Khazaria: Map & History
The Khazars were a semi-nomadic Turkic people who established a major commercial empire in the late 6th century CE spanning the south of modern European Russia, southern Ukraine, and western Kazakhstan.
Wikipedia Encyclopedic Compendium
Historiographical synthesis & structured realm registry
The Khazars were a semi-nomadic Turkic people who established a major commercial empire in the late 6th century CE spanning the south of modern European Russia, southern Ukraine, and western Kazakhstan. It was the most powerful polity to emerge from the break-up of the Western Turkic Khaganate. Astride a major artery of commerce between Eastern Europe and West Asia, Khazaria became one of the foremost trading empires of the early medieval world, commanding the western marches of the Silk Road and playing a key commercial role as a crossroad between China, West Asia, and Kievan Rus'. For some three centuries, the Khazars dominated the vast area extending from the Volga-Don steppes to the eastern Crimea and the northern Caucasus.
Modern Countries Once Part of Khazaria
At its mapped extent, Khazaria covered territory in 6 present-day countries. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
- Azerbaijan763–767 CE · a large part
- Georgia763–767 CE · a large part
- Armenia763–767 CE · a large part
- Ukraine674–969 CE · a small part
- Russia630–979 CE · a small part
- Kazakhstan647–969 CE · a small part
States and Provinces
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside Khazaria's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
Khazaria in Depth
History
For most of its history, Khazaria served as a buffer state between the Byzantine Empire, the nomads of the northern steppes, and the Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates, having previously been Byzantium's proxy against the rival Sasanian Empire. Around 900, the Byzantines began encouraging the Alans to attack Khazaria; this move aimed to weaken Khazar control over Crimea and the Caucasus and facilitate imperial diplomacy and proselytising towards the powerful Kievan Rus' in the north. By 969, Sviatoslav I of Kiev, the ruler of Kievan Rus', along with his allies, conquered the Khazar capital of Atil, ushering the decline and disintegration of Khazaria by the mid 11th century.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Khazars (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Khazaria: Key Facts
| Capital | Balanjar |
|---|---|
| Religion | Tengrism |
| Currency | yarmaq |
| Founded | 618 CE |
| Dissolved | 1048 |
Facts from Wikidata Q173282 (CC0).
Khazaria Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which Khazaria appears, with the other states of the time.
Khazaria Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 802,987 km² in 765 CE.
Khazaria: Frequently Asked Questions
When did Khazaria exist?
Khazaria is dated to 630 CE – 979 CE, in the Early Middle Ages era.
What was the capital of Khazaria?
The capital of Khazaria was Balanjar (c. 650 – c. 720), Samandar (720–750), Atil (750 – c. 965–969).
How large was Khazaria at its peak?
At its peak in 765 AD Khazaria covered about 802,987 km².
How did the map of Khazaria change over time?
Khazaria appears on 2 dated world maps in the atlas, from 750 CE to 900 CE. Each shows its borders in that year next to the other states of the time.
Other Sovereign Realms
Early Middle Ages • Capital: Constantinople
Classical Antiquity • Capital: Pataliputra, Ujjain
High & Late Middle Ages • Capital: Thanjavur, Gangaikonda Cholapuram
Early Middle Ages • Capital: Chang'an