Where did the Khazars live in ancient Rus'? Khazars

By the time the Jews arrived in Khazaria, white and black Khazars lived quite amicably in this provincial state. White Khazars- This is the ruling caste of professional warriors from the Slavic-Aryans. Black Khazars- these are Turkic tribes who came to the lower reaches of the Ra River (Itil - Volga) from the depths of Asia, as refugees from Ancient China. They left their homeland following the Dinglin tribes, their allies in the struggle for independence against the ancient Chinese. In principle, the black Khazars are representatives of yellow peoples with an admixture of black ones. They had pitch black hair, black eyes and dark skin. This is what gave rise to the name – Black Khazars, because in comparison with the fair-haired and blue-eyed Slavic-Aryans, they looked very dark.

One way or another, Khazaria existed as a multinational state-province in which Whites and Yellows coexisted peacefully. Just like with all your neighbors. The Great Silk Road passed through the Khazar Khaganate, this is exactly what the Persian Jews from the tribe of Simon liked very much.

Jews from Persia and Byzantium

First, Mazdakite Jews appeared in Khazaria, and very soon anti-Mazdakite Jews, expelled from Byzantine Empire.

Mazdakite Jews. At the beginning of the 6th century AD. In the Persian Empire, under the vigilant leadership of Exarch Mar-Zutra, the Jews organized the first revolution under the slogans of Freedom, Equality and Brotherhood (these events are better known as the uprising of the Vizier Mazdak). The ruling caste was destroyed - the White Persians - the descendants of the Slavic-Aryans, who created the Persian Empire. They were declared "enemies of the people" and their wealth was expropriated, which was divided between the poor Jews and the Jewish leaders. But such “justice” and “equality” were not appreciated by the Persian poor and the remnants of the Persian nobility. They organized a counter-revolution, and in Summer 6038 from S.M.Z.H. (529 AD) Kavad was overthrown, and the vizier Mazdak was brutally executed, along with his supporters who could be found. However, the Mazdakite Jews managed to leave the “country of social equality and brotherhood” they had created, along with the looted wealth of the Persian nobility, and settled in Khazaria.

Anti-Mazdakite Jews- These are the rich Jews of Persia who opposed Mazdak. But “for some reason” the Jewish revolutionaries did not touch them, but simply expelled them from Persia along with their wealth. Anti-Mazdakite Jews asked for refuge from the “Persian Revolution” from the emperor of the Roman Empire (Byzantine Empire). The Romans accepted the anti-Mazdakite Jews and, it would seem, the latter should at least be grateful to the Roman Empire. But the Jewish “gratitude” turned out to be very strange:

“The Jews who found salvation in Byzantium should have helped the Byzantines. But they helped in a rather strange way. Making secret agreements with the Arabs, the Jews opened the gates of the cities at night and let in the Arab soldiers. They slaughtered the men and sold the women and children into slavery. The Jews, buying up slaves cheaply, resold them with considerable profit for themselves. The Greeks could not like this. But, deciding not to make new enemies for themselves, they limited themselves to inviting the Jews to leave. Thus, a second group of Jews appeared in the lands of the Khazars - the Byzantine one."

Judean Khazar Khaganate

Main trade routes through the Khazar Khaganate:
1. The Silk Road from China to Northern Europe, the Middle East and Africa (through the Roman Empire).
2. Trade route from Great Biarmia and Siberia to the South, through Constantinople to the Middle East and Africa.
3. Trade route from Africa through the Middle East to the North and East.
4. Trade route from northern European countries.

The next Night of Svarog was approaching - a time desired by the Jews, when they could easily “press” the necessary “buttons” of human animal nature and, manipulating this, achieve their cherished goal - the accumulation of capital. That is why by the 7th century AD. first the Mazdakite Jews, and then the anti-Mazdakite Jews, came to Khazaria “by chance.” “Poor” wanderers without a homeland began to implement their next grandiose plan.

The first “echelon” in the Jewish offensive against the still unsuspecting Khazaria was Institute of Jewish Brides. The Jews gave their most beautiful sisters, daughters, and sometimes their own wives, to the highest nobility of Khazaria as wives, concubines, or sex slaves. Jewish women gave birth to children for the Khazar nobility, who, according to Jewish laws, were Jews, were raised by their mothers, like Jews, ACCORDING TO JUDIAN TRADITIONS, but the situation in social system The Khazars inherited from their fathers. In Khazaria, as elsewhere in the lands of the Slavic-Aryan Empire, nationality was determined by father. Thus, among the Khazar nobility, children were born from Jewish women who received after their fathers not only property, but also THEIR POSITION. This is exactly what the “wise men of Zion” needed. Children born from mixed marriages with Jewish women occupied a high position in the Khazar hierarchy, and contributed to their relatives in obtaining trade rights.

Gradually, there were so many Jews on their mother’s side among the highest nobility of Khazaria that they began to directly interfere with the Khazar traditions. First in Summer 6239 from S.M.Z.H. ( 730 AD) one of the leaders named Bulan restored Judaism among his fellow Jews, and then in Summer 6308 from S.M.Z.H. ( 799 AD) a direct descendant of Bulan, the Khazar military leader Obadiah, carried out a coup d'etat and turned the Kagan into an obedient puppet. Power passed completely into the hands of the Jewish king(bek), and Judaism became the state religion of Khazaria. Obadiah, with the help of mercenaries - the Pechenegs and the Guzes - unleashed a bloody civil war. After a long time civil war with the invaders, the Khazar Turks were defeated. Some of them were slaughtered along with their wives and children, the other part left their homeland and settled on the territory of modern Hungary. After the victory, the Khazar Jews imposed a heavy tribute on ordinary Khazars, turned into real powerless slaves, prohibited, on pain of death, from having weapons and learning how to use them. Once again, the Jews “thanked” the people who had provided them with refuge in a very unique way.

“The Jews, unlike the Khazars, by the 9th century. actively participated in the then system international trade. The caravans that went from China to the West belonged mainly to Jews. And trade with China in the 8th-9th centuries. was the most profitable occupation. Tang Dynasty, seeking to replenish the empty due to the content big army treasury, allowed the export of silk from the country. The Jewish caravans went to China for silk... Then the caravans crossed the Yaik River and went to the Volga. Here, rest, plentiful food and entertainment awaited tired travelers. Beautiful Volga fish and fruits, milk and wine, musicians and beauties delighted the caravaners. And the Jewish traders who ruled the economy of the Volga region accumulated treasures, silks, and slaves. Then the caravans moved on, ending up in Western Europe: Bavaria, Languedoc, Provence, and, having crossed the Pyrenees, ended the long journey with the Muslim sultans of Cordoba and Andalusia ... "
* L.N. Gumilyov "From Rus' to Russia". Chapter II. Slavs and their enemies.

In Summer 6472 (964 AD) Prince Svyatoslav defeated the Judean Khazar Khaganate. The capital of Khazaria - Itil - was destroyed to the ground, the key fortresses of Khazaria were taken. The Jews left the borders modern Russia. The lands of the Bulgars, Burtases, Yases and Kasogs, dependent on the Kaganate, were also crushed. But as an inheritance from the Khazar Kaganate the Jews were left with trading posts, which by the time the Kaganate was defeated, in most cases had already turned into shadow states within states and had a powerful influence on the economy and politics of the countries in which they were located.

One way or another, it was thanks to Svyatoslav that the Dark Forces were not able to completely enslave the Russian land at the very beginning of the Night of Svarog.
*Based on materials from books by Levashov N.V.

A people who once lived in what is now southern Russia. Their origin is unknown with certainty. Konstantin Porphyrogenitus considers them Turks and translates the Khazar name of the city Sarkela - white hotel. Bayer and Lerberg also take them for Turks, but the word Sarkel is translated differently: the first is a white city, the second is a yellow city. The author of the article published in "Beytr ä ge zur Kenntniss Russlands" (I, 410) recognizes them as Hungarians; Fren attributes them to the Finnish tribe; Klaproth and Budygin consider them Voguls, the Arab writer Ibn el-Efir - Georgians, the geographer Shemeud-din-Dimeshki - Armenians, etc.

There is an interesting letter from the Jew Hisdai (see Art. Jews), the treasury of an Arab sovereign in Spain, to the Khozar Kagan and the Kagan’s answer: the Kagan considers X. to be the descendants of Forgoma, from whom the Georgians and Armenians descend. The authenticity of this letter, however, is doubtful. Reliable information about the Khazars begins no earlier than the 2nd century AD, when they occupied the lands north of the Caucasus Mountains.

Then their struggle with Armenia begins, mostly victorious, and lasts until the 4th century. With the invasion of the Huns, the Khazars disappeared from the eyes of history until the 6th century. At this time, they occupy a large area: in the east they border with the nomadic tribes of the Turkic tribe, in the north - with the Finns, in the west - with the Bulgarians; in the south their possessions reach the Araks. Having freed themselves from the Huns, the Khazars began to strengthen and threaten neighboring peoples: in the 6th century. the Persian king Kabad built a large rampart in the north of Shirvan, and his son Khozroes built a wall for the fence from the X. In the VII century. The Khazars occupied the territory of the Bulgarians, taking advantage of the discord among them after the death of King Krovat. From this century, X's relations with Byzantium began.

The Khazar tribes posed a great danger to the latter: Byzantium had to give them gifts and even become related to them, which Constantine Porphyrogenitus took up arms against, advising them to fight the Khazars with the help of other barbarians - Alans and Guzes. Emperor Heraclius managed to win over the Khazars in his fight against the Persians. Nestor calls the Khazars white Ugrians.

Justinian II, who married the sister of the Khazar Kagan, found refuge among the Khazar tribes on the Tauride Peninsula, in the former possessions of the Bulgarians. In 638, Caliph Omar conquered Persia and destroyed neighboring lands. Kh.'s attempt to counteract the conquest of the Arabs ended unsuccessfully: their capital Selinder was taken; Only the defeat of the Arabs on the banks of the Bolanjira River saved the Khazar country from complete devastation. In the 8th century Kh. waged an 80-year war with the caliphate, but had to (although later they attacked the lands of the caliphate) asked the Arabs for peace in 737, which was given to them under the condition of accepting Islam.

Unsuccessful wars in the south were rewarded to some extent by successes in the north: around 894, the Khazars, in alliance with the Guzes, defeated the Pechenegs and Hungarians living north of the Tauride Peninsula; Even earlier, they subjugated the Dnieper Slavs and took from them “white from the smoke.”

Thus, in the 9th century. their possessions extended from the northern part of the Caucasus to the lands of the northerners and Radimichi, that is, to the banks of the Desna, Seim, Sula and Sozh rivers. In X century. their possessions expanded further, but death was already close. Russian state grew stronger and united the scattered Slavic tribes. Already Oleg collided with the Khazar Khaganate, subjugating some of the Khazar tributaries. In 966 (or 969) Svyatoslav Igorevich moved to Khozaria and won a complete victory in a decisive battle. Khazaria has fallen. The remnant of the Khozar people remained for some time between the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus Mountains, but then mixed with their neighbors.

In Russian chronicles, the last reference to the Khozars was preserved in 1079, but the name Khozaryan is found in the 14th and even 15th centuries. when listing various servants of the Moscow princes. The Khazars, like the Bulgarians, were a semi-sedentary people. In winter, according to Ibn-Dast’s description, they lived in cities, and with the onset of spring they moved to the steppes. Their main city after the defeat of Selinder was Itil, which stood near the place where Astrakhan is now. The population of Khozaria was diverse and diverse. The head of state himself - the Kagan - accepted Judaism in the 18th century, according to Fotslan and Massudi, together with his governor and the “porphyry-born” - the boyars; the rest of the population professed partly Judaism, partly Islam, partly Christianity; There were also pagans.

There is a legend (see "Acta Sanctorum", II, 12-15), accepted by Bestuzhev-Ryumin, that X. asked Emperor Michael for a preacher and that the latter sent St. Kirill. The Khazars' government and court were very original. Arab writers of the 10th century. they say that although the main power belonged to the kagan, it was not he who ruled, but his governor, the infantry (running?); Kagan, in all likelihood, had only religious significance. When the new governor came to the Kagan, the latter threw a silk noose around his neck and asked the half-choked “infantry” how many years he thought of ruling. If he did not die by the time appointed by him, then he was killed.

The Kagan lived completely secluded in his palace, with 25 wives and 60 concubines, surrounded by a court of “porphyry-born” and significant guards. He showed himself to people once every 4 months. Access to it was open to the “infantry” and some other dignitaries. After the death of the Kagan, they tried to hide the place of his burial. The Khazar army was numerous and consisted of a permanent detachment and militia. The "infantry" commanded him. For the trial, the Khazars had 9 (according to Ibn-Fotslan) or 7 (according to Gaukal and Massudi) husbands: two were judged according to Jewish law, two - according to Mohammedan law, two - according to the Gospel, one was appointed for the Slavs, Rus and other pagans. Trade in the Khazar Kaganate was transit: they received goods from Rus' and Bulgaria and sent them across the Caspian Sea; expensive goods came to them from Greece, from the southern shores of the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus. Khazeran, one of the parts of Itil, was a storage place for goods. State revenues were made up of travel duties, tithes on goods brought by land and water, and taxes sent in kind. The Khazars did not have their own coins.

Literature. Fran, "Veteres memoriae Chazarorum" ("Mem. de l"Acad. Sciences", VIII, 1822); Thunmann, "Unters. über die Geschichte der östl. Europ. Vö lker" (trans. Pogodin, "Western Europe", 1823); Evers, "Krit. Vorarbeiten" (translated by Pogodin, "Northern Arch.", 1838); Khvolson, "News about the Khazars, Burtases, Magyars, Slavs and Russians - Ibn-Dasta" (St. Petersburg, 1869); Sum, "Ist. once. about the Khazars" ("Read in "General History", year 2, book 3); V.V. Grigoriev, "Review of the political history of Khazaria" ("Son of the Fatherland." and "Northern Archive", 1835, 17); "On X's mode of government." ("J. M. N. Pr.", 3 books); D. Yazykov, “Experience in the history of Khazaria” (“Proceedings of the Russian Academy of Sciences,” I); B. A. Dorn, “News about Khazaria, eastern source Tabori” (J. M. N. Pr., 1844, book 7); “Historical collection” by Valuev and “Readings in General History,” year 2, 6 (letter from Hisdai and the Kagan’s response in translations by K. Kossovich and Gartenstein). For more detailed instructions, see D. Yazykov.

Neighboring peoples wrote a lot about the Khazars, but they themselves left virtually no information about themselves. Just as suddenly the Khazars appeared on the historical stage, just as suddenly they left it.

God knows where

The Khazars were first reported in the 5th century by the Armenian historian Moses Khorensky, who wrote that “crowds of Khazars and Basils, having united, crossed the Kura and scattered on this side.” The mention of the Kura River apparently indicates that the Khazars came to Transcaucasia from the territory of Iran. The Arab chronicler Yaqubi confirms this, noting that “the Khazars again took possession of everything that the Persians had taken from them, and held it in their hands until the Romans drove them out and installed a king over the four Armenians.”
Until the 7th century, the Khazars behaved rather modestly, being part of various nomadic empires - longest of all the Turkic Khaganate. But by the middle of the century they grew stronger and bolder so much that they created their own state - the Khazar Khaganate, which was destined to exist for more than three centuries.

Ghost State

The Byzantine and Arab chronicles describe in all colors the greatness of Itil, the beauty of Semender and the power of Belenjer. True, one gets the feeling that the chroniclers only reflected the rumor circulating about the Khazar Kaganate. Thus, the anonymous author, as if retelling a legend, answers the Byzantine dignitary that there is a country called “al-Khazar”, which is separated from Constantinople by 15 days of travel, “but between them and us there are many nations, and their king’s name is Joseph.”
Attempts by archaeologists to establish what the mysterious “Khazaria” was began to be actively undertaken in the 20-30s of the 20th century. But everything was unsuccessful. It turned out to be easiest to discover the Khazar fortress Sarkel (White Vezha), since its location was known relatively accurately. Professor Mikhail Artamonov managed to excavate Sarkel, but he could not find traces of the Khazars. " Archaeological culture the Khazars themselves remain unknown to this day,” the professor sadly stated and suggested continuing the search in the lower reaches of the Volga.

Russian Atlantis

Continuing Artamonov’s research, Lev Gumilev conducts his search for “Khazaria” on the unflooded islands of the Volga delta, but the list of finds attributed to the Khazar culture is small. Moreover, he was never able to find the legendary Itil.
Then Gumilyov changes his strategy and conducts underwater reconnaissance near part of the Derbent wall, which goes into the Caspian Sea. What he discovered amazes him: where the sea now splashes, people lived and needed drinking water! Even the medieval Italian geographer Marina Sanuto noted that “The Caspian Sea is rising year after year, and many good cities are already flooded.”
Gumilyov concludes that the Khazar state should be sought under the thickness sea ​​water and sediments of the Volga delta. However, the attack came not only from the sea: a drought was approaching “Khazaria” from land, which completed what had been started by the Caspian.

Scattering

What nature failed to do, the Russian-Varangian squads accomplished, finally destroying the once powerful Khazar Khaganate and scattering its multinational composition around the world. Some of the refugees after Svyatoslav’s victorious campaign in 964 were met in Georgia by the Arab traveler Ibn Haukal.
Modern researcher Stepan Golovin notes a very wide geography of settlement of the Khazars. In his opinion, “the Khazars of the delta mixed with the Mongols, and the Jews partly hid in the mountains of Dagestan, and partly moved back to Persia. Christian Alans survived in the mountains of Ossetia, and Turkic Khazars Christians moved to the Don in search of co-religionists.”
Some studies show that the Christian Khazars, having merged with their Don co-religionists, subsequently began to be called “wanderers”, and later Cossacks. However, more credible are the conclusions according to which the bulk of the Khazars became part of the Volga Bulgaria.
The 10th century Arab geographer Istakhri claims that “the language of the Bulgars is similar to the language of the Khazars.” These close ethnic groups are united by the fact that they were the first to create their own states on the ruins of the Turkic Khaganate, which were headed by Turkic dynasties. But fate decreed that first the Khazars subjugated the Bulgars to their influence, and then they themselves joined the new state.

Unexpected descendants

At the moment, there are many versions about the descendant peoples of the Khazars. According to some, these are Eastern European Jews, others call Crimean Karaites. But the difficulty is that we do not know what the Khazar language was: the few runic inscriptions have still not been deciphered.

Writer Arthur Koestler supports the idea that Khazar Jews, having migrated to eastern Europe after the fall of the Khaganate, became the core of the global Jewish diaspora. In his opinion, this confirms the fact that the descendants of the “Thirteenth Tribe” (as the writer called the Khazar Jews), being not of Semitic origin, ethnically and culturally have little in common with modern Jews of Israel.

Publicist Alexander Polyukh, in an attempt to identify the Khazar descendants, followed a completely unusual path. It is based on scientific findings, according to which the blood group corresponds to the way of life of the people and determines the ethnic group. Thus, Russians and Belarusians, like most Europeans, in his opinion, more than 90% have blood group I (O), and ethnic Ukrainians are 40% carriers of group III (B).
Polyukh writes that group III (B) serves as a sign of peoples who led a nomadic lifestyle (where he includes the Khazars), for whom it approaches 100% of the population.

Further, the writer supports his conclusions with new archaeological finds of Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Valentin Yanin, who confirms that Kyiv at the time of its capture by the Novgorodians (IX century) was not a Slavic city, as evidenced by the “birch bark letters”.
Also, according to Polyukh, the conquest of Kyiv and the defeat of the Khazars, carried out by Oleg, suspiciously coincide in terms of timing. Here he makes a sensational conclusion: Kyiv is the possible capital of the Khazar Kaganate, and ethnic Ukrainians are the direct descendants of the Khazars.

Latest finds

However, sensational conclusions may be premature. In the early 2000s, 40 kilometers south of Astrakhan, Russian archaeologists discovered “Khazar traces” during excavations in the medieval city of Saksin. A series of radiocarbon analyzes date the cultural layer to the 9th century - the heyday of the Khazar Khaganate. As soon as the settlement was outlined, its area was determined - two square kilometers. What large city besides Itil did the Khazars build in the Volga delta?
It’s certainly too early to rush to conclusions, however, already now the pillars of Khazarology M. Artamonov and G. Fedorov-Davydov are almost sure that the capital of the Khazar Kaganate has been found. As for the Khazars, most likely they simply disappeared into the ethnoculture of neighboring peoples without leaving behind direct descendants.

Photo: Prince Arpad's crossing of the Carpathians. The cyclorama was written for the 1000th anniversary of the conquest of Hungary by the Magyars.

Perhaps they would not have been interested in them with such passion if it had not been for the assumption that the Khazars were the ancestors of modern Jews. Many scientists agree that they are the ancestors of this people. This opinion is significantly supported by the latest archaeological data, which allows us to reliably say that the famous exodus of Jews from Egypt did not happen. There are people, but their origins are not fully understood.

That is why, in the last two decades, the study of the Khazars has begun with redoubled zeal. It is generally accepted that the first reliable report about the Khazars dates back to approximately 550 AD, when they began to actively manifest themselves in the international arena of those years. Let's try to trace their path.

photo: Map of the Khazar Khaganate around 820 AD.

Where did the name “Khazars” come from? The meaning of the word (judging by Dahl’s dictionary) “khazit” can be understood as “to be rude, to swear.” Some sources claim that “khaz” is arrogant, rude man. However, “khaz” could also mean a luxurious, high-quality and expensive product. Remember the word “ugly”, which actually contains a modified suffix “khaz”, but denotes some kind of scanty, unsightly thing. On the contrary, the word “window dressing” is used when a phenomenon or object appears exaggeratedly lush or luxurious.

In addition, the same Dahl claims that the word “go away” is equivalent to the words “walk, loiter.” So how then should we interpret the term “Khazars”? The meaning of a word cannot be known unless one tries to understand the etymology. If we break this word into three component parts, that is, into “ha”, “z” and “ar”, then we will certainly be very close to the meaning that our ancestors put into this term. If we translate it as “following Ar (Yarila),” then it turns out that the word “Khazars” can be interpreted as “coming from the East.”

So who were the Khazars by origin? It is reliably known that they were a classic nomadic people of Turkic origin. Initially they lived in the territory located between the Black and Caspian seas. Historical documents they say that after the invasion of the Huns, the Khazars appeared in Eastern Europe. But the combination “appeared after the Huns” is very vague, and the authors of respectable scientific treatises maintain a truly partisan silence on this matter.

It is quite possible that the Huns and Turkic-speaking peoples who settled in those places suddenly began to be called Khazars, but other options are also not excluded. So this period in their history is perhaps the most mysterious.

photo: P. Geige. "The Huns fight the Alans."

By the way, who are the Huns themselves? They are also a nomadic people who formed in the 2nd-4th centuries. in the Urals. Their ancestors were the same Turkic-speaking peoples (the Xiongnu people), who arrived there in the second century from Central Asia. In addition, the local Ugrians and Sarmatians made their contribution to the emergence of a new people. The Xiongnu themselves have a rather curious origin, since they are the ancestors of Caucasian immigrants from Northern China, who left there about a thousand years before the beginning of our era.

But research by Chinese archaeologists suggests that if the Xiongnu reached the Urals, it was in the form of disparate multi-ethnic groups, which along the way turned into a classic nomadic people. The fact is that in Northern China this nation disappeared catastrophically quickly, unable to withstand competition with strong tribes. Thus, the Huns were clearly formed mainly by the Ugrians. This is a generalized name for those Mansi and Khanty who lived in this territory at that time. Most likely, these peoples became isolated in the third millennium BC.

Initially, the Ugrians lived in forest-steppes Western Siberia, in some places reaching the Irtysh. The Sarmatians also did not make too much of a contribution to the formation of the Khazar people.

Around the sixth century AD, the Khazars were conquered by the mighty Turkic Khaganate. Oddly enough, the researchers did not find any mention of interethnic fusion, although such a phenomenon could well have occurred.

Historical paradox: despite all its power, the Kaganate itself existed for a ridiculously short time by historical standards - from 552 to 745 AD. e. The Turks themselves appeared as a result of the fact that in 460 one of the Hunnic tribes (and again we return to them), which was called Ashina, was conquered by the Juran people. There is no reliable information at all preserved about Ashinas. By a strange coincidence, it was at the same time that most of the Xiongnu were destroyed by the Rourans. After this, the Ashin people were forcibly resettled to Altai.

It was in this area that a strong nomadic people appeared, who are known to us as the “Turks”. The general name of these tribes comes from the Russian word “tyurya,” which our ancestors used to call the simplest food: crumbled bread or crackers with kvass and onions (or variations). Simply put, by that time the Turks consisted only of Ugrians and Sarmatian tribes, diluted with semi-mythical Ashins.

In 545, these people defeated the Uyghur troops, and in 551 they took revenge on the Rourans for their eviction. In the history of those years, the leader Bumyn was especially noted, who during his lifetime proclaimed himself kagan. This title was accepted only among the Jews. Already in 555, all local peoples came under Turkic rule. The “supreme headquarters” of the Kaganate was moved to the upper reaches of the Orkhon River, where almost all the Khazars settled. This people was actively developing and accumulating military power.

Already in the middle of the sixth century AD, almost all the peoples of Northern China became dependent on the kagan. Soon the Turks entered into a military alliance with Byzantium, after which they jointly began a war with Iran for control of the Great Silk Road. Already in 571, the border of the Kaganate passed along the Amu Darya. Just five years later the Turks managed to take the Bosporus (Kerch), and in 581 Chersonesus was completely blocked.

Let's return to the Khazars. What do they have to do with it? The fact is that historians have a lot of evidence that by that time the Turkic Kaganate already had a Khazar “branch”. But who and for what reason gave such liberties to the conquered people? The Turks certainly did not welcome such democracy, and there is no logical justification for the creation of the Khazar Kaganate. However, there is one more or less clear explanation...

The fact is that there were only 100 years left before the collapse of the Turkic state. Internal problems grew, and there were difficulties in maintaining borders. Perhaps the subordinate ethnic group was so loyal to the Turks that they allowed them to create their own Khazar state in exchange for guarantees of their loyalty in the future.

But here too there are many contradictions. The fact is that contemporaries spoke of the Khazars only as nomads who could be a formidable force at the time of raids, but there was no meaningful interaction between them. On the pages of almost all the works of their contemporaries, we see that the Khazars’ way of life and activities were typical of nomads: cattle breeding, constant raids on enemies, internal strife.

Yes, they had a capital, there was a kagan. But he was only “first among equals,” and he simply did not have the strength to order representatives of large clans. It is doubtful that the Turks could have concluded such an important agreement with them. Still, the Khazars are a rather specific people, like all nomads.

photo: Tribute of the Slavs to the Khazars, miniature in the Radzivilov Chronicle, 15th century

Be that as it may, in the 7th-8th centuries AD they were already able to conquer Kyiv and Crimea. Many historians claim that in those days the Slavic tribes began to pay them tribute. But the Khazars themselves did not have anything that would in any way resemble a strong central Khazar state. How could they collect this very tribute if, in principle, they did not have a more or less developed administrative system?

In the end, they were very, very far from the level of the Golden Horde. Most likely, “tribute” meant those episodes when residents of besieged cities preferred to pay off the next raid of nomads. And the very way of life and occupation of the Khazars did not contribute to the establishment of serious power over other peoples: the Kaganate was extremely heterogeneous, and therefore the ruler spent more time maintaining this loose structure within the framework of at least relative order.

The Khazar people were then led by the Khakan and his “deputy” Beg. The capital of the Kaganate was the Khazar city of Valangiar (Astrakhan), and then Sarkel (it was completely destroyed in 1300). It is known that in those days they conducted active trade with India. In 965, the Khazar troops were defeated by the troops of Prince Svyatoslav. In 1016 they were defeated by the combined forces of Russians and Greeks, commanded by Mstislav of Tmutarakan.

Many historical sources It is reported that in the eighth century the Khazars converted to Judaism. But let's return to the beginning of the article. Prominent Israeli scholars report that the process of merging Jews and Khazars occurred only in 1005. But how then did Bumyn accept Judaism 500 years earlier? In this regard, historians have a lot of questions. Here are the most common ones:

• Who among the Turks and Khazars could profess Judaism in those years, if there were no Jews there yet?


• How can you even practice Judaism, but not be a Jew? All holy books Israelis say that this cannot happen!


• Finally, who were the missionaries of Judaism 500 years before the Jews came?

Unfortunately, there are no clear answers to all these questions yet. Most likely there is some confusion here. If this is so, there is nothing surprising in this: from those times there are so few documents left that inspire complete confidence that historians have to be content mainly with chronicles. But they certainly do not reflect the whole essence of what was happening, since they were repeatedly rewritten to please the ruling officials.

So even now we cannot say with absolute certainty who the Khazars were by origin, since everything is not so simple with their religion. If they did not profess Judaism, then there were no Jews among their ancestors.

photo: slave trade, Khazaria

In Soviet historical monographs one can find the theory that the Khazar Khaganate fell due to a banal lack of living space, which disappeared under the waters of the flooded Caspian Sea. The author of this assumption is L.N. Gumilyov. He suggested that in the 7th-8th centuries large settlements the Khazars were simply washed away due to soil transgression. However, Gumilyov always put forward very bold hypotheses

Historians of non-Israeli origin make a very interesting assumption. They believe that the collapse of the Kaganate was caused by the adoption of Judaism, which occurred during the time of the ruler Obadiah. Presumably, this kagan began his missionary activity somewhere at the turn of the 9th-10th centuries. Mentions of his activities can be found in the Life of John of Goths.

The Arab scholar Masudi wrote that after the Kagan adopted Judaism, Jews from all over the world began to flock to his kingdom. Jews quickly populated large blocks of almost all Khazar cities, and there were especially many of them in Crimea, and the Khazar capital (Valangiar) was experiencing a real “boom” of migration. A lot of people settled in Itil. According to contemporaries, “the Jews laid siege to the throne of Obadiah.” They indicate that the Kagan gave the Jews many privileges and allowed them to settle in any cities. The Kagan contributed to the construction of synagogues and theological schools, warmly greeted Jewish sages, generously giving them money.

The Jews were educated, well versed in trade... but their faith turned out to be destructive for the Kaganate. We have already said that the Khazar state was not distinguished by a particularly developed administrative structure. The adoption of Judaism by the supreme nobility turned away most of their subjects, who already treated the supreme power without any reverence. For most Khazars, the key was the opinion of the elders, and they did not have much love for the Jews.

A struggle for power began in the Kaganate. Civil strife arose; part of the Khazars united with the Turks and Hungarians who lived on Pecheneg land. They entered into mutually beneficial military and political alliances. Contemporaries nicknamed them “cabars”. In particular, Konstantin Porfirorodny often wrote about this.

It is not surprising that in the flames of the civil war both Obadiah himself and both of his heirs: Hezekiah and Manasseh were burned. Chanukah, who was Obadiah’s brother, took power over the bloodless state. By that time, Crimea, where many “provincials” lived who condemned rapprochement with Judea, came under the protectorate of Byzantium. At this time, hordes of Pechenegs were already advancing on the lands of the Khazars, who were absolutely uninterested in political and religious strife.

You must understand that without knowing all these twists and turns, you will not be able to understand who the Khazars were by origin. IN recent years the existence of his kaganate ethnic composition became surprisingly colorful. If you carefully read the article, then you yourself probably realized that the Khazars were never a particularly integral ethnic group. The prevailing peoples and religions changed in the Kaganate with incredible speed.

To make sure you are completely convinced of this, let us give examples from the life of the late Kaganate. So, in 730, Kagan Bulan converted to Judaism. In 737, just seven years later, the Khazars already professed Islam. From 740 to 775 they became devout Christians under the patronage of the Byzantine emperor Constantine Copronymus. From 786 to 809 - Islam again. This time with the blessing of the Baghdad caliph Harun al-Rashid. From 799 to 809, the well-known Kagan Obadiah again actively promoted “Judaism to the masses.”

Ethnographers believe that in less than 100 years, the Khazars were so assimilated with peoples who professed Christianity and Islam that practically nothing remained of their original ethnic group. The final defeat of the Khazar Kaganate (more precisely, its self-destruction) once again convincingly proved that in order to form a truly powerful state, a strong central government is needed, which, among other things, knows how to take into account the desires of all its subjects.

photo: Svyatoslav, destroyer of the Khazars (Lebedev, Klavdiy Vasilievich).

Just a year after the last adoption of Judaism, the slow agony of the state began: from 810 to 820 it was tormented by the uprisings of the cabars already known to us; From 822 to 836 there were constant Hungarian invasions. Ruled from 829 to 842 Byzantine emperor Theophilus, who brought final discord into the way of life of the Khazar Khaganate. In 965, Svyatoslav defeated the Khazar troops, after which Kagan Bulan III proclaimed Judaism as the state religion for the third time. How did the complete defeat of the Khazar Kaganate occur?

By the end of the tenth century, all this ethnic and religious leapfrog ended with the Khazars finally being assimilated with the Muslims. Thus, the former Turkic tribes, who were able to create a rather significant public education, completely lost their independence and their own lands.

All of the above indicates that Khazaria could well exist in reality. In addition, the Kaganate could indeed be historical homeland Jews Theologians believe that the origins of Judaism (as well as Christianity and Islam) in this case were shamanism, widespread among nomadic tribes. This, by the way, is very strongly reflected in Christianity: we do not know the name of God, but we assume that he is Everything, and His Grace is everywhere. Thus, the Turkic tribes played an extremely important role in the development of modern civilization, for they gave monotheism to humanity.

The ancient and medieval history of mankind holds many mysteries. Even with the current level of technology, there are still blind spots in the study of most issues.

Who were the Khazars? This is one of those problems with no exact answer. We know little about them, but even if we collect all the existing references to this people, even more questions arise.

Let's get to know these interesting people better.

Who are the Khazars

This tribe - the Khazars - is first mentioned in Chinese sources as part of the population great empire Huns. Researchers present several hypotheses regarding the origin of the ethnonym and the ancestral homeland of the Khazars.

Let's first deal with the name. The root "goats" in many Central Asian languages ​​means a number of words associated with nomadism. This version seems the most plausible, because the others look like this. In Farsi, “Khazar” means “thousand”, the Romans called the emperor Caesar, and the Turks understand oppression by this word.

They try to determine the ancestral home from the earliest records that mention the Khazars. Where did their ancestors live, who were their closest neighbors? There are still no clear answers.

There are three equivalent theories. The first considers them the ancestors of the Uyghurs, the second considers them to be the Hunnic tribe of the Akatsirs, and the third is inclined to believe that the Khazars are the descendants of the tribal union of the Ogurs and Savirs.

Whether this is true or not is difficult to answer. Only one thing is clear. The origin of the Khazars and the beginning of their expansion to the west is connected with the land they called Barsilia.

Mention in written sources

If we analyze the information from the notes of contemporaries, we also get confusion.

On the one hand, existing sources say that it was a powerful empire. On the other hand, the fragmentary information contained in the notes of travelers cannot illustrate anything at all.

The most complete source that reflects the state of affairs in the country is considered to be the correspondence of the Kagan with the Spanish dignitary Hasdai ibn Shaprut. They communicated in writing on the topic of Judaism. The Spaniard was a diplomat who became interested in the Jewish empire that, according to merchants, existed near the Caspian Sea.

Three letters contain a legend about where the ancient Khazars came from - brief information about cities, the political, social and economic situation.
Other sources, such as Russian chronicles, Arabic, Persian and other references, mainly describe only the causes, course and results of local military conflicts on the borders.

Geography of Khazaria

Kagan Joseph in his letter tells where the Khazars came from, where these tribes lived, and what they did. Let's take a closer look at its description.

So, the empire spread during its period of greatest prosperity from the Southern Bug to the Aral Sea and from the Caucasus Mountains to the Volga in the area around the latitude of the city of Murom.

Numerous tribes lived in this territory. In forest and forest-steppe regions, a sedentary method of farming was common, in the steppe - nomadic. In addition, there were a lot of vineyards near the Caspian Sea.

Most major cities, which the Kagan mentions in his letter, were as follows. The capital, Itil, was located in the lower reaches of the Volga. Sarkel (the Russians called it Belaya Vezha) was located on the Don, and Semender and Belenger were on the coast of the Caspian Sea.

The rise of the Khaganate begins after the collapse of the Turkic Empire, in the middle of the seventh century AD. By this time, the ancestors of the Khazars lived in the area of ​​modern Derbent, in lowland Dagestan. Hence the expansion to the north, west and south.

After the capture of Crimea, the Khazars settled in this territory. She was identified with this ethnonym for a very long time. Even in the sixteenth century, the Genoese referred to the peninsula as "Gazaria".

Thus, the Khazars are a union of Turkic tribes that were able to create the most durable nomadic state in history.

Beliefs in the Khaganate

Due to the fact that the empire was at the crossroads of trade routes, cultures and religions, it became akin to medieval Babylon.

Since the main population of the Kaganate were Turkic peoples, the majority worshiped Tengri Khan. This belief is still preserved in Central Asia.

The nobility of the Kaganate adopted Judaism, which is why it is still believed that the Khazars are Jews. However, this is not entirely true, because only a very small segment of the population professed this religion.

Christians and Muslims were also represented in the state. Due to unsuccessful trips against the Arab caliphs in the last decades of the existence of the Kaganate, Islam gained greater freedom in the empire.

But why do they stubbornly believe that the Khazars are Jews? The most likely reason is the legend described by Joseph in a letter. He tells Hasdai that when choosing a state religion, an Orthodox and a rabbi were invited. The latter managed to out-argue everyone and convince the Kagan and his retinue that he was right.

Wars with neighbors

The campaigns against the Khazars are most fully described in Russian chronicles and Arab military records. The Caliphate fought for influence in the Caucasus, and the Slavs, on the one hand, opposed the southern slave traders who robbed villages, and on the other, they strengthened their eastern borders.

The first prince who fought with the Khazar Khaganate was He was able to recapture some lands and forced them to pay tribute to themselves, and not to the Khazars.

More interesting information is about the son of Olga and Igor. He, being a skilled warrior and wise commander, took advantage of the weakness of the empire and dealt a crushing blow to it.

The troops he gathered went down the Volga and took Itil. Next, Sarkel on the Don and Semender on the Caspian coast were captured. This sudden and powerful expansion destroyed the once powerful empire.

After this, Svyatoslav began to gain a foothold in this territory. Vezha was built on the site of Sarkel, and the Vyatichi, a tribe bordering Russia on one side and Khazaria on the other, were subject to tribute.

An interesting fact is that with all the seeming strife and wars in Kyiv for a long time there was a detachment of Khazar mercenaries. The Tale of Bygone Years mentions the Kozary tract in the capital of Rus'. It was located near the confluence of the Pochayna River and the Dnieper River.

Where did the whole people go?

Conquests, of course, affect the population, but it is noteworthy that after the Slavs defeated the main cities of the Kaganate, information about this people disappears. They are no longer mentioned in a single word or in any chronicle.

The researchers consider the following to be the most plausible solution to this issue. Being a Turkic-speaking ethnic group, the Khazars were able to assimilate with their neighbors in the Caspian region.

Today, scientists believe that the bulk dissolved in this region, some remained in Crimea, and most of the noble Khazars moved to Central Europe. There they were able to unite with Jewish communities living in the territory of modern Poland, Hungary, and Western Ukraine.

Thus, some families with Jewish roots and ancestors in these lands may, to some extent, call themselves "descendants of the Khazars."

Traces in archeology

Archaeologists clearly say that the Khazars are the Saltovo-Mayak culture. It was isolated by Gautier in 1927. Since that time, active excavations and research have been carried out.
The culture received its name as a result of the similarity of finds at the two monuments.

The first is a settlement in Verkhny Saltov, Kharkov region, and the second is the Mayatskoye settlement in the Voronezh region.

In principle, the finds are correlated with the Alan ethnic group, who lived in this territory from the eighth to the tenth centuries. However, the roots of this people are in the North Caucasus, so they are associated directly with the Khazar Kaganate.

Researchers divide the finds into two types of burials. The forest version is Alan, and the steppe version is Bulgar, which also includes the Khazars.

Possible descendants

The descendants of the Khazars are another blank spot in the study of the people. The difficulty is that it is almost impossible to trace continuity.

The Saltovo-Mayak culture as such accurately reflects the life of the Alans and Bulgars. The Khazars are listed there conditionally, since there are very few monuments of them. In fact they are random. Written sources “fall silent” after Svyatoslav’s campaign. Therefore, we have to rely on joint hypotheses of archaeologists, linguists and ethnographers.

Today, the most likely descendants of the Khazars are the Kumyks. This is Turkic-speaking. This also includes partially the Karaites, Krymchaks and Judaized mountain tribes of the Caucasus.

Dry residue

Thus, in this article we talked about the fate of such an interesting people as the Khazars. This is not just another ethnic group, but, in fact, a mysterious white spot in medieval history Caspian lands.

They are mentioned in many sources of the Russians, Armenians, Arabs, and Byzantines. Kagan corresponds with the Cordoba Caliphate. Everyone understands the power and strength of this empire...
And suddenly - the lightning campaign of Prince Svyatoslav and the death of this state.

It turns out that the whole empire can within short period not just disappear, but sink into oblivion, leaving descendants with only guesses.