Sunday, September 21, 2008

It's Reigning Khazars! Lost Capital Update

AP: Mansur Mirovalev, "Scholar claims to find medieval Jewish capital"

Details on the discovery of the long-lost Khazar capital are starting to come out in the popular news media, and this piece contains several color photos of the site and artefacts.

The article includes a statement from Khazar researcher Kevin Brook to the effect that he is convinced this is the correct site. Most of the discussion turns on the nature of what was found (architectural remains and material culture, rather than texts). Based on the statements cited here (though their representativeness remains to be determined) one could speculate as to which themes or debates will emerge: on the one hand, a long-overdue positive recognition of the Khazar role in Russian history; on the other, a potentially regressive questioning of the Jewish character of the Khazar empire.

As promised, a more extensive round-up of coverage will follow in the near future.

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