Scholar Claims To Find Old Jewish Capital

Apparently, there is virtually nothing that has ever been discovered from the Jewish-converted Khazar Empire itself although there are many references to it from surrounding societies and Judaic records of the time.

"The discovery of the capital of Eastern Europe's first feudal state is of great significance," he told The Associated Press. "We should view it as part of Russian history."

There is some controversy as to whether the discovery is truly Khazar in nature.

"If they found a few buildings, or remains of buildings, that's interesting but does not make a big difference," said Dr. Simon Kraiz, an expert on Eastern European Jewry at Haifa University. "If they found Khazar writings, that would be very important."

They have also yet to find any Jewish artifacts but that could be a result of the fact that it is believed that many of the common people themselves had not converted to Judaism while the nobility had. This was seen as a political move to help keep the empire distinct from its neighbors who were primarily Muslim and Christian.