The Khazars

In The Khazars: Lords of the Caspian Steppe, Elliot Rowan uncovers the story of one of the medieval world's most powerful yet overlooked civilizations. Stretching from the lower Volga River to the northern Caucasus and the shores of the Black and Caspian Seas, the Khazar Khaganate stood at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, controlling vital trade routes, balancing the rival powers of Byzantium and the Islamic caliphates, and building a prosperous empire that endured for more than three centuries.

Drawing on Byzantine, Arabic, Persian, Armenian, Hebrew, and Rus' sources alongside archaeological discoveries, Rowan reconstructs a civilization that left few written records of its own but profoundly shaped the history of Eurasia. He explores the rise of the Khazar state, its unique system of dual kingship, its thriving cities and commercial networks, its diverse population, and the famous conversion of its ruling elite to Judaism, separating historical evidence from enduring legend.

More than the story of a forgotten steppe empire, this book reveals how the Khazars influenced the development of eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and the great trade routes linking Scandinavia, Byzantium, and the Islamic world. Their empire ultimately disappeared, but the connections they forged and the world they helped shape endured long after their cities had faded into history.