Information AboutKhazar |
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The Khazars ( Hebrew ''sing.'' "Kuzari" כוזרי ''plur.'' "Kuzarim" כוזרים; Turkish ''sing.'' "Hazar" ''plur.'' Hazarlar; Russian ''sing.'' Хазарин ''plur.'' Хазары; Tatar ''sing'' Xäzär ''plur.'' Xäzärlär; ; Greek Χαζάροι/Χάζαροι; Persian خزر ''khazar''; Latin "Gazari" or "Cosri") were a semi- Nomad ic Turkic People from Central Asia , many of whom converted to Judaism . The name 'Khazar' seems to be tied to a Turkic verb form meaning "wandering" ('gezer' in modern Turkish ). In the 7th Century CE they founded an independent Khagan ate in the Northern Caucasus along the Caspian Sea , where over time Judaism became the state religion. At their height, they and their tributaries controlled much of what is today southern Russia , western Kazakhstan , eastern Ukraine , Azerbaijan , large portions of the Caucasus (including Dagestan , Georgia ), and the Crimea . They were important allies of the Byzantine Empire against the Sassanid Empire and later the Caliphate , the Pechenegs , and the Rus' . In later years, however, once Khazaria had become a significant regional power, the Byzantines abandoned the alliance and turned to the Rus' and Pechenegs against the Khazars. Between 965 and 969 , their sovereignty was broken by Sviatoslav I Of Kiev , and they became a subject people of Kievan Rus' . Gradually displaced by the Rus, the Kipchaks , and later the conquering Mongol Golden Horde , the Khazars largely disappeared as a culturally-distinct people. Today, various place names invoking ''Khazar'' persist. Indeed, the Caspian Sea , traditionally known as the '' Hyrcanian Sea '' and '' Mazandaran Sea '' in Persian , came to be known to Iran ians as the ''Khazar Sea'' as an alternative name. ORIGINS AND PREHISTORY |
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