The “Internal” Ethnic Communities in Khazaria 233
the tradition of the steppe empire-khaganates, the elteber title was usually
given to local rulers who recognized the khagan’s authority.36
The title of the ruler of Alania is completely different. According to Ibn
Rustah (the early tenth century), it was baghatur,37 while Al-Masudi inter-
prets it as k-rk-ndaj.38 The title baghatur is used for the ruler of the Ases
(i.e. the Alans) in the Georgian chronicle Kartlis Tskhovreba.39 Constantine
Porphyrogenitus calls the Alanian ruler exousiokrator.40 During the reign
of the Byzantine emperor and, more precisely, after 932, when according
to Al-Masudi the Christians were expelled from the Alanian lands and the
Alanian ruler reverted to heathendom, Alania was most probably part of the
khaganate.41 It is obvious that Volga Bulgaria and Alania each had a different
standing in the Khazar Khaganate. Perhaps, judging by the title elteber, Volga
Bulgaria was more closely interconnected with the system of the khaganate
than Alania. Such differences in the status of various regions and tribes can be
expected for the whole territory of the khaganate, even in areas that are seen
as part of the Khazar ruler Joseph’s “domain”.
A separate and special case is Samandar (the old Khazar capital, preceding
Itil), which had its own ruler. In this connection, completely inexplicable is the
viewpoint of E. Galkina, according to whom the Eastern sources testified that
36 Golden 2003, no. 6, 78; Kliashtornyi and Sultanov 2000, 138–139; Fakhrutdinov 1979, 63–71.
Pritsak 1981b, no. 11, 263 assumes that the title elteber was borne by the rulers of tribute-
paying states, subjugated to the khagan. He names seven such states, only two of which
have been verified (the state of the Caucasian Huns in Dagestan during the seventh cen-
tury and Volga Bulgaria during the tenth century). The others are hard to confirm. Two
states, defined as independent—Onogur on the lower reaches of the Kama (?) and Volga-
Suwar—are actually parts of Volga Bulgaria. In the case of the Magyars and the Burtas,
there is no information that could be regarded as proof of the existence of rulers with the
title of elteber. And the existence of the Akatsirs, moreover as an independent region in
Khazaria, seems highly unlikely. According to Pritsak 1981b, no. 11, 265, the tribute-paying
tribal communities (which consisted of various Slavic and Finnish tribes) constituted a
separate subjugated territory.
37 Minorsky 1963, 220; in this regard, of special interest is the account of Ibn Atham Al-Kufi,
according to which in 752–753 the name of the Khazar khagan was Baghatur (Artamonov
1962, 241). Cf. also the title used by M. Kalankatvatsi for the supreme god of the Caucasian
Huns Aspandiat—baghatur (see on p. 116).
38 Minorsky 1963, 204.
39 Golden 1980, 156.
40 Litavrin and Novosel’tsev 1989, 53.
41 The issue of Alania’s status (as well as that of the rest of the mountainous regions of the
Caucasus) is examined in more detail in chapter 4.5 and Volga Bulgaria’s status is dis-
cussed in chapter 3.