Cities of Khazaria. Kromos Estatium
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The khazar cities here include not only those cities that were built by the khazar architects, but also those that were built before the arrival of the khazars, were used by the khazars for their needs and tasks for a long time.
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Akaz on Don **
According to legend, this city was located on the island of Luchka on the Don, opposite the village of Konstantinovka.
Starting from the 7th century, when the Khazar Khagan established a firm rule here, one of the Northern branches of the Great Silk Road lay here, which was much shorter than the southern section. Caravans went through Derbent to the Tana-Azov through the Akas, the Great broad and Zimleu.
On the north-eastern edge of the island of Luchka, there are hills that indicate the existence of a city here in ancient times.
In the 11th century, the khazar community of peoples disintegrates. The slavic part of it moved closer to Rus, and their place in the Lower Don was taken by the Caspian turkyuts, who took possession of the khazar cities, but did not have the political power to restore their significance. Gradually, these cities were ravaged by robbers, winds and spring waters, they ceased to participate in historical events and disappeared from the chronics of the chroniclers. Only a few lines about the cities of Azov and Akas survive in Herberstein's notes of the early 16th century.
From the city of Akas, the name of the modern city of Aksai on the Aksai river has been preserved.
The city that stood at the Baba ferry, which Herberstein called the Great ferry, stood on an island between the Old and New Don. There are remnants of thick walls and towers with them made of white limestone on lime mortar. Here, scientists even found fragments of limestone cement and pieces of baked bricks of good quality.
There were several walls, but one of them ran along the bank of the Don, and in the wall were built towers for archers and watchers. Behind the wall stood the burgomaster, who lived that cooked ceramics, bricks, mortar.
The city of Akas was located in a very picturesque place, as Herberstein described it. In his notes about Muscovy, he noted that Akas is located 4 days above the Azov Sea and one day above the Donets river at its confluence with the Don.
Now Akas is credited with the settlement at the village of Razdorskaya. The city, according to Herberstein was densely populated, had much wealth, many beautiful buildings.
In the city there was a customs office, where in addition to scribes and tax collectors, there were also paramilitary detachments that controlled trade routes both by water and by coastal land from the Don to the Seversky Donets of Derbent caravans.
In the 11th century, the city of Akas was home to many brodniki, an intertribal gathering based on russified slavs, who did not find glory in their native lands. They say that the cossacks came out of them.
The brodniks were a hired force to guard the caravans. They performed this work with special care, since both the khazars and polovtsians and the hordes paid well for it.
When crossing the Don river, there were parking lots on both banks, equipped with everything necessary for people and livestock to rest.
There was control over the movement of people. On the fords were lists of people who passed through here and when they passed.
It is assumed that Azov and Akas were captured by Tamerlane, part of the population was exterminated, the rest fled, the city was robbed and burned. When Herberstein passed through these places, he only learned about Akas from the words of the elders.
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