History of the Khazars - Origins and the First Arab-Khazar War (Part I)

The first of many programs in a series, in this episode, we take a look at a fascinating but almost forgotten people known in history as the Khazars. Originally from the steppes of Central Asia but later on making their home in the northern Caucasus region, the Khazars would form an empire that at it's height challenged the empires of the Byzantines, Sasanians, the Arabs and later on, the Rus. Starting out practicing a form of Central Asian shamanism, the Khazars would later on be the only known state to have adopted Judaism as its official religion. In this particular episode of what will no doubt be a series, we learn who the Khazars were and get into their earliest armed conflicts, mostly notably the first Arab-Khazar war. There will be many more programs on Khazar history to follow so stay tuned! Sources and Suggested Reading ► The Jews of Khazaria by Kevin Alan Brook The Khazars: A Judeo-Turkish Empire on the Steppes, 7th–11th Centuries AD (Men-at-Arms Book 522) by Mikhail Zhirohov, David Nicolle and Crista Hook The History of Al-Tabari: The Sasanids, the Byzantines, the Lakmids, and Yemen The Turks in World History by Carter Vaughn Support History with Cy on Patreon: Follow History with Cy: Instagram ► Facebook ► Twitter ► Website ► Podcast ► #history #khazars #russianhistory