In the original Assassin's Creed, which Assassin is the central playable character?

Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad is the central playable character in the original Assassin's Creed.

The game follows Altaïr, a Syrian Assassin active during the Third Crusade in 1191. After a failed mission causes him to lose his rank and equipment, his mentor, Al Mualim, sends him to eliminate targets across the Holy Land. The principal cities are Jerusalem, Acre, and Damascus.

Altaïr is a fictional character, but the game places him among real historical figures and events connected with the Crusades. Players sometimes confuse him with Ezio Auditore, the protagonist of the next major historical storyline, Assassin's Creed II. Altaïr also appears in later series fiction, especially Assassin's Creed: Revelations, where his life and legacy are explored further.

His name is commonly transliterated in several ways, including Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad and Altaïr Ibn al-La'Ahad. The first game established the series' recurring ideas of historical memory, hidden societies, parkour, and stealth assassination.