Khazars

Khazar Khaganate
c. 650–969
Khazar Khaganate, 650–850
Status	Khaganate
Capital	Balanjar (c. 650 – c. 720) Samandar (720–750) Atil (750 – c. 965–969)
Common languages	Oghuric[1] (lingua franca) Old Turkic[1] (dynastic, spoken) Alanian[1] (spoken)
Religion	Judaism[2] Judaizers Tengrism Buddhism Christianity Islam Paganism Religious syncretism[3]
Qaghan
• c. 650	Irbis
• 8th century	Bulan
• 9th century	Obadiah
• 9th century	Zachariah
• 9th century	Manasseh
• 9th century	Benjamin
• 10th century	Aaron
• 10th century	Joseph
• 10th century	David
• 11th century	Georgios
Historical era	Middle Ages
• Established	c. 650
• Sviatoslav's sacking and razing of Atil	969
Area
850 est.[4]	3,000,000 km2 (1,200,000 sq mi)
900 est.[5]	1,000,000 km2 (390,000 sq mi)
Currency	Yarmaq
Preceded by Succeeded by Western Turkic Khaganate Old Great Bulgaria Cumania Pechenegs Kievan Rus' Durdzuks Volga Bulgaria Alania

History of the Turkic peoples pre–14th century
Turkic peoples Onogurs Oghuz Turks Saragurs Utigurs Bulgars Sabir Kutrigurs Karluks Kimek Kipchaks Cherniye Klobuki Uyghurs Tatars Kumyks Yakuts Dolgans Krymchaks Crimean Karaites
Turkic Languages Turkish Azerbaijani Uzbek Kazakh Uyghur Turkmen Tatar Kyrgyz Bashkir Chuvash Qasgqai Karakalpak Sakha Kumyk Karachay-Balkar Tuvan Gagauz Karaim Krymchak
Turkic Mythology Belief system: Tengrism and Shamanism Chief gods and goddesses: Kayra and Ülgen Epics and heroes: Ergenekon and Asena Major concepts: Sheka and Grey wolf
Pre-14th century Yenisei Kyrgyz People 202 BCE–13th CE Yenisei Kyrgyz Khaganate Dingling 71 BC–?? AD Tiele (Gaoche) Göktürks First Turkic Khaganate 552–581 Western Turkic Khaganate 581–657 (Tokhara Yabghus, Turk Shahis) Eastern Turkic Khaganate 581–650 Second Turkic Khaganate 682–744 Sabiri People Khazar Khaganate 618–1048 Xueyantuo 628–646 Kangar Union 659–750 Turk Shahi 665-850 Türgesh Khaganate 699–766 Kimek–Kipchak Confederation 743–1035 Uyghur Khaganate 744–840 Oghuz Yabgu State 750–1055 Karluk Yabgu State 756–940 Kara-Khanid Khanate 840–1212 Western Kara-Khanid Eastern Kara-Khanid Ganzhou Uyghur Kingdom 848–1036 Qocho 856–1335 Pecheneg Khanates 860–1091 Ghaznavid Empire 963–1186 Seljuk Empire 1037–1194 Sultanate of Rum Cuman–Kipchak Confederation 1067–1239 Khwarazmian Empire 1077–1231 Kerait Khanate 11th century–13th century Atabegs of Azerbaijan 1136–1225 Delhi Sultanate 1206–1526 Mamluk dynasty Khalji dynasty Tughlaq dynasty Qarlughid Kingdom 1224–1266 Golden Horde 1242–1502 Mamluk Sultanate (Cairo) 1250–1517 Bahri dynasty Ottoman State 1299–1922
v t e

The Khazars^[a] (/ˈxɑːzɑːrz/) or Khazar Turks^[10] were a semi nomadic Turkic people who, in the late 6th century CE, established a major commercial empire covering the southeastern section of modern European Russia, southern Ukraine, Crimea, and Kazakhstan.^[11] They created what, for its duration, was the most powerful polity to emerge from the break-up of the Western Turkic Khaganate.^[12]

Positioned along critical Eurasian trade routes, Khazars functioned as a key intermediary in Silk Road commerce and dominated the trade routes by linking China, the Middle East, and Kievan Rus'. For some three centuries it became one of the most influential trading empires of the early medieval period until its decline in the 10th century.^[13][14][15]

Khazaria long served as a buffer state between Byzantine Empire, steppe nomads, and the Ummayad and Abbasid Caliphates. It once helped Byzantium fight the Sasanian Empire, but around 900, Byzantium turned against Khazaria, backing the Alans to weaken its control over Crimea and the Caucasus. Byzantium then allied with Kievan Rus’, hoping to convert them to Eastern Christianity.^[16] Between 965–969, Sviatoslav I of Kiev conquered Khazaria’s capital, Atil, ending its independence.

Origin and nature of Khazars is closely bound with theories of their language. Khazar language is a Turkic language that's hard to be classify since few words from Khazar language survived. Khazar Empire's society was polyglot and polyethnic, including Tengrism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Some Khazars (namely Kabars) joined the ancient Hungarians in the 9th century. Their ruling elite reportedly converted to Judaism in the 8th century, but this elite conversion believed to have not widespread in society.^[17] In 965, relation and alliance with Arabs made Khazarians and ruling dynasty to convert Islam.^[18]

After Khazaria fell, many nations claimed to have Khazar lineage and Turkic origin.^[19][20][21] In late 19th century a group of scholars claimed that Ashkenazi Jews in Europe are descended from Khazars. Back then theory politically supported by Nazi German intellectuals to legitimize war crimes and the Holocaust.^[22] In modern academia theory rarely finds a mention.^[23][17] and generally associated with antisemitism^[24] and anti-Zionism.^[25]

In Oghuz Turkic languages, the Caspian Sea is still named the "Khazar Sea", an enduring legacy of the medieval Khazar state.

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