Khazaria.com Jews in the Khazar Kaganate and Empire in Medieval Southern Russia (original) (raw)

[Khazaria.com - The American Center of Khazar Studies]
A Resource for Turkic and Jewish History in Russia and Ukraine

Last Updated: July 13, 2024

For information about THE JEWS OF KHAZARIA, click here Read about The Jews of Khazaria - the best general-interest book about the Khazars in English

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The sequel is The Maternal Genetic Lineages of Ashkenazic Jews (October 2022)

29-Year Site Anniversary

A new candidate for Atil's location has emerged! It's Semibugry, a large Khazar-era city that was discovered in 2019 by researchers from Astrakhan, including Damir Solovyov. They continued to dig in the summers of 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023.I added what we know so far about Semibugry's remains to my Atil page.

Medieval Kingdom of Khazaria, 652-969

Over a thousand years ago, the far east of Europe was ruled by Jewish kings who presided over numerous tribes, including their own tribe: the Turkic Khazars. After their conversion, the Khazar people used Jewish personal names, spoke and wrote in Hebrew, were circumcised, had synagogues and rabbis, studied the Torah and Talmud, and observed Hanukkah, Pesach, and the Sabbath. The Khazars were an advanced civilization with one of the most tolerant societies of the medieval period. It hosted merchants from all over Asia and Europe. On these pages it is hoped that you may learn more about this fascinating culture.

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE HISTORY OF KHAZARIA

Essays summarizing the history of the Khazars, their principal cities, their culture, and their conversion to Judaism in the 9th century.

Shilovka Archer

ILLUSTRATIONS AND PHOTOGRAPHS OF KHAZAR ARTIFACTS

The first gallery includes images of Turkic runes, Turkic tribe symbols, a Khazar metal disc with an engraving of a shamanistic 6-pointed star, Khazar-Saltovo amulets, depictions of an epic motif, Khazarian battle and hunting scenes, Khazar silver belts, a pot with images of a menorah and a cross, and a map of Khazaria. The second link presents the display on 8th-9th century Khazar objects (including arms and armor) from the northwestern Caucasus from the March-September 2003 exhibit "Horse and Rider" at the State Historical Museum in Moscow.

THE KHAZAR CAPITAL CITY OF ATIL

Atil was the third capital city of Khazaria until it was conquered in 969. Archaeologists may have located the remains of Atil.

THE KHAZAR FORTRESS OF SARKEL

Sarkel's fortress was one of Khazaria's most important, serving both as a defensive structure and a trading caravan stopover. Includes images of the layout of the fortress, a bronze warrior figurine, pottery, jewelry, bricks, and other objects.

AN EXPLORATION OF KHAZARIAN SHAMANISM

The original religion of the Khazars was Tengri Shamanism.

MEDIEVAL QUOTES ABOUT KHAZAR JUDAISM

Judaism was practiced widely among Khazars, as these authentic quotes from medieval chroniclers demonstrate.

DESCENDANTS OF THE KHAZARS IN EUROPE

What happened to the Khazars after the fall of their kingdom? This remains one of the most controversial questions in Khazar studies. Some new answers emerged from new discoveries. The first essay summarizes evidence and opinions surrounding the issue. The second essay explains how we know that Eastern European Jews descend from non-Khazar Jews. The third page gathers available evidence on genetics and shows that Ashkenazic Jews have substantial roots in the Middle East as well as some ancestry from Italy,Southern China, North Africa, and the Slavic lands. The fourth page queries whether Jews who live in the Caucasus today descend from Khazar converts.

KHAZARIAN NAMES

A list of personal names that the Khazars used in their own country, including Turkic, Hebrew, and Slavic names.

EXCAVATION REPORTS FROM CHASTIYE KURGANY AND GOLDEN HILLS

Excavation reports with photographs of Khazarian graves and objects.

BIBLIOGRAPHY OF KHAZAR STUDIES

The largest database of references of books and articles about Khazarian history, including works in English, French, German, Hebrew, Hungarian, Russian, Swedish, and other languages.

KHAZAR FICTION

A guide to conventionally-published novels, short stories, and poems about Khazaria.

THE KUZARI AND ITS AUTHOR

Yehudah ha-Levi was one of the greatest Spanish Jewish poets. He was born circa 1080 in Toledo, Spain, while it was under Islamic rule. He was a prolific writer of both Arabic and Hebrew poetry. From 1120 to 1140, ha-Levi wrote the famous 5-chapter book known as The Kuzari, which bases its storyline upon the Khazars' conversion to Judaism.

RUSSIAN-LANGUAGE HISTORIES OF KHAZARIA

This is a wonderfully illustrated guide to the history of the Khazars, compiled by staff at Rostov State University. The only unfortunate thing in the site is that Khazar Judaism is wrongly accused of causing strife and a civil war.

THE KHAZAR CORRESPONDENCE

The Jews of Spain were introduced to facts about the Khazar kingdom largely through the efforts of Hasdai ibn Shaprut, vizier and physician to the Spanish caliphs, who wrote a letter to King Joseph of the Khazars.

THE GENETICS OF THE PEOPLES OF KHAZARIA

Tatiana Tatarinova, Tatiana Faleeva, Gennady Afanasiev, and their colleagues have studied the DNA of the Khazars and their subjects and published their results. Take a look at our summary.

HISTORY OF THE PROTO-BULGARIANS

This book, translated from Bulgarian into English, chronicles the history and archaeology of the Khazars, Bulgars, North Caucasian Huns, and Alans. There are sections discussing the Khazar cities Sarkel and Balanjar. Includes maps, photographs, footnotes, quotes from historical sources.

OTHER ESSAYS ABOUT THE KHAZARS

Selected essays about Khazar history in English and Russian.

"The Khazars originated from the distant East... In the seventh and eighth centuries, this new empire halted Arab expansionism, established contact with Byzantium, and became a decisive force between the Caspian Sea and the River Don up to the middle of the tenth century. Land cultivation, animal husbandry and handicrafts flourished in the empire. Merchants traded not only with Byzantium, but also with the Arab-Persian world and the distant East. The kagans did not prohibit the activities of Christian and Moslem missionaries. Both religions maintained places or worship and schools on Khazar land. Out of political considerations, however, the kagans and their retinues embraced a third great monotheist religion, Judaism."
- _The Magyars: The Birth of a European Nation_by György Balázs, page 8.

"The khaganate of the Khazars was of the upmost strategic importance for the Byzantines for several reasons. First of all, it controlled the routes to the southern Caucasus, thus playing a central role in the geopolitics of the area. ... Secondly, the Byzantine possessions in Crimea... were bordered by the Khazars, who represented a major piece in the puzzle of nations who competed for domination of the region. ... Finally, the Khazar Empire lay at a crossing of trading routes linking the Russian steppes with Central Asia..."
- _The Emperor Theophilos and the East, 829-842_by Juan Signes Codoñer, "Section V: The Khazar Flank", page 335.

Current Publications for Sale

THE JEWS OF KHAZARIA
by Kevin Alan Brook
This book discusses all major issues surrounding the Khazar Empire, including diplomacy, trade, culture, military affairs, Khazarian Judaism, and migrations. The book draws from major primary and secondary sources, and includes a concise timeline and glossary towards the end. This was the first English-language book on the Khazars to contain a substantial amount of archaeological data. The third edition was the first book on the Khazars to contain genetic data from Khazaria.

THE KHAZARS
by Mikhail Zhirohov and David Nicolle
An illustrated guide to Khazar history, focusing on military affairs including Khazaria's wars with Arabs and the Rus', their weapons such as spears, battleaxes, and swords, their helmets and armor, and their fortifications made from stone and timber.

THE KUZARI: IN DEFENSE OF THE DESPISED FAITH
translated and annotated by Rabbi N. Daniel Korobkin
In this classic philosophical work by Yehuda HaLevi, a Jewish sage explains the principles of Judaism to an inquisitive Khazar king. As a special bonus, the historical communications exchanged between Khazar King Joseph and the Spanish Jewish diplomat Hasdai ibn Shaprut are included in this volume.

More books about Khazars
Books about Eastern European Ashkenazic Jews || Books about Syrian Jews

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