Khazars

Khazar Khaganate Xəzər Xaqanlığı
c. 650–969
Khazar Khaganate, 650–850
Status	Khazar Khaganate
Capital	Balanjar (c. 650–720) Samandar (720s–750) Atil (750-c. 965–969)
Common languages	Khazar
Religion	Tengrism Buddhism Judaism[1] Christianity Islam Paganism Religious syncretism[2]
Qaghan
• 618–628	Tong Yabghu
• 9th 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
History
• Established	c. 650
• Sviatoslav's sacking and razing of Atil	969
Area
850 est.[3]	3,000,000 km2 (1,200,000 sq mi)
900 est.[4]	1,000,000 km2 (390,000 sq mi)
Population
• 7th century[5]	1,400,000
Currency	Yarmaq
Preceded by Succeeded by Turkic Khaganate Old Great Bulgaria Cumania Pechenegs

The Khazars were a semi-nomadic Turkic people. They formed an empire called Khazaria in Russia from the 6th to 10th century CE.^[6] They came from the Western Turkic Khaganate of the Eurasian steppe.^[7]

Khazaria was an international trading center. It was an important place on the Silk Road that linked China, the Middle East, and the Kievan Rus'.^[8][9] For three centuries (c. 650–965) the Khazars conquered the area from the Volga-Don steppes to Crimea and the Caucasus.^[8]

Khazaria was between the Byzantine Empire, the steppe nomads, and the Umayyad Caliphate. It helped Byzantine defend itself from the Sasanian Persian empire. The alliance ended around 900.^[8] Between 965 and 969, the Kievan Rus replaced Khazaria.

Tengrism may have been the main religion, as it was for the Huns and Turkic peoples.^[10] Abrahamic religions were also popular.^[10] The ruling class may have converted to Judaism in the 8th century.^[11]

Some people think that the Cossacks, Muslim Kumyks, Kazakhs, and some Jews, like the Ashkenazi Jews, descended from the Khazars.^[12][13][14] Some disagree.^{[15][16][17][18]}

1. ↑ Wexler 1996, p. 50 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFWexler1996 (help)
2. ↑ Brook, pp. 107 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFBrook (help)
3. ↑ Turchin, Peter; Adams, Jonathan M.; Hall, Thomas D (December 2006). "East-West Orientation of Historical Empires". Journal of World-systems Research. 12 (2): 222. ISSN 1076-156X. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
4. ↑ Rein Taagepera (September 1997). "Expansion and Contraction Patterns of Large Polities: Context for Russia". International Studies Quarterly. 41 (3): 496. doi:10.1111/0020-8833.00053. JSTOR 2600793.
5. ↑ Herlihy 1972, pp. 136–148 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFHerlihy1972 (help);Russell1972, pp. 25–71 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFRussell1972 (help). This figure has been calculated on the basis of the data in both Herlihy and Russell's work.
6. ↑ "Khazar | people". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2018-07-30.
7. ↑ Sneath 2007 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFSneath2007 (help)
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1 8.2} Noonan 1999 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFNoonan1999 (help)
9. ↑ Golden 2011 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFGolden2011 (help)
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1} Golden 2007a harvnb error: no target: CITEREFGolden2007a (help)
11. ↑ 2007aGolden 2007a harvnb error: no target: CITEREFGolden2007a (help)
12. ↑ Kizilov 2009 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFKizilov2009 (help)
13. ↑ Patai & Patai 1987 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFPataiPatai1987 (help)
14. ↑ Wexler 1987 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFWexler1987 (help)
15. ↑ Wexler 2002 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFWexler2002 (help): 'Most scholars are sceptical about the hypothesis (that has its roots in the late 19th century) that Khazars became a major component in the ethnogenesis of the Ashkenazic Jews'.
16. ↑ Rubin 2013 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFRubin2013 (help).
17. ↑ Davies 1992 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFDavies1992 (help)
18. ↑ Vogt 1975 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFVogt1975 (help).