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Revision as of 03:39, 17 July 2002 by Tool~enwiki (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)The Khazars were a semi-nomadic people from central Asia who adopted Judaism and are now spread over the world. They founded the independent Khazar kingdom in the 7th century C.E. in the southeastern part of today's Europe, near the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus. In addition to western Kazakhstan, the Khazar kingdom also included territory in what is now eastern Ukraine, southern Russia, and Crimea.
Their first significant appearance in history is their aid to the campaign of the Byzantine emperor Heraclius against the Persians. During the 7th and 8th centuries they fought a series of wars against the Islamic Arab Empire. Although they stopped the Arab expansion into Eastern Europe for some time after these wars, they were forced to withdraw behind the Caucasus, as well. Afterwards they extended their territories from the Caspian Sea in the east to the north of Black Sea in the west.
The Khazar royalty and nobility adopted Judaism, and later the majority of the population followed. In the 8th or 9th century, their king, Bulan, was converted to Judaism. A later king, Obadiah, strengthened Judaism, inviting rabbis into the kingdom and building synagogues. His supreme court consisted of two Jews, two Christians, two Muslims, and a heathen. Religious toleration was maintained for the kingdom's three hundred plus years. By the year 950 Judaism had become a widespread faith.
In the 10th century the empire began to decline due to the attacks of both the Rusins and other Turkic tribes, and their political significance greatly diminished toward the end of the 12th century.
Russian and East European Jewry traces parts of its ancestry back to the Khazars. To what extent Jews of today are descendants of the Khazars is the subject of debate.
See also: