The Khazar Empire extended across regions in Asia between the Crimean Peninsula, the Caucasus, and the Caspian Sea. Nomadic tribes from Central Asia, united as a military power, hindered the spread of Islam. Between the 8th and 11th centuries, the Khazar Empire ruled over Bulgarians, Magyars, and Slavs, who paid tribute and fought alongside them in wars. Its geographical position between the Arab-Muslim Empire and the Christian Byzantine Empire was strategically advantageous. The state’s economy was primarily based on trade along the Silk Road, connecting the East (China, India, Persia) with the West (Europe). Control over the Volga and Don rivers, through which most goods were transported, was crucial. The empire’s capital, Atil, was located at the mouth of the Volga and was divided into two areas: an economic area where citizens lived and a separate area where the elite and the king (known as the Khagan) resided.

Religion

Most historical information about the Khazar Empire is preserved in Muslim and Jewish sources. Uniquely, it was a Jewish empire during the Middle Ages....

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