The “Internal” Ethnic Communities in Khazaria 237
invasion from the end of the ninth century. It lies at the basis of most views
that reject the idea of certain regions belonging to Khazaria. The Khazar ruler
Joseph could have had numerous and various in meaning reasons to name
a certain tribe or state as a subordinate region. The fact that our knowledge
about some of them contradicts his writings does not necessarily mean that we
should deny him his right to regard them as subordinate (and neither should
we try to impose upon him the view that he was actually describing earlier
times). And if his right corresponds to a logic that is incomprehensible to us,
we should try to understand it instead of arguing that his account is incorrect.
5.2 Spatial Characteristics
“Every territory occupied for the purpose of being inhabited or utilized
as Lebensraum is first of all transformed from chaos into cosmos; that is,
through the effect of ritual it is given a “form” which makes it become real”.53
Transformed this way, the space is marked by specific characteristics (temples,
fortresses, palaces) which convey the idea of a Center not only of the state,
but also of the cosmos and order in the whole inhabited territory, since “every
temple or palace—and, by extension, every sacred city or royal residence—is
a Sacred Mountain, thus becoming a Center”.54
Due to the lack of researched Khazar palaces, the fortresses and possibly
also the temples remain the only tangible monuments that can help in defin-
ing the characteristics of the space that belonged to the Khazar people. The
khagan’s power ensured the prosperity of his subjects, being concentrated in
a Center—a vertical axis that connected the ruler with the Divine Grace and
the various worlds. Such centers, scattered over great distances and among the
various ethnic communities, united the multifaceted nature of Khazaria. They
were not only a sign for the subordination of the population, but also a means
for spreading the grace which came from the khagan’s power—the prevention
of disasters and provision of fertility.
In places where Christianity or Islam were spread, but mostly among the
elite and often due to political reasons, some attempts can be seen (not every-
where, of course) to change the model of the relations with the central author-
ities. Two such examples are Alania and Volga Bulgaria. However, many areas
in Khazaria were inhabited by quite a few Christians and Muslims who were
53 Eliade 2002, 17–18.
54 Eliade 2002, 19; the erection of fortresses is a lauded virtue of the Bulgarian rulers (see for
instance Kaimakamova 2006, 79–80).