There is not any community or nation called as Khazar on the world. It is absolutely known that Khazar people lived between the centuries of VI-XI after Christ and founded a great state. It is not logically possible to comprehend that Khazar people were wiped off from the stage of history without leaving any trace of work of them. Therefore, there must be a community on the world that can be considered as the continuation or the inheritors of these people. We should look for this inheritor group firstly within the borders of the ancient Khazar State. As a result of the researches carried out, a community was determined within the boundaries of the ancient Khazar State that can be considered as the remainders of Khazars. This community is Karay people or Karaim Turks. Karay people have lived mostly within the environs of the Crimea and Caucasus (the fields of Khazar State) so far. They speak Turkish but they are a Jewish community believing in the Pentateuch and Hz. Moses. The language of Karay people is Turkish, but their religion is the Jewish religion. It is natural that there is a relation between the Khazar people who have adopted the Hebraism and Karay Turks who have lived within the boundaries of the ancient Khazar State bearing their cultures and believing in the Pentateuch. Therefore, it should be appropriate to deal with the relation between Khazar and Karay people and to illuminate the issues in briedf through reviewing the political and religious histories of these two communities.
Khazars
The word of Khazar is a Turkish word derived from the root of kaz with the meaning of gez (wander). The term of khazar means gezer (wanderer) and it coincides with the meaning of a nomad who freely wanders around without any connection to one place in the Anatolian Turkish. Probably, this word must have taken its final shape through an etymological transformation in the forms of gezer, gazar, kazar and hazar. The word of Khazar is used as el-Hazar in Arabian language, Huzari, Kozar in Hebrew language, Gazari, Chazari in Latin language, Hazari in Georgian language, Huszar in Hungarian language and Ko-sa, ka-sat in Chinese language.
Most of the historians consider Khazar people as a tribe of the Turks and some of the Western scientists have called them as a tribe who became Turk in the later periods. Besides that the name of Khazar is a Turkish word, there is a term of Tu-kuo Ko-sa in the Chinese resources, in other words the expression of Turko-Khazar. Similarly, Khazar people are introduced as the people of Turkish origin in most of the Arabian resources that are the contemporary people of Khazars. All these examples indicate the Turkish identity of Khazar people beyond doubt. The Khazar tribe that founded the Khazar State is of Turkish origin. The most conclusive evidence about the Khazar people that is highly respected and accepted by the western people is the explanations of Khazar Khan, Yusuf written about their lineage and origins in a letter to Indulus Vizier, Hasday b. Şarput. In this letter, the Khan Yusuf states that According to the line of descent pertaining to our ancestors, Togarma had ten sons. Uighur Turks, Dursu, Avar, Hun, Basila, Tarniak, Khazar, Zagora, Bulgarian and Sabir people came from the lineage of his sons. We are rooted from the seventh son, Khazar. Togarma stated within the letter is the son of Yasef and the ancestor of Turks according to the line of descent. This expression should be respected since it was recorded within an important resource of first degree.
Some cultural materials such as swords, axes, etc. rooted from Turkistan have been found among the materials that were extracted in the course of the excavations in Khazar region. This situation shows that Khazar people came from Turkistan to the region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea and they must have Turkish origin thereof.
The social lives of Khazar people were entirely organised in accordance with the Turkish style. Their state systems and the remaining from their language exhibit totally Turkish characteristics. According to the letter of Khan Yusuf, the Khazar Khans had pure Turkish names apart from their Hebrew names. This situation clearly indicates that they have had Turkish origins.
Although some researchers wanted to connect the Khazar people to Sabir, Gokturk or Suvar people, we are convinced that they have always been separate Turkish nation since the ancient times of the history. However, since they were not so powerful before they founded their state, they must not have been properly known and acquainted. Maybe they were titled with the names of the dominant groups that they were subject to in those periods. They became powerful and founded their state and the name of Khazar got on the stage of history only after they became a political power.
We have stated that Khazar people came from the Central Asia to the coasts of the Caspian Sea. However, it is hard to determine when this immigration took place in the history. Although we prudently deal with the information given about he period before the year 558 D.C. that is the foundation of year of Khazar State, it would be beneficial to review this information in brief.
According to the Georgian resources, the Khazar people came to this region in the periods before Christ. According to the Georgian histories, the Georgian King, Mirvan (167-123 BC) fought with Khazars. According to the Armenian resources, Khazar people fought against Armenians in the first periods of the century II after Christ. Since the century III D.C. we have observed that Khazar people fought in the rows of Roman Empire and sometimes in the rows of the Persian Empire. We have detected that Avar people that appeared towards the end of the Century V established dominion over Khazar people for a short period. We have observed that the Khazar-Persian wars gradually increased in the century VI and Bab el-Ebvab was finally built on the side of Anuşirvan for the protection against Khazar people. Khazar people that were under the dominion of Gokturks for a short period in the century VI included Sabir and Sargur communities to their structures. Then, they founded the Khazar State as the western branch of Gokturk State in the year of 558. Until this date, Khazar people who did not display the vision of an organised state and seemed to have a raider identity obtained a specific state organisation and system from that date on. In the period between the years of 558 and 620, they established dominion over the Northern Caucasus tribes such as Saragur, Semender, Belencer, etc. Khazars who were connected to Gokturk State in the form of the confederation of tribes appeared as an independent state pursuant to the collapse of Gokturk State in the year of 627.
to be continued