Who were the Khazars? Modern Khazars are the Crimean Karaites. Israel recognizes them as Jews, Hitler did not recognize them as Jews. Culture, religion and social system

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 of "goats" in many languages Central Asia 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 Caucasus Mountains to the Volga near 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.

The largest cities that the Kagan mentioned in his letter were the following. 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 an association 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 campaigns 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 on 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 most plausible solution this issue researchers believe the following. 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, Western Ukraine.

Thus, some families with Jewish roots and ancestors in these lands, can 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

Descendants of the Khazars are another White spot in the study of 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 partly the Karaites, Krymchaks and Judaized mountain tribes of the Caucasus.

Dry residue

Thus, in this article we talked about the fate of such interesting people like 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.

The Khazars are one of the nomadic, warlike tribes that lived in ancient times on the territory of modern southern Russia.

Gradually, the Khazars captured vast territories from the Black Sea to the Lower Volga region and turned into strong state- Khazar Khaganate.

It acquired its greatest power around the 7th-10th centuries AD. The capital of the state was the city of Itil at the mouth of the Volga, not far from the present city of Astrakhan.

What do we know about the Khazars

Everything we know about the Khazars today is just scientists’ hypotheses different countries. They rely on a few written and archaeological sources. These are mainly Western European and Arabic documents and chronicles.

The etymology of the word “Khazars” itself does not have an unambiguous interpretation. According to some information, the Khazars were a nomadic Turkic-speaking people, or a union of Turkic tribes, headed by a ruler - the Khagan.

But as the Khazar Kaganate expanded, it began to include numerous nationalities. They all spoke different languages, had different beliefs. Islam, Christianity, Judaism, paganism - all these religions flourished here.

According to fragmentary information, it is assumed that the Kagan himself and his heirs converted to Judaism around the 8th century. Be that as it may, the Khazar Kaganate became famous for its religious tolerance.

Some sources report cases when residents adhered to three religions at the same time. Gradually, the Khazars created a prosperous state.

They fought a lot, were skilled diplomats, and successfully led international trade. And yet, in the 10th century, Khazaria fell into decline. The Old Russian state played a decisive role in this.

First, the Novgorod prince Svyatoslav Igorevich defeated the Khazar army in 965. Later, Prince Vladimir again goes on a campaign against Khazaria and imposes tribute on it. Further information about the state becomes fragmentary and gradually disappears.

Brief chronicle of the Khazars

626g. - The Turkic-Khazar army captures Derbent.
650g. - Khazars gain independence.
700g. - first mention in Western European literature.
VIII century - Arab-Khazar wars. The capital is in the city of Itil.
859 - Khazars take tribute from Slavic tribes.
861 — Constantine (St. Cyril) baptizes the Khazars.
965 - defeat of the Khazar army by Svyatoslav.
XIII century - The Khazars are conquered by the Mongols.

Short but bright story Khazaria disturbs the minds of scientists and writers, in many ways remaining a mystery. It is no coincidence that one of his whimsical compositions is a classic European literature Milorad Pavic simply called it “Khazar Dictionary”.

Neighboring peoples wrote a lot about the Khazars, but they themselves left virtually no information about themselves. How unexpectedly the Khazars appeared on historical scene, just as suddenly they left her.

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 rumors 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 growing year by year, and many good cities already flooded."
Gumilev concludes that the Khazar state should be sought under the thickness of 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 loved ones ethnic groups What they have in common is that they were the first to create their own states on the ruins of the Turkic Kaganate, 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

IN currently 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 like: a few runic inscriptions Still haven't been able to decipher it.

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 trying to identify the Khazar descendants, went completely unusual path. It is based on scientific findings, according to which the blood type 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 the peoples who led nomadic image life (where he includes the Khazars), for whom it approaches 100% of the population.

Further, the writer reinforces his conclusions with new ones archaeological finds 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 during excavations medieval city Saksin discovered “Khazar traces”. 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. Which Big City besides Itil, did the Khazars build in the Volga delta?
Of course, it is 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.

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

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 rumors 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. “The archaeological culture of the Khazars themselves remains unknown,” 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.”
Gumilev concludes that the Khazar state should be sought under the thickness of 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.

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 type 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?
Of course, it is 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.

KHAZARS, ov, plural. T.n. "persons of southern nationality." All the bazaars were bought by the Khazars. name ancient people who lived in the 7th-10th centuries. from the Volga to the Caucasus... Dictionary of Russian argot

Modern encyclopedia

Turkic-speaking people who appeared in the East. Europe after the Hunnic invasion (4th century) and roamed the Western Caspian steppe. The Khazar Khaganate was formed... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

KHAZARS, ar, units. Arin, a husband. Ancient people, formed in 710 centuries. a state stretching from the lower Volga to the Caucasus and the Northern Black Sea region. | wives Khazar, I. | adj. Khazar, aya, oh. Dictionary Ozhegova. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu.... ... Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

KHAZARS, a Turkic-speaking people who appeared in Eastern Europe after the Hunnic invasion (4th century) and roamed the Western Caspian steppe. The Khazar Khaganate was formed. Source: Encyclopedia Fatherland ... Russian history

Khazars- KHAZARS, a Turkic-speaking people who moved from the Trans-Urals to Eastern Europe after the Hunnic invasion (4th century) and roamed the Western Caspian steppe. They formed the state of the Khazar Kaganate, after the defeat of which by Prince Svyatoslav Igorevich... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

Nomadic Turkic tribe, which first appeared in the territory north of the Caucasus at the beginning of the 4th century. In the 7th century. The Khazars conquered the Azov Bulgarians. By the 9th century they created a strong, prosperous state, stretching from the Crimea to the middle reaches of the Volga, and on... ... Collier's Encyclopedia

Zar; pl. Turkic-speaking people who appeared in Eastern Europe in the 4th century. after the Hunnic invasion and roamed the Western Caspian steppe (from the mid-7th century it formed the Khazar Khaganate). * How is it assembled now? prophetic Oleg Take revenge on the foolish Khazars... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

Khazars- KHAZARS, ar, plural (ed Khazarin, a, m). An ancient Turkic-speaking people who appeared in the East. Europe after the Hun invasion in the 4th century, roamed the Western Caspian steppe, lived along the Terek River and in the Volga delta (from the mid-7th century formed the Khazar... ... Explanatory dictionary of Russian nouns

Nomadic Turkic-speaking people who appeared in Eastern Europe after the Hunnic invasion (4th century). In the 60s 6th century Kh. were conquered by the Turkic Khaganate (See Turkic Khaganate). From the middle of the 7th century, the Khazar Khaganate was created. After his fall... ... Big Soviet encyclopedia

Books

Khazars (ed. 2014), Oleg Ivik, Vladimir Klyuchnikov. The Khazars are one of the most mysterious peoples early Middle Ages. There is even debate among scientists about who should be called by this word. The Khazars did not leave shards that would allow their identification...
Khazars, Oleg Ivik, Vladimir Klyuchnikov. The Khazars are one of the most mysterious peoples early Middle Ages. There is even debate among scientists about who should be called by this word. The Khazars did not leave shards that would allow them...