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THE KHAZAR CAPITAL CITY OF ATIL

Last Updated: June 15, 2011

Atil, the capital city of the Khazar Empire from about 750 to 969, has been found! Dmitri Vasiliev and his team have located the remnants of the lost city in the newly-found 9th and 10th century layers at Samosdelka, including a triangular-shaped brick fortress and yurt-like huts.

Read Vasiliev's Russian article "Itil'-mechta (Na raskopkax drevnego tsentra Xazarskogo kaganata)" in Lekhaim, 10 (174), October 2006.

Also take a look at Valerii Zhuravliev's Russian article "Sensatsiya nashix dney: A vdrug eto legendarnii Itil'?" from the September 20, 2005 issue of Parlamentskaya gazeta, and a report released by the Regnum News Agency on August 12, 2005.

David Keys wrote an article about the Atil digs in BBC History Magazine's May 2008 issue which says they've found, among other things, turquoise-glazed ceramics from Persia, stone cauldrons from Uzbekistan, amber beads from the Baltic region, a dragon-adorned belt end from China, and a copper crucifix.

Further details:
Swedish article: "Återfunnen judisk huvudstad grävs ut" by Carl-Johan Bilkenroth and Bengt Jonsson (Svenska Dagbladet, May 18, 2008)
English article: "Russian archaeologists find long-lost Jewish capital" by Agence France-Presse (September 3, 2008)
English article: "Found: Ancient Capital of 'Jewish' Khazar Kingdom" by Ze'ev Ben-Yechiel (Arutz Sheva, September 4, 2008)
English article: "Scholar claims to find medieval Jewish capital" by Mansur Mirovalev (Associated Press, September 20, 2008) (illustrated)
English article: "Jewish city feared by Stalin is rediscovered" by Ben Leach (The Telegraph, September 24, 2008) (illustrated)
Russian article: "V astraxanskom gorodishche priznali stolitsu Xazarskogo kaganata" (Lenta.ru, September 2, 2008) (illustrated)
Russian article: "Propavshaya krepost' Itil'" by Yuliya Shtutina (Lenta.ru, September 2, 2008) (illustrated)
Russian article: "Arxeologi zayavlyayut, chto obnaruzhili stolitsu Xazarskogo kaganata" (RIA Novosti, September 2, 2008) (illustrated)
Russian article: "Otkrytie Itilya sravnimo s otkrytiem Novgoroda - initsiator raskopok" (RIA Novosti, September 3, 2008) (illustrated)
Russian article: "Arxeologi nashli stolitsu Xazarskogo kaganata" (Point.ru, September 2, 2008, based on RIA Novosti's September 2, 2008 report) (illustrated)
Russian article: "Arxeologi nashli v Astraxanskoy oblasty stolitsu Xazarskogo kaganata" (Vesti - Severnii Kavkaz, September 2, 2008, RIA Novosti's September 2, 2008 report, but with a different illustration)
Russian article: "Xazaram otkopali stolitsu" by Artyom Tuntsov (Gazeta.ru, September 2, 2008) (illustrated)
Chinese article: "E kaoguxuejia chen faxian zhongshiji youtairen shoudu" by Mansur Mirovalev (New San Cai, September 21, 2008) (illustrated)


"The Jews of Khazaria" by Kevin Brook contains information on Atil.


  • An Introduction to the History of Khazaria
  • Khazaria Image Gallery
  • The Khazar Fortress of Sarkel
  • Khazar Burial Mounds at Chastiye Kurgany
  • Khazar-Era Fortress of Golden Hills (Zolotiye Gorki)
  • Bibliography of Khazar Studies, 1901-Present
  • Medieval Quotes About Khazar Judaism
  • The Kuzari's References to the Khazar Conversion to Judaism
  • Current Issues in Khazar Studies
  • Are Russian Jews Descended from the Khazars?

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