Atil , also Itil , was the capital of the Khazar Khaganate from the mid-8th century to the late 10th century. It is known historically to have been situated along the Silk Road , on the northern coast of the Caspian Sea , in the Volga Delta region of modern Southern Russia . Its precise location has long been unknown.
20-623: In 2008 a Russian archaeologist claimed to have discovered the remains of Atil in Samosdelka , a village in the Volga Delta approximately 30 km southwest of the city of Astrakhan . This claim has since been disproven. The historical Turkic peoples living on or near the Volga region called both the river and the Khazar capital city on the river Itil or Atil . Modern Turkic languages have retained
40-514: A pontoon bridge . According to Arab sources of the 10th century, one half of the city was referred to as Atil, while the other was named Khazaran . Atil was a multi-ethnic and religiously diverse city, inhabited by Jews , Christians , Muslims , Shamanists , and Pagans , many of them traders from foreign countries. All of the religious groups had their own places of worship in the city, and there were seven judges appointed to settle disputes (two Christian, two Jewish, and two Muslim judges, with
60-668: A single judge for all of the Shamanists and other Pagans). The numerous Christians of Atil were under the jurisdiction of their own bishop ; the minaret of the Friday mosque of the Muslims of Atil is said to have been higher than the castle. The city was a major trade center, and managed the Khazar slave trade , in which slaves bought for export were transported from the Khazar Khaganate to either
80-491: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Semibugry Semibugry ( Russian : Семибугры ) is a rural locality (a selo ) and the administrative center of Semibugrinsky Selsoviet, Kamyzyaksky District , Astrakhan Oblast , Russia. The population was 1,778 as of 2010. There are 12 streets. It is located on the Bolda River, 29 km northeast of Kamyzyak (the district's administrative centre) by road. Chilimny
100-617: The Black Sea slave trade in the West via the Black Sea port of Kerch , or East from the capital of Atil via the Caspian Sea to Central Asia and from there to slavery in the Abbasid Caliphate . Svyatoslav I of Kiev sacked Atil in 968 or 969 CE. Ibn Hawqal and al-Muqaddasi refer to Atil after 969, indicating that it may have been rebuilt. Al-Biruni (mid-11th century) reported that Atil
120-645: The Khazars in the Second Arab-Khazar War , Atil became the capital of Khazaria. Ibn Khordadbeh , writing in ca. 870, names Khamlij as the capital of the Khazars. This is presumably a rendition of Turkic khaganbaligh "city of the khan" and refers to the city later (in the 10th century) named as Atil in Arab historiography . At its height, the city was a major center of trade. It consisted of three parts separated by
140-670: The Russian Geographic Society concluded that Atil had not been found in Samosdelka, and announced that new excavations were underway at another site. Head archaeologist Dmitry Vasilyev of Astrakhan State University and his team began excavations at the site in 1999. The research was sponsored in part by the Simon Dubnow Higher Humanitarian School (called the "Jewish University in Moscow" until 2003) and by
160-516: The Russian Jewish Congress , a Russian nonprofit. In 2008 Vasilyev publicly announced that his team had unearthed the foundations of a triangular fortress of fired brick and had discovered the remains of yurt -like dwellings. Vasilyev claimed that the findings were the remains of Atil. A major indication that led him to his conclusion, Vasilyev said, was the presence of kiln -fired (as opposed to dried-mud ) bricks, as Khazar law restricted
180-400: The Khazars, "with their federated structure and peacefully coexisting religions," were to be understood as a "model for modern Russia." In a 2003 paper, Vasilyev remarked that the central portion of Samosdelka was situated on an island between dry riverbeds , and that historical documents locate Atil's castle on an island in the center of the city. He noted that the fortress at Samosdelka
200-418: The Volga Delta fishing village of Samosdelka announced their discovery of what they claimed were the remains of Atil. A 2020 assessment by the Russian Geographic Society concluded that Atil had not been found in Samosdelka, and announced that new excavations were underway at another site. The archaeological remains of a settlement from the Khazar period near the village of Semibugry (Russian: Семибугры) in
220-513: The Volga. The western part contained the administrative center of the city, with a court house and a large military garrison. The eastern part of the city was built later and acted as the commercial center of the Atil, and had many public baths and shops. Between them was an island on which stood the palaces of the Khazar Khagan and Bek . The island was connected to one of the other parts of the city by
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#1732848688058240-495: The central part of the Volga Delta were discovered after Samosdelka and as of 2020 were being excavated in the hopes that the settlement was Atil. According to historian Alex Feldman, "it remains impossible to archaeologically prove" the location of Atil. Samosdelka Samosdelka ( Russian : Самосделка ) is a fishing village in the Astrakhan Oblast of southern Russia , approximately 40 km south-southwest of
260-556: The city of Astrakhan , in the Volga River delta area of the Caspian Depression marshlands . In September 2008, Russian archaeologists excavating in Samosdelka announced their discovery of what they claimed were the remains of Atil , the capital of the medieval Khazar kingdom. The claim was considered sensational and, owing to the absence of archaeological evidence, did not meet with widespread acceptance. A 2020 assessment by
280-569: The findings "be very important." Vasilyev's claim was labelled "premature" in a 2018 publication by Georgetown University Professor of Anthropology Marjorie Mandelstam Balzer. On its website dated July 2020, the Russian Geographical Society stated that while "many scholars" identified Samosdelka with Atil, artifacts of the Saltovo-Mayaki culture inherent to the Khazar Khaganate "were not found". The Society announced that it
300-698: The historical name for the Volga. The Volga is known as İdel ( Идел) in Tatar , as Atăl (Атӑл) in Chuvash , as Iźelin in Bashkir , as Edıl in Kazakh , and as İdil in Turkish . The origin and meaning of the ancient Turkic form " Etil / Ertil " are uncertain. Atil was located along the Volga delta at the northwestern corner of the Caspian Sea . Following the defeat of
320-473: The medieval city of Saqsin , also in the Volga delta. Following Vasilyev's announcement, researcher Kevin Alan Brook wrote that he was "confident" that the team found Atil, even as he acknowledged that the site has yielded no Jewish artifacts. Dr. Simon Kraiz, an expert on Eastern European Jewry at Haifa University , was more cautious, remarking that only if the team has discovered Khazar writings would
340-743: The use of fired bricks to the capital. In his announcement to the Associated Press (AP), Vasilyev heralded the "great significance" of his team's "discovery of the capital" of Khazaria. Vasilyev told the AP that "we should view [the purported discovery] as part of Russian history ," and that "in many ways, Russia is a successor of the Khazar state". Vasilyev claimed that the excavations conformed to written sources. In an item on Vasilyev's announcement, Hadassah Magazine reported that in an interview with Russian news agency RIA Novosti , Russian Jewish Congress spokesperson Evgeniy Satanovsky professed his view that
360-421: Was again in ruins, and did not mention the later city of Saqsin which was built nearby, so it is possible that this new Atil was only destroyed in the middle of the 11th century. As of 2024, the archaeological remains of Atil have not been positively identified. An accepted hypothesis is that they were washed away by the rising level of the Caspian Sea . In September 2008, Russian archaeologists excavating in
380-610: Was on "the threshold of the great discovery" of Atil, this time in the nearby village of Semibugry . Professor Alex Feldman of the University of Birmingham wrote that "textual and archaeological evidence provides some support" for identifying the site with Atil but noted some objections to the idea, including that none of the coins uncovered there date back "as early as the tenth century". 46°01′26″N 47°50′23″E / 46.02400°N 47.83975°E / 46.02400; 47.83975 This European history –related article
400-478: Was said to have a triangular shape and was made from " limestone bricks", and that written sources say that the Khazar khagan had a monopoly on brick buildings. Vasilyev said that traces of a widespread fire were found at Samosdelka in an Atil layer , and that the fire was probably set during the conquest of Atil by Kievan Rus' prince Sviatoslav I in 968 or 969 CE. Layers dated to the 11th-12th centuries have Oghuz artifacts; these layers are associated with
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