memory rather than directly visiting the medieval past.