Khazars

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

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Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/khazars

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the capital of Khazars?Atil, a major trade emporium at the mouth of the Volga River
2. What is the geographical core?Pontic-Caspian steppe, controlling the Volga and Don river systems
3. What is the period of prominence?Circa 650 CE to 969 CE
4. What was the Khazar Khaganate and where did it exist?The Khazar Khaganate was a powerful medieval empire that ruled a big kingdom in Eastern Europe, especially around the Pontic-Caspian steppe and the Volga River.
5. Why did the Khazar rulers choose Judaism?The Khazar elite became Jewish between the 8th and 9th centuries to stay independent from the Christian Byzantine Empire and the Muslim Caliphate, and to keep peace among many different peoples.

Khazar Khaganate: A powerful medieval state established by the Khazar people, dominating Eastern Europe and parts of Asia.
Volga Trade Route: A significant medieval trade network connecting Northern Europe with the Caspian Sea and the Middle East.
Byzantine Empire: The continuation of the Roman Empire in the East, centered in Constantinople (modern Istanbul).
Abbasid Caliphate: A major Islamic empire that stretched across the Middle East and North Africa during the medieval period.