Sarkel

E787660

Sarkel was a major fortified city and strategic stronghold of the Khazar Khaganate, controlling key trade routes along the lower Don River in medieval Eastern Europe.

All labels observed (2)

Label Occurrences
Sarkel canonical 1
Sarkel ruins 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Khazar stronghold
archaeological site
fortified city
associatedWithPeople Byzantines
linked to: Byzantium

East Slavs
Khazars
linked to: Khazar Khaganate
builtBy Khazar Khaganate
builtWithAssistanceFrom Byzantine Empire
capturedBy Kievan Rus'
linked to: Kyivan Rus

Prince Sviatoslav I of Kiev
capturedInYear 965
constructedAroundYear 830s
constructedInCentury 9th century
constructedUnderRuler Khagan of the Khazars
linked to: Khagan
continent Europe
controlsTradeRoute Volga–Don portage
linked to: Volga–Don Canal

north–south trade between steppe and Byzantine Empire
routes between Caspian Sea and Black Sea
culture Khazar culture
era Early Middle Ages
excavatedBy Mikhail Artamonov NERFINISHED
excavationsBeganInDecade 1930s
fortificationType stone fortress
garrisonedBy Khazar troops
languageOfNewName Old East Slavic
locatedIn Khazar Khaganate
locatedInPresentDay Russia
locatedInRegion Lower Don region
locatedOn Don River
mentionedInSource Byzantine chronicles
East Slavic chronicles
linked to: Rus' chronicles
nearbyWaterBody Caspian Sea (via trade routes)
Sea of Azov
partOf Khazar defensive system
purpose border fortress
control of trade routes
military defense
renamedAs Belaya Vezha
status ruined
submerged site
strategicFunction control of steppe frontier
protection against steppe nomads
submergedBy Tsimlyansk Reservoir
submergedSinceCentury 20th century
tradeGoodsHandled furs
metalware
silk
slaves
usedUntilCentury 10th century

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Khazar Khaganate capital Sarkel
Khazar Khaganate archaeologicalSite Sarkel ruins
linked to: Sarkel