The Pechenegs In Khazar History 135
existed certain “peaceful Pechenegs” who lived in the big multiethnic city
(Samkerts) under the rule of the khagan. “It is possible that the author of the
Persian geographical work Hudud al-ʿAlam called this particular group Khazar
Pechenegs. Like any other tributary nomads, they often betrayed their suzer-
ain and when the opportunity arose, looted his lands, but the leaders of their
horde willingly made use of the benefits of urban civilization and participated
in urban trade, bringing stock and slaves to the markets”.38 This conclusion is
important because it shows the possibility that a part of the Pechenegs may
have been dependant on the Khazar state.
The term Khazar Pechenegs appears only in Hudud al-ʿAlam. In it, this
concept refers to the Pechenegs who had migrated to the Northern Black
Sea region, while the Pechenegs who remained in their old areas are called
Turkic Pechenegs.39 This is why the above-cited opinion of M. Artamonov, who
locates the Khazar and Turkic Pechenegs to the east and west of the Dnieper
respectively, is not acceptable. Hudud al-ʿAlam also contains the account of
the Pechenegs who moved from place to place, depending on the pastures
in the Khazar Mountains.40 It is not clear whether these mountains can be
identified with the North Caucasus. The Eastern source reflects the notion of
the existence of a mountain range that crossed the whole land. In fact, Hudud
al-ʿAlam contains the sole description in Eastern Europe of this range; accord-
ing to it, the range runs “between the Sarirs and the Khazars up to the beginning
of the Alanian borders, it then goes straight north until the end (of the borders
of ) the Khazars, after which it crosses the region of the Khazar Pechenegs and
separates the Inner Bulgars from the Rus’ ”, before ending at the outskirts of the
Slav territory.41 The conclusion that can be made is that the Khazar Mountains,
where the Khazar Pechenegs had their pastures, were situated west of the Don.
In other words, they were located in the steppe zone of the Northern Black Sea
region. This confirms the assertion of M. Artamonov that the territory of the
Pechenegs did not stretch eastwards of the Don and the Severski Donets. On
the other hand, archaeological evidence of Pechenegs living in some Khazar
cities (if they were not Oghuz)42 indicates their ethnic presence there, with-
out this meaning that the lands of the Khazar Pechenegs were situated around
them. As was pointed out earlier, the term Khazar Pechenegs does not divide
38 Pletneva, 2001, 106.
39 Zakhoder 1967, 76; Minorsky 1937; Novosel’tsev 1986, 97.
40 Zakhoder 1967, 72.
41 Zakhoder 1962, 97–98.
42 The remains of the material culture, by which the presence of Pechenegs or Oghuz in the
Khazar lands is estimated, are identical (for more details, see chapter 5.2).