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Medieval Kingdom of Khazaria, 652-1016 |
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.
- An Introduction to the History of Khazaria
- Current Issues in Khazar Studies
- The Khazars: A European Experiment in Jewish Statecraft
- Los Khazares: un experimento europeo de construcción de un estado Judío - in Spanish
- Histoire des Khazars: la nation juive de Russie et d'Ukraine - in French
- Znakomstvo s Istoriey Xazarii - in Russian
- Hazar Türkleri tarihine giriS - in Turkish
- 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 the Star of David, Khazar-Saltovo amulets, depictions of an epic motif, Khazarian battle and hunting scenes, Khazar silver belts, 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.
- Khazaria Image Gallery
- Horse and Rider: Khazaria Exhibit
- 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.
- The Khazar Fortress of Sarkel
- MEDIEVAL QUOTES ABOUT KHAZAR JUDAISM
- Judaism was practiced widely among Khazars, as these authentic quotes from medieval chroniclers demonstrate.
- Medieval Quotes About Khazar Judaism
- 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 are beginning to emerge from new discoveries. The first essay summarizes the latest findings and uses these findings to re-evaluate the question. The second essay explains how we know that Eastern European Jews also 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. The fourth page queries whether Jews who live in the Caucasus today descend from Khazar converts.
- Are Russian Jews Descended from the Khazars?
- Are Russian Jews Descended from the German and Bohemian Jews?
- Russian Jewish Genetics
- Are Mountain Jews Descended from the Khazars?
- KHAZARIAN NAMES
- A list of personal names that the Khazars used in their own country, including Turkic, Hebrew, and Slavic names.
- Khazarian Names
- EXCAVATION REPORTS FROM CHASTIYE KURGANY AND GOLDEN HILLS
- Excavation reports with photographs of Khazarian graves and objects.
- Khazar Burial Mounds at Chastiye Kurgany
- Khazar-Era Fortress of Golden Hills (Zolotiye Gorki)
- 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.
- Bibliography of Khazar Studies (1901-Present)
- MAPS OF THE KHAZAR KINGDOM
- Richard Burd has created a series of historical maps depicting various periods of time in Khazarian history.
- Khazarian Historical Maps by Richard Burd
- KHAZAR FICTION
- A guide to conventionally-published novels, short stories, and poems about Khazaria.
- Fictional Literature about the Khazars
- 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.
- The Kuzari's References to the Khazar Conversion to Judaism
- The Poetry and Prose of Yehudah ha-Levi
- 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.
- Khazarskiy Kaganat
- 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.
- Excerpts from the Letters of Hasdai ibn Shaprut and King Joseph
- Letter of Hasdai ibn Shaprut to Joseph, King of the Khazars
- 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.
- History of the Proto-Bulgarians North and West of the Black Sea
- OTHER ESSAYS ABOUT THE KHAZARS
- Selected essays about Khazar history in English and Russian.
- Khazaria (586-1083 AD), by Dennis Leventhal
- The Khazars, by Peter Wolfe and Jeff Zolitor
- The Khazars, by Steven Lowe
- Xazarskiy kostyum VII-X vv., by Aleksey (Kutluk) Tselikovskiy - about Khazarian and North Caucasian costumes
- "Russkie xazary", with Svetlana Pletnyova and Vladimir Petrukhin
- Khazary, by Svetlana A. Pletnyova (Mirror)
- "Xazary. Xazarskii kaganat. Prinyatie iudaizma. Rastsvet i gibel' Xazarii." (Chapter 2) and "Xazary i slavyane. Evrey i Kievskaya Rus'. Nashestvie mongolov." (Chapter 3) in Ocherki vremen i sobytii, by Feliks S. Kandel'
- Iudeo-xazarskoye tsarstvo v drevnyaya Rus', by Grigorii Vinogradov
- K Istorii Yevreyskikh Obshchin Severnogo Kavkaza, by E. A. Rabaev
- Novye materialy k probleme izucheniya slavyano-xazarskix otnosheniy (po pamyatnikam Severskogo Dontsa), by V. V. Koloda - about apparent coexistence and synchretism between certain groups of Khazars and Slavs
- Issledovaniya v Verxnem Saltove v 1996 godu, by V. V. Koloda - discusses Khazarian/Saltovo burials, one of which contained a well-conserved felt boot
- Krupneyshey punkt (gorod) Khazarii, by A. V. Kryganov - discusses the more than 30 Khazarian cities, some of which (particularly Atil) have not yet been located
- Vooruzhenie i voennoe delo Khazarskogo kaganata, by A. V. Komar and Oleg Sukhobokov
- Rannie khazary v Severnom Prichernomorye (Postanovka problemy), by A. V. Komar
- Xazary, Xazarskiy kaganat - includes Mikhael Gorelik's illustration of Khazar kagan's palace in Atil
- Rusi i Bizantiya, by Igor Godovich Semenov
- V Storonu Khazarii, by Denis Sobolev, in Zhurnal "22" No. 103, pp. 114 ff. - brief history of Khazars
- Vozvrashchenie v Khazariyu, by Denis Sobolev, in Zhurnal "22" No. 108, pp. 162 ff. - about controversy of descendants of Khazars and origins of Russian Jews
- Tsarskie imenovaniya v drevnerusskom tezauruse problemi interpretatsii, by Dmitrii Kudryavtsev
- The founding family of Kyivan-Rus': Sviatoslav the Conqueror, Part I, by Ingert Kuzych
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