Altaïr’s story in the first Assassin’s Creed is primarily set during the Third Crusade.
The game’s historical sections take place in 1191, when Altaïr Ibn-La’Ahad operates in the Levant. Major locations include Masyaf, Jerusalem, Acre, and Damascus. The plot uses real crusader-era figures and conflicts while adding the fictional Assassin Brotherhood and Templar Order.
The Third Crusade lasted from 1189 to 1192 and involved European rulers including Richard I of England. Assassin’s Creed does not present a documentary account of the campaign; instead, it uses the period as a setting for a conspiracy-driven adventure.
Players sometimes identify the game mainly with the medieval Middle East without naming the crusade. The specific period matters because the 1191 setting explains the presence of both Crusader and Muslim political powers in the cities Altaïr visits.