Concept in Definition ABC

The stans of Central Asia, mainly the former Soviet republics, hide a fascinating history that is often unknown or ignored by Westerners. This is the case of the Khazar people, the only state in the world whose official religion has been Judaism between the destruction of the Jewish states of Palestine by the Romans, and the declaration of independence of the state of Israel in 1948.

The Khazars were a nomadic tribe from the steppes of central Asia, related to the Bulgarians, who in the 7th century founded an independent Kaganate.

This kaganato occupied the northern and eastern shores of the Black Sea (including the Crimean peninsula), almost all the west bank and all the north of the Caspian, and much of the lands to the north delimited by this area.

Its origin is mysterious, like that of so many other steppe peoples, and several hypothesis, relating them with Huns, Chinese, or Turks, without these hypotheses being mutually exclusive and that the Khazar people have been the result of a mixture of several peoples.

Just as mysterious as its origin, the reason why Judaism ended up becoming the official state religion in the country is unknown.

Some point to a desire to differentiate themselves from their neighbors; surrounded to the south by the Abbasid Caliphate (Muslims), to the west by the Byzantine Empire (Christians), and to the north and east by animist peoples.

Had they adopted the same religion as one of their neighbors, the Khazars could have seen culturally dragged into the orbit of these neighbors, which did not interest the rulers of the kaganato.

The first contact of the Khazars with Judaism occurred around the 8th century, when they opened the doors to the Jewish refugees fleeing persecution in various parts of the world, such as the Byzantine Empire or Persia.

Is migration it continued, at least, until the s. X, and the contributions of the refugees were diverse, such as the introduction of the writing Hebrew, in addition to their religion.

The conversion began, as in so many other cases, with the Khazarian royal house, and continued with the common people. This, which may seem artificial and interested to many, has many precedents with other religions in other religions. parts of the world, such as Christianity in northern Europe and the Scandinavian peninsula, or Islam in the peninsula Arabic.

According to historians, the Khazar kingdom was very tolerant in religious matters and, unlike its neighbors in which those who did not profess the official religion were persecuted, in Jazaria this did not happen.

Although today it may surprise us, Jazaria was one of the most important states of the time medieval, helping to stop the Muslim expansion through the Balkans, while also stopping the expansion of the Byzantine Empire.

However, despite the splendor shown in the past, at the turn of the millennium, the Khazarian kingdom cannot avoid its destruction at the hands of of the Russians, Byzantines and other tribes who attacked them relentlessly from the north and east, in a phenomenon similar to that suffered the Roman empire.

From s. XI, the Khazar kingdom dissipates in the fog of history and, of it, little else is said.

However, there are testimonials from visitors to the territory who occupied, after the collapse of the kingdom, and still found practitioners of Judaism.

In fact, it is speculated that the legendary "mountain Jews" (Jewish community of the Caucasus) are descendants of the Khazars who took refuge in the mountains to flee from the chases.

Photo: Fotolia - Victor Moussa

Themes in Khazars