Nehal is Basim’s childhood friend in Assassin’s Creed Mirage.
Mirage follows Basim Ibn Ishaq before he becomes a major character in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. The game begins in ninth-century Anbar and later moves to Baghdad, where Basim joins the Hidden Ones and trains under Roshan. Nehal remains an important figure in his personal story and memories.
The game was released in 2023 and was designed as a more compact, stealth-focused experience than several recent open-world entries. Its Baghdad setting draws on the city’s importance during the Islamic Golden Age, when it was a major center of learning, trade, and government under the Abbasid Caliphate.
Nehal can be confused with other important women in the franchise, such as Aya of Alexandria, a central character in Origins, or Shao Jun, the protagonist of the Chronicles: China side-scrolling game. Nehal’s connection is specifically to Basim’s early life in Mirage.