This article is predicated on the belief that the story of the Ismāʿīlī community of north-west Iran during the ah third–fourth/ninth–tenth ce period can be understood through their economic, social and political history as a network for the Ismāʿīlī (primarily Qarmaṭīs) movement. The areas of north-west Iran referred to in this article are Rayy (modern-day Tehran) and Azerbaijan. I argue that the Ismāʿīlīs in these regions were shaped by Qarmaṭī ideology, as reflected in both intellectual traditions and material evidence. In particular, the transmission of the Qarmaṭīs’ apocalyptic doctrine, notably the concept of “Adam’s Paradise”, highlights the enduring ideological ties between Baḥrayn and north-west Iran. This article re-evaluates the available textual and material evidence to reassess the early development of the Ismāʿīlī presence in this region. The purpose will be to assess the scale of the Qarmaṭīs’ relationships and the identity of the scholars who were involved in intellectual transmission in north-west Iran, as well as to illustrate an Ismāʿīlī (principally Qarmaṭī) affiliation with the prominent rulers in north-west Iran.