The Thirteenth Tribe: The Khazar Empire and its Heritage
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- Create Date：2021-04-06 13:55:25
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Arthur Koestler
- ISBN：1939438993
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Summary
This book traces the history of the ancient Khazar Empire， a major but almost forgotten power in Eastern Europe， which in the Dark Ages became converted to Judaism。 Khazaria was finally wiped out by the forces of Genghis Khan， but evidence indicates that the Khazars themselves migrated to Poland and formed the cradle of Western Jewry。 To the general reader the Khazars， who flourished from the 7th to 11th century， may seem infinitely remote today。 Yet they have a close and unexpected bearing on our world， which emerges as Koestler recounts the fascinating history of the ancient Khazar Empire。 At about the time that Charlemagne was Emperor in the West。 The Khazars' sway extended from the Black Sea to the Caspian， from the Caucasus to the Volga， and they were instrumental in stopping the Muslim onslaught against Byzantium， the eastern jaw of the gigantic pincer movement that in the West swept across northern Africa and into Spain。 Thereafter the Khazars found themselves in a precarious position between the two major world powers: the Eastern Roman Empire in Byzantium and the triumphant followers of Mohammed。 As Koestler points out， the Khazars were the Third World of their day。 They chose a surprising method of resisting both the Western pressure to become Christian and the Eastern to adopt Islam。 Rejecting both， they converted to Judaism。 Mr。 Koestler speculates about the ultimate faith of the Khazars and their impact on the racial composition and social heritage of modern Jewry。 He produces detailed research to support a theory which could make the term 'anti-Semitism' become void of meaning。
Reviews
A。J。 Fotheringham
，
A review of a part of European history I did not know much about。 Well written and documented。
جليس الكتاب
，
To the learner， Dunlop’s book is detailed version on origins; historical background。 Here it is somewhat a summary of the history， then， attempting to answer the question of the book。 Very interesting read。
Farhad E
，
Another good work from Arthur K。
فؤاد
，
خزرها یکی از مجموعه طوایف ترک بودن که قرن شش میلادی شمال دریای خزر و دریای سیاه ساکن شدن و دریای خزر اسمش رو از این قوم گرفته。 دلیل این که سراغ این قوم اومدم، یه خصوصیت نادر و غیرمعمول این قوم ترک زبانه: این که در سال ۷۴۰ میلادی تصمیم گرفتن مذهبشون رو تغییر بدن و یهودی شدن。یهودیت یه دین جهانی مثل مسیحیت و اسلام نیست، یه دین قومیتیه。 یعنی فقط کسانی که از بدو تولد نژاد یهودی داشته باشن می تونن به این دین دربیان。 به خاطر همین هم خیلی عجیبه که یک قوم غیراسرائیلی یهودی بشه، و در طول تاریخ فقط دو بار خزرها یکی از مجموعه طوایف ترک بودن که قرن شش میلادی شمال دریای خزر و دریای سیاه ساکن شدن و دریای خزر اسمش رو از این قوم گرفته。 دلیل این که سراغ این قوم اومدم، یه خصوصیت نادر و غیرمعمول این قوم ترک زبانه: این که در سال ۷۴۰ میلادی تصمیم گرفتن مذهبشون رو تغییر بدن و یهودی شدن。یهودیت یه دین جهانی مثل مسیحیت و اسلام نیست، یه دین قومیتیه。 یعنی فقط کسانی که از بدو تولد نژاد یهودی داشته باشن می تونن به این دین دربیان。 به خاطر همین هم خیلی عجیبه که یک قوم غیراسرائیلی یهودی بشه، و در طول تاریخ فقط دو بار این اتفاق افتاده: یک بار در قرن چهارم که حمیری های یمن یهودی شدن، و یک بار در قرن هشتم که خزرها یهودی شدن。 هر دوی این اقوام مقارن اسلام بودن، به خاطر همین تصمیم گرفتم یه کم راجع بهشون بخونم。اولین بار که خزرها اهمیت پیدا می کنن جایی نیست جز جنگ تاریخی خسرو پرویز - هراکلیوس。 ضمن این جنگ تاریخ ساز، هراکلیوس با قبایل خزر ساکن قفقاز پیمان می بنده که بهش کمک نظامی کنن و در عوض خواهر هراکلیوس به ازدواج پادشاه خزرها در بیاد。 این زمان هنوز خزرها یهودی نیستن。دفعۀ بعد که خزرها نقش اساسی پیدا می کنن، چند دهه بعده که سپاه اسلام از هر طرف پیشروی می کنه، اما وقتی به قفقاز می رسه، توسط خزرها متوقف می شه، و سرزمین های شمال قفقاز برای همیشه از نفوذ سپاه اسلام برکنار می مونن。 این زمان هم هنوز خزرها یهودی نیستن。سپاهیان مسلمان و خزرها در طول صد سال بعد متناوباً با هم برخوردهایی دارن و گاهی پیروزی با مسلمان هاست و گاهی با خزرها، اما در نهایت پیروزی قاطع نصیب مسلمان ها می شه: مروان حمار، آخرین خلیفۀ اموی، در فتحی بزرگ پادشاه خزرها رو مقهور می کنه، و مجبورش می کنه مسلمان بشه، و پادشاه خزرها می پذیره。 خزرها مسلمان می شدن، اگه خیلی زود فروپاشی خلافت اموی توجه مروان حمار رو از خزر به سمت جنگ داخلی منصرف نمی کرد。 خیلی زود، با فروپاشی خلافت اموی، پادشاه خزرها تغییر مذهب می ده و یهودیت رو به عنوان دین رسمی خزر انتخاب می کنه。این که چرا بولخان، پادشاه خزر، یهودی شد، چندان روشن نیست。 نامحتمل نیست که این انتخاب سیاسی بوده باشه。 چون در اون روزگار مذهب و سیاست در هم گره خورده بودن。 در جهان دو قطبی اون دوران، مسلمان شدن خزرها یعنی قرار گرفتن در زمرۀ دشمنان روم。 و مسیحی شدنشون، یعنی قرار گرفتن در زمرۀ دشمنان مسلمان ها。 شاید بولخان با انتخاب یه دین سوم که مورد قبول مسیحی ها و مسلمان ها بود، خواسته به نوعی بی طرفی خودش رو حفظ کنه تا بتونه با هر دو طرف ارتباط تجاری داشته باشه。 چیزی که روشن نیست اینه که چرا یهودی ها تن به این امر بی سابقه دادن که یه قوم غیراسرائیلی یهودی بشه。 بنا به گزارش ها، روحانی های یهودی بودن که یهودیت رو بر بولخان عرضه کردن。 بولخان روحانی های مسلمان و مسیحی رو دعوت کرد تا با روحانی یهودی مناظره کنن، و وقتی مناظرات به نتیجه نرسید، روحانی مسیحی رو به تنهایی دعوت کرد و پرسید: بین یهودیت و اسلام کدوم به حقیقت نزدیک ترن؟ و روحانی مسیحی یهودیت رو ترجیح داد。 بعد روحانی مسلمان رو تنها دعوت کرد و همین سؤال رو پرسید و اون هم یهودیت رو بر مسیحیت سه خدایی ترجیح داد。 و بولخان این مذهب رو که مورد قبول هر دو دین دیگه بود به عنوان دین قلمروی خودش انتخاب کرد。 بعد خیمه ای مثل خیمۀ عبادت موسی ساخت، با شمعدان هفت شاخه و صندوق عهد و قربانگاه。 یهودیتی که در قلمروی خزرها برقرار بود، یهودیت قرائی بود، فرقه ای از یهودیت که فقط به تورات اعتقاد داره و تعالیم تلمود رو قبول نداره。 اما چند نسل بعد، در دورۀ شاه عوبدیا طی اصلاحاتی مذهبی یهودیت تلمودی در قلمروی خزر برقرار شد。دولت خزرها بیشتر از دویست سال دوام نیاورد。 روس های وایکینگ از اسکاندیناوی به سمت جنوب هجوم آوردن و با قسطنطنیه هم پیمان شدن و خزرها رو برای همیشه نابود کردن。 هر چند یهودی های خزر این جا و اون جا باقی موندن و حتی یه قیام منجیانه برای بازگشت به اورشلیم صورت دادن که شکست خورد。 آرتور کوستلر در بخش دوم کتاب این نظریه رو مطرح می کنه که یهودی های اشکنازی （یهودی های شرق اروپا） که هشتاد درصد جمعیت امروزی یهودی ها رو تشکیل می دن، در حقیقت بازمانده از خزرهای یهودی هستن، و به عبارت دیگه، اصلاً یهودی نیستن。 این نظریه هرچند خیلی جالبه، اما برای من که می خوام تاریخ اسلام بخونم، اهمیت ثانوی داشت، از طرف دیگه در سال های اخیر با آزمایش های ژنتیکی به طور قاطع رد شده و دیگه ارزش علمی نداره。 به خاطر همین هم بخش دوم کتاب رو نخوندم。 。。。more
R。K。 Byers
，
for logic’s sake， I think it safe to assume that nearly everyone living has at least one Jewish ancestor。 & some folks have more than one。
Şahika
，
Avrupa Yahudilerinin İbrahim'in değil 740 yılında siyasi sebeplerle （Müslüman ya da Hristiyan devletlerin nüfuzuna girmemek için） Yahudilik dinini seçen Türk Hazar Devleti'nin soyundan geldiğine dair bir iddia var。 Koestler bu iddiayı inandırıcı sayılabilecek kaynaklara ve kişilere dayandırarak savunmuş。 Avrupa Yahudilerinin İbrahim'in değil 740 yılında siyasi sebeplerle （Müslüman ya da Hristiyan devletlerin nüfuzuna girmemek için） Yahudilik dinini seçen Türk Hazar Devleti'nin soyundan geldiğine dair bir iddia var。 Koestler bu iddiayı inandırıcı sayılabilecek kaynaklara ve kişilere dayandırarak savunmuş。 。。。more
Mark Baker
，
Great history lessonVery informative。 Finally someone not afraid to tell the truth of the Jewish origins， no matter how popular or unpleasant that info may be。
Apostolos
，
Καλό βιβλίο από πλευράς παράθεσης πληροφοριών， αλλά κουραστικό στην ανάγνωση λόγω της πυκνότητας αυτών。 Σίγουρα όμως， δύσκολα θα βρεθούν αλλού τέτοιες πληροφορίες， οπότε και καθίσταται ένα καλό εφόδιο για οποιαδήποτε ενδιαφερόμενο
عبدالرزاق جانم
，
I'm gonna run a quick overview based on my personal observation and what I grasped from this book influenced by my Muslim background and it's not specifically what the book is all about: throughout the life span of the Khazar Empire， Muslims were the dominant source of historical references even with the presence of the Byzantium， they took no interest in expanding their awareness to their surroundings which led to some sort of bais recording of the era The author went through the history of Jew I'm gonna run a quick overview based on my personal observation and what I grasped from this book influenced by my Muslim background and it's not specifically what the book is all about: throughout the life span of the Khazar Empire， Muslims were the dominant source of historical references even with the presence of the Byzantium， they took no interest in expanding their awareness to their surroundings which led to some sort of bais recording of the era The author went through the history of Jews in western Europe and where they came from and migrated to and the austerities and prosecution they faced that was fueled by the anti-semitic mentality in Europe at that time， a cruel history， to say the least， but a point captured my attention on how he took the time to explain how the black plague came to Europe and how Jews were to blame for it， yet he didn't have the time for a one-liner to describe how Jews had their golden age in Spain under the Muslim ruling saying that is off the subject which is clearly not since later on jews from Spain had a significant role in shaping the modern history of the Jews， it felt in a way a biased opinion against Muslims and clear pattern to avoid mentioning their good deeds and focus on their bad ones the book shed a light on the immense role of Khazars in shaping Jews' modern history and enforcing their existence， yet they don't receive the historical notice they deserve， maybe due to the weak historical resource or recognizing their dominant existence refutes the Zionist claim in Palestine。 even among the common Jews， they don't know about this era and its influence。 。。。more
tiwana rivers
，
This book is very thorough and often times reads like a history book。 I found it very informative。
Ahmed Eltaher
，
الكتاب سهل وبسيط وسلسو بيتحدث عن موضوع مهم و هو أصل اليهود المعاصرين الكتاب بينقسسم لثلاثة أقسام :1。 تاريخ امبراطورية الخزر2。 ما هو أصل يهود العصر الحالي3。 هل حقا هناك جنس يهودي
Rüçhan
，
Yahudi kavminin İsrail'den sürüldükten sonra Roma İmparatorluğu'nun topraklarına yayıldığı， yoğun olarak İberya'ya yerleştiği zaten bilinen bir gerçek。 İspanyolcayı benimseyen bu Yahudi topluluğuna Sefarad （İspanya） Yahudileri deniyor。 Buraya kadar tamam。 Peki Hitler'in gazabına uğramadan önce Kuzeydoğu Avrupa'da yaşayan Aşkenaz Yahudilerinin kökeni neydi？ Onlar oraya nereden gelmişti？Kitabın tarihsel belgelere dayanarak önerdiği senaryoya göre Karadeniz'in kuzeybatısında yaşayan Türkçe konuşan Yahudi kavminin İsrail'den sürüldükten sonra Roma İmparatorluğu'nun topraklarına yayıldığı， yoğun olarak İberya'ya yerleştiği zaten bilinen bir gerçek。 İspanyolcayı benimseyen bu Yahudi topluluğuna Sefarad （İspanya） Yahudileri deniyor。 Buraya kadar tamam。 Peki Hitler'in gazabına uğramadan önce Kuzeydoğu Avrupa'da yaşayan Aşkenaz Yahudilerinin kökeni neydi？ Onlar oraya nereden gelmişti？Kitabın tarihsel belgelere dayanarak önerdiği senaryoya göre Karadeniz'in kuzeybatısında yaşayan Türkçe konuşan Hazarlar， İslam ve Hıristiyan yayılmacılığılı arasında sıkışıp kalan pagan inançlı bir topluluktur。 Bu iki güçlü grubun birinin dinini benimsemek onları diğerinin hedefi haline getirecektir。 Bu yüzden Hazarların kağanı， son derece politik bir karar alır， "ne Arabın yüzü， ne Şam'ın şekeri" der ve Musevilerin dinini benimseyerek her iki tarafı da şoka sokar。 Gel gelelim zaman içinde işler tersine döner ve devletleri yıkılır。 Musevi Hazar halkı birden bire tarih sahnesinden siliniverir。 İşte bu noktada， nüfus olarak hiç de azımsanamayacak bir sayıya sahip olan bir halkın böyle birden bire yok olamayacağını düşünen tarihçiler çeşitli görüşler ortaya koyar。 Koestler de bu görüşlerin bir sentezini bize sunuyor。 Buna göre， Karadeniz'in kuzeybatısında bir bölgeyi yurt edinen Hazarlar， batıya doğru göç ederler kitleler halinde。 Ve Polonya-Belarus dolaylarına yerleşerek yerli Hristiyan halkın arasına karışırlar。 Ticaretle uğraştıklarından ve bölgenin/dönemin itibarlı dili Almanca olduğundan asimile olurlar ve dinlerini korumayı başarsalar da， dillerini kuşaktan kuşağa unuturlar。 Bugün Almanca konuşan Aşkenaz Yahudilerinin kökeni Koestler'e göre işte bu Hazarlar'dır。 Böyle kısaca özetlendiğinde kulağa inanılmaz gelse de， Koestler'in sunduğu bilgi ve belgeler son derece ikna edici。 Kesin doğru olarak elbette kabul edilemez fakat tarihe bir başka gözle bakabilmek için kesinlikle okumaya değer。 。。。more
Makye
，
Very good book indeed， a great book to read along with the bible。 This explains the long period of time that makes up for the Japheth， if you don't know Japheth he is the son of Noah from the ark。 If you look into his blood line you can see that Japheth had seven sons， the one that is important to know is Gomer because that is where the Khazzars come from， Gomer than had a son named Ashkenaz， if you think about it？ Ashkenazi Jews。。。。？ coincidence I think not。 As well as disapproval to calling th Very good book indeed， a great book to read along with the bible。 This explains the long period of time that makes up for the Japheth， if you don't know Japheth he is the son of Noah from the ark。 If you look into his blood line you can see that Japheth had seven sons， the one that is important to know is Gomer because that is where the Khazzars come from， Gomer than had a son named Ashkenaz， if you think about it？ Ashkenazi Jews。。。。？ coincidence I think not。 As well as disapproval to calling the jews today the biblical people who were known as Hebrews。 If you also know Noah's sons they are Shem， Japheth， and Ham。 The biblical people known as Hebrews come from the line of Shem。 If you connect the dots to today's jews， they come from Japheth。 Not only is this proof， but if you read the bible and believe in it， it also says that Jerusalem will be trotting down with gentiles（non-Hebrews） until the real Hebrews come back and peace will be through out the earth， if you look around peace isn't around the earth。 That can mean two things， the bible is fake， or they aren't the biblical people。 THINK ABOUT IT ！ 。。。more
Philip Tha- B。 Toole
，
Amazingly interesting poke at history， cultural anthropology， religion， migrations and the shifting of empires。 In the midst of fierce competition between Christian and Muslim， the Khazars chose Judaism as their state religion。 Then disappeared。 What became of them？ The author offers some very interesting and controversial theories on the matter。
Bob Newman
，
Hold the Strudel and Pass the BaklavaBack in the 1970s， Arthur Koestler， author of "Darkness at Noon"， wrote this amazing innovative book。 I read it in Rarotonga in 1980---a suitably exotic place to read a serious book on a rather exotic topic。 I returned to it 24 years later， though I long ago disagreed with the author's main conclusions。 In the first 121 pages， Koestler describes the history of a long-vanished， Turkic people called the Khazars， whose ruler， faced with pressure from both Muslim Hold the Strudel and Pass the BaklavaBack in the 1970s， Arthur Koestler， author of "Darkness at Noon"， wrote this amazing innovative book。 I read it in Rarotonga in 1980---a suitably exotic place to read a serious book on a rather exotic topic。 I returned to it 24 years later， though I long ago disagreed with the author's main conclusions。 In the first 121 pages， Koestler describes the history of a long-vanished， Turkic people called the Khazars， whose ruler， faced with pressure from both Muslim and Christian nations around them， took the radical step of converting to Judaism。 As this is one of the very few instances （if not the single one） in history of such a royal move， the Khazars have attracted scholarly attention ever since， particularly， but not only， from Jews。 Indeed， you can log on to a Khazar Studies website today。 For another， less factual view of this interesting tribe， you can read Milorad Pavic's poetic， absurdist novel "Dictionary of the Khazars"。 In any case， Koestler's history makes fascinating reading， containing accounts by ancient Arab travelers， stories of Jewish crusaders in northern Iraq and descriptions of Khazar links to Vikings， Byzantium， Islam， and the Magyars。 I have no professional historical knowledge of how accurate it all is， but if I were awarding stars for good writing in the field of history， I'd give five here。HOWEVER， "The Thirteenth Tribe" is not just a history。 In the remainder of the book， Koestler constructs an argument for the Eastern European Jews being the descendants of those Khazars。 He asks where the Khazars all disappeared to。 He says population statistics from the period 1300-1500 bear evidence that there could not have been so many Jews to be killed by the brutal Bogdan Khmielnitsky in the great massacres of 1648-49 in Ukraine unless the Khazars had become the Polish-Ukrainian Jews by then。 He deals in some dubious racial theorizing， throws in a few arguments based on place names， and concludes that the "original stock" of the Jews was predominately Turkish。 This theorizing turned me off back in 1980 and it still does。 As an anthropologist， I have to ask: in all cases known to history， when a people converts en masse to another religion， particularly if the conversion is not by force， a large body of pre-existing language and culture always remains。 Why not with the supposed Khazar-Jews？ Is there an element of Turkish in Yiddish？ No。 Are there any kinds of nomadic or Turkish cultural behavior patterns among the Eastern European Jews？ The answer is no。 This would be just about impossible if Koestler's theory were correct。 Secondly， to rely on statistics gleaned from medieval records is extremely dubious especially when Jews were hardly deemed members of European society and may never have been counted。 Numbers of people killed or born were routinely exaggerated or ignored all over Europe。 I rejected Koestler's theory 24 years ago。 Since then， DNA research， unknown at the time， has shown that most Eastern European Jews have a mixed Semitic and European heritage。 Despite the passage of many centuries， genetically the closest people to them remain the Palestinians， Lebanese， and Syrians。 Koestler's theory remains only an interesting thought。 It is worth reading for the historical part and to see how convincing incorrect theories can still be 。。。more
Jason
，
This is hands down one of the most fascinating books I’ve ever read。 Many years ago I had merely heard of the Khazar origins hypothesis in passing， but had not given it a second thought。 The only other time until recently， that it had been brought to mind was about 12 years ago when a coworker—a down to earth， thoughtful， and somewhat religious African-American man—remarked during a conversation on Israel， “You know， modern Jews aren’t from Israel。 They’re from the Khazars。 Look it up sometime。” This is hands down one of the most fascinating books I’ve ever read。 Many years ago I had merely heard of the Khazar origins hypothesis in passing， but had not given it a second thought。 The only other time until recently， that it had been brought to mind was about 12 years ago when a coworker—a down to earth， thoughtful， and somewhat religious African-American man—remarked during a conversation on Israel， “You know， modern Jews aren’t from Israel。 They’re from the Khazars。 Look it up sometime。” I didn’t though。 Not then anyway。 But upon recently discovering I had some Ashkenazi genetic heritage （a small amount， but nonetheless present）， I regained an interest in Jewish origins。 As such， the further back I went in history， I started to find my own troublesome issues with the dominant Rhineland hypothesis。 It’s then that my vague memory of the Khazar origin hypothesis stepped back into the light。 After a little reading online， and finding an eclectic mix of not always great sources， I decided to grab a copy of Arthur Koestler’s book， “The Thirteenth Tribe。” I was not disappointed。As I mentioned， this book is one of the most fascinating I’ve ever read。 Koestler presents a wonderful tapestry of history of the steppe region and the Khazars – which is no easy task given how little preserved tangible history we have of these people。 But Koestler did an amazing detective-like undertaking with the information and expertise we have available， meticulously putting the pieces of evidence together in a coherent and cogent presentation， and is surprisingly thorough for a smaller book。 He used plenty of primary sources and relied on the insight of numerous experts in the field， from historians and archaeologists， to linguists and anthropologists。 Any assertions that Koestler made he solidly supported with unambiguous evidence。 One of my favorite things about his writing on this topic， is that where an assumption may have been needed， or where an historical story or source may be questionable in reliability， he did not hesitate to say so and qualify any such claims， cautioning the reader。 This is what helps create a trust in his presentation of the facts， the probables， the possibles， and the outright questionables。 As such， most of what is presented in this book is supported by very sound evidence， and backed by the likes of historical， linguistic， and archaeological/geographical data that has been， and still can be， verified。 Ultimately， I find that Koestler made an incredibly solid case for the Khazar origin hypothesis， while also poking serious—and as to date， unresolved—holes in the Rhineland hypothesis。 What I also find especially exciting and quite remarkable， is that more recent linguistic， and especially genetic data that has all but vindicated Koestler’s entire work， notably the 2013 study， “The Missing Link of Jewish European Ancestry: Contrasting the Rhineland and the Khazarian Hypotheses，” published in the prestigious journal， Genome Biology and Evolution 5（1）:61–74， and the 2017 study， “The Origins of Ashkenaz， Ashkenazic Jews， and Yiddish，” published in the journal Frontiers in Genetics 2017， 8:87 （worth a mention also， is the 2010 study， “Signatures of founder effects， admixture， and selection in the Ashkenazi Jewish population。" PNAS 107:37）。 Both of these studies combined with the historical， archaeological， and linguistic data—much of which is presented by Koestler here—creates such a solid case for the Khazar hypothesis， that critics often simply resort to acrimony and vitriol rather than successfully refuting the data and/or hypothesis。 And yes， make no mistake， there are critics a-plenty。 This hypothesis is not without controversy， although all paradigm shifting hypotheses go through a sometimes long period of scorn before the consensus finally bends to the data。 However， one cannot help but notice that most of the critics use flawed arguments， battle strawmen， or otherwise flippantly dismiss the data。 And on top of that， those who strongly disagree and say their results refute the Khazar hypothesis， refuse to make their data public， and in the odd case of Harry Ostrer—a primary critic—his team listed as a criteria for other scientists to merely review their data; “Criteria for reviewing include novelty and strength of the proposal， non-overlap with current or planned activities， and non-defamatory nature toward the Jewish people。” That last criteria is a huge red flag—a giant flaming ball of evidence of bias in his team’s research。 Can such biased， secretive research really be trusted？ Does science thrive on hiding data behind agenda-biased criteria， or sharing it openly with colleagues to see if it can be challenged or replicated？ Be wary of such critics of the Khazar hypothesis and their arguments。 And while I don’t want to get into association fallacy territory， I do find it rather odd and interesting that the other primary critics of the Khazar origins hypothesis—who liberally quote and share works like Ostrer’s—are white supremacist and white nationalist groups。 They love and defend the Rhineland hypothesis with fervor， and despise the Khazar hypothesis and its stronger， more recent supporting data。 Makes you go “hmmm” if nothing else。 It also makes me appreciate all the more， the time Koestler took in this book to address some of the racist myths about Jews and their heritage。Anyway， this book has been an absolute delight， and quite the springboard for more study into the Jewish Khazars—and incidentally， my own Ashkenazim—origins and history， as sparse and scattered as it is。 I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the Khazars and a brief history of the Eastern European steppes as they were a millennia ago。 Next on my reading list， a couple of books by Dr。 Schlomo Sand that sound as promising， if not more so， than this excellent work by Arthur Koestler。 。。。more
Garry Hoffmann
，
Never heard of the Khazars before reading this。 Life was perilous north of the Caucasus。 Still is。
Khaled
，
قراءة مهمة وممتعة في آن في تاريخ مملكة الخزر من منظور يهودي معاد للصهيونية。
Mats Matsael
，
If this book is anything to go by， it would seem that the whole world has been duped， into the real history of the Jews and who they really are。
حمزة البحيصي
，
كتاب جيد وجدير بالإطلاع عن يهود الخزر
Obiora Embry
，
it was a really good book that let me know that the history that I was taught in school about Europe is incomplete at best。 It is a very detailed book that includes historical references and even though this is the case the subject matter is not dry but rather informative and interesting。
علي الطراونة
，
الكتاب إضافة رائعةلما يقدمه من دلائل تاريخية وو انثربولوجية في دحض أسطورة نقاء العرق اليهودي
Sincerae
，
This is obscure history and very much a must read in these times and in the upcoming time period。 So much is kept hidden from the public on purpose。
Huseyin
，
Muthis bir caba ve acayip kafa acici bir arastirma， derleme。 Avrupanin bugune nasil itildigi， dinlerin temeli degil ama ne icin kullanildigi gibi onemli tespitlerini satir arasinda paylasiyor。 Oyle goze sokarak degil ama buyuk resimde cok basarili
A。 Sacit
，
For the past 2000 years， steppes of Central Asia have been a tremendous factory of nomadic Turkic tribes which periodically migrated westward， and along the way they established states and empires which lasted from less than a century to more than six centuries （Huns， Avars， Bulgars， Pechenegs， Kipchaks， Kumans， Khazars， Ghuzz （or Oguz = Seljuks， Ottomans），。。 etc）。 They also attempted to foray East and Southward into China and India together with the Mongols， with some success （e。g。 Empire of th For the past 2000 years， steppes of Central Asia have been a tremendous factory of nomadic Turkic tribes which periodically migrated westward， and along the way they established states and empires which lasted from less than a century to more than six centuries （Huns， Avars， Bulgars， Pechenegs， Kipchaks， Kumans， Khazars， Ghuzz （or Oguz = Seljuks， Ottomans），。。 etc）。 They also attempted to foray East and Southward into China and India together with the Mongols， with some success （e。g。 Empire of the Kublai Khan in China， and Mughals in India）; as a result of which the Chinese built the Chinese Wall to stem those incursions。 These nomadic tribes had Shamanistic-Pagan traditions at their origin， but they gradually assumed （albeit loosely） mostly the beliefs of Christian and Islamic populations as they encountered them during their migrations。 The Khazar Turks， the subject of Koestler’s book “The Thirteenth Tribe”， established their empire in the 6th century in an area encompassing the North Caspian， Crimea， Ukraine， and Southern Russia; and collected tribute from more than 30 nations。 From the onset of the Empire， there were great deal of efforts by the two dominant powers of the time， Eastern Roman Empire （Byzantium） and the Abbasid Khalifate in Baghdad， to convert the Khazars to Christianity or Islam by sending them frequent envoys。 Instead， Khazars， in a unique and curious way， accepted Judaism as the religion of the nobility and the Empire in the 8th century。 Nevertheless， they tolerated Christians and Moslems to build their churches and mosques in their Empire and allowed their respective Judges to rule in religious matters。Koestler surmises that the reason why Khazars accepted Judaism， but not Islam of Abbasid’s or Christianity of Byzantium， was because they did not want to play second fiddle to the other two major powers。 Quoted from Koestler:“The country of the Khazars， a people of Turkish stock， occupied a strategic key position at the vital gateway between the Black Sea and the Caspian， where the great eastern powers of the period confronted each other。 It acted as a buffer protecting Byzantium against invasions by the lusty barbarian tribesman of the northern steppes – Bulgars， Magyars， Pechenegs， etc。 – and later， the Vikings and the Russians。 But equally， or more important both from the point of view of Byzantine diplomacy and of European history， is the fact that the Khazar armies effectively blocked the Arab avalanche in its most devastating early stages， and thus prevented the Muslim conquest of Eastern Europe。”“…The victorious Muslims were met and held by the forces of the Khazar kingdom…。 It can… scarcely be doubted that but for the existence of the Khazars in the region north of the Caucasus， Byzantium， the bulwark of European civilization in the east， would have found itself outflanked by the Arabs， and the history of Christendom and Islam might well have been very different from what we know。”By the middle of the 10th century， the Khazar empire was gradually reduced to a smaller state by the Rus attacks from the north， and they lingered on till the mid-13th century when the Mongol invasion destroyed their state and drove them further west towards Europe。 So， what happened to the Khazar Jews after they moved to Eastern Europe？ Quoted from Koestler:“What is in dispute is the fate of the Jewish Khazars after the destruction of their empire， in the 12th or the 13th century。 On this problem the sources are scant， but various late medieval Khazar settlements are mentioned in the Crimea， in the Ukraine， in Hungary， Poland and Lithuania。 The general picture that emerges from these fragmentary pieces of information is that of a migration of Khazar tribes and communities into those regions of Eastern Europe – mainly Russia and Poland – where， at the down of Modern Age， the greatest concentrations of Jews were found。 This has led several historians to conjecture that a substantial part， and perhaps the majority of eastern Jews - and hence of world Jewry – might be of Khazar， and not of Semitic origin。”Arthur Koestler is a great researcher as well as a great writer。 He presented a water tight case to the effect that Ashkenazi Jews of the East European origin， mainly from Hungary， Poland and Lithuania， have Khazar ancestry。 This book is a treasure trove of knowledge with some astonishing revelations， for a little-known period in history。 。。。more
علاء ابوغليون
，
إمبراطورية الخزراعتقد ان الكتاب وثيقة مهمه جدا في توضيح تلك الفترة الزمنية الغير واضحه في تاريخ ما يسمون انفسهم باليهود يجب ان يتم تدريس مثل هكذا كتب ليوضح لناس ما يجري الكتاب يتحدث عن دولة الخزر وهي دولة حول دولة جورجيا الان ويوضح تحول شعب تلك الدولة من الوثنية الى اليهودية لاسباب سياسية بحته
آنسة تقرأ
，
يعيبه فقط الإسهاب حول المعارك لكن كتاب ممتاز وقصمة ظهر لكذبة الإسرائيليين
Uyar
，
Muhtesem tek kelimeyle muhteşem。。。。 Bir roman gibi sonu ne olacak diye merak ederek son sürat okuduğum muhteşem bir tarih kitabı。。 hazarların saklı tarihi dizi filmlere taş Çatlatan bir macera zihniyetiyle anlatılmış。。。 Arapların Bizanslıların Ve çevredeki tüm halkların yazdıkları İle son dönem tarihçilerin yorumları birleştirerek bu kadar mı güzel ifade edilip toparlanabilir。。Son bölüm ise muhtemelen en çok tartışılan doğu Avrupa Yahudiliğinin kökeni üzerinedir。 Ve günümüz Yahudi toplumlarının Muhtesem tek kelimeyle muhteşem。。。。 Bir roman gibi sonu ne olacak diye merak ederek son sürat okuduğum muhteşem bir tarih kitabı。。 hazarların saklı tarihi dizi filmlere taş Çatlatan bir macera zihniyetiyle anlatılmış。。。 Arapların Bizanslıların Ve çevredeki tüm halkların yazdıkları İle son dönem tarihçilerin yorumları birleştirerek bu kadar mı güzel ifade edilip toparlanabilir。。Son bölüm ise muhtemelen en çok tartışılan doğu Avrupa Yahudiliğinin kökeni üzerinedir。 Ve günümüz Yahudi toplumlarının büyük bölümünün Filistin değil kafkas kökenli olduğu tezini desteklemektedir。 Kitabın 1976’da yazıldığını unutmayalım“Onları tanrıya bağlayan bir dinleri yok hiçbir şeye takmıyorlar başdakilerine bey diyorlar ne yapacaklarına aralarında yaptıkları toplantıda hep birlikte karar veriyorlar ama karar verip uygulamaya geçirecekleri zaman içlerinden en basit en aşağılık olanları bile ortaya çıkıp karara karşı gelebiliyor”Sizin önünüzde açılmamızın nedeni gördüğünüz halde kendinizi tutmayı öğrenesiniz diyedir böyle olması gizli olup da elde edilebilir olmasından daha iyidir。。Araplar kara yoluyla kuzeye， Vikingler su yollarından güneye doğru ilerlemişlerdir。。。 kurbanlar açısından sonuçlar birbirine çok benziyordu。。 Tarihçiler arap çölleri ya da İskandinavya gibi sakin görünümlü yerleri birdenbire bir volkan haline getiren ekonomik ekolojik ya da ideolojik nedenlere inandırıcı bir açıklama bulamamaktadır。Pravda’da Hazar krallığının Ruslara etkisini unutturma çabaları müthiş。。。Hungarian onogur yani on ok=on kabile （7+3） kelimesinden geliyorLuporum more ululantes = kurtlar gibi uluyarakKabanlar macarlara hunların avarların türklerin peçeneklerin ve kumanların bildiği savaş takdiğini öğretir。。 Bu savaş taktiğine göre hafif süvariler sahte bir kaçışa geçip arkalarına ok Atarak kaçar sonra kanatlar iki yandan kurtlar gibi uluyarak bastırınca kaçanlar da geri dönüp kovalayanları kuşatırlarEğer Bizans 300 yıllık geleneksel Müslüman Türk ve Viking akınlarını önlemekte Hazarlarla dayanmayı sürdürseydi。。 Ama bunun yerine Rusları tercih etmiştirBu sayede profesor zeki Velidi togan tanımış oldum kendisi 1931 yılında İstanbul Üniversitesi’nde hoca iken uygarlığın Türklerde doğduğu yönünde eğitim yapmaları istenince istifa edip viyana’ya gitmiş。。 。。。more
Denis Eyong
，
Revealing This book is indeed one of the most revealing pieces of literature regarding the Hebrew nation I’ve ever read。 One thing though， it doesn’t explore alternatives to the so-called “Thirteenth Tribe”， for instance the theory regarding black Jews or African Jews。
Ayse_
，