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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Daryal fortress **
As noted by the arab author Masudi, Daryal is one of the most famous for its inaccessibility ancient fortress, next to which was a bridge spanning a large river. The city and its fortress were located on the southern border of the Kingdom of Alan in the Alan pass.
In 727, the arabs led by Maslama captured this fortress and put their garrison here. The locals, most of them alans, went to the mountains and refused to supply the arabs with food, even for money. Therefore, the garrison was supplied from Tbilisi, which was at least five days away.
The Daryal gorge, which the authors called Dare Alan, which meant the Alan gate, was one of the oldest passes that connected the North Caucasus with Transcaucasia.
In the 6th-7th centuries, Daryal was sometimes controlled by the Kings of Georgia, Iran, and Byzantium.
Among the mountain alans, there has long been a legend that Kalat-al-Allan, the fortress at the Alan gate, was built by the persian king Ispandiyar, the son of Bishtasf.
Theophanes called the alanian pass Iverian. He also reports that the persians began working on the fortifications of Daryal from the first quarter of the 5th century. They also suggested that Byzantium join the creation of a trade route in the Daryal gorge, which in their opinion was the easiest passage through the Caucasus, which is constantly used by northern nomads.
The persians at meetings with the byzantines pointed out the need to create full-fledged fortifications here, since the northern nomads through Daryal threaten not only the possessions of Persia, but also the provinces of Byzantium.
Byzantium always preferred to reject these offers, considering that this is a matter for Persia, since Daryal is located on its border. In addition, Byzantium was not interested in strengthening Persia at its own expense. After all, these northern barbarians will first pass through the territory of Persia with fire and sword.
In addition, in the event of a war with the Northern Kings, the Byzantine army will not be able to quickly come to the aid of its garrison, since there will be a state between them that disputes many territories from Byzantium.
The alans, who were hired by the persians to reinforce the garrison in Daryal, often found themselves in the persian army when Persia was at war with Byzantium.
Zachary the Rhetorician noted that the mission of Cardost in 503 of seven priests to the country of the huns was carried out through Daryal, where he also stayed in the Daryal fortress and there preached Christianity among the alans and huns.
Indirect sources Cardost was captured by the persians and sold to the huns. He was kept in the Daryal fortress. And while the transaction was going on, he initiated the alans into Christianity, about which several fairy-tale legends have been preserved in the alanian epic.
In the 10th century, according to King Joseph, the khazars controlled Daryal, closing the Alan gate on both sides, as the Khazar Khagan had a treaty with the Byzantine Emperor.
In the History of Agvan about the events in 630, it is said that the Prince of the North rushed to Agvaniya and Iberia, including through Daryal, which confirms the assumption that the Khagan controlled the Daryal pass.
Starting from the end of the 7th century, the arabs took into account the significance of the Daryal and Derbent passes through the Caucasus. According to the persian historian Bal'ami, from the very beginning of their expansion into the North Caucasus, they tried to negotiate with the kings of the Caucasus who controlled these passages. The arabs bought loyalty to the Caliphate by promising exemption from tribute and the admission of local nobles to important positions in the arab army.
In 724, Jarrah, according to his scribes, went to Khazaria through Alania and the Alanian pass, which means through the Daryal fortress. At the same time, the alans did not provide any help to the arab army, retreating to the mountains. On the way back, the arabs imposed tribute on all the settlements of Alania, and put their own garrison in the Daryal fortress, refusing to allow the alans to be part of this garrison.
It is known that the alanian kings tried to conduct their own policy in this area in the first half of the 8th century, since the Daryal pass was a significant map in their hands. Without them, no one could hold the pass or the fortresses along the gorge for long.
In 731, an arab army led by Mervan passed through the Darl pass and Derbent. This year the arabs were lucky and were able to persuade the Khazar Khagan to accept islam. As for the alans, they did not fight the arabs, but disappeared into the numerous gorges, so there was no one to force them to accept islam.
In 752, the new ruler of Armenia, Yazid, fearing the khazars, occupied the Daryal fortress and sent envoys to the Khagan with a proposal to give him a khazar Princess. The Princess was taken to Yazid with all honors through the Daryal pass. The alans also participated in this procession.
For several days the procession stopped at the Fortress, about which the alanian epic preserved indirect information. This fact was also noted by dream interpreters of Khazaria and Alania. The khazar dream book was later lost, but the Ossetian one has been preserved to this day. It is kept in the annals of the Kochiev and Dzhagaev families.
According to various unconfirmed versions, the baptist Constantine could have marched to a philosophical dispute with the Kagan about faith through Daryal, where in the fortress he found many adherents of christianity, who received this knowledge 300 years before Constantine from Cardost.
Beginning in the 7th century, after the khazars appeared in the North Caucasus, the alans were forced to submit to the khazars, although they retained some political privileges, especially on the use of the Daryal fortress and the Alan gate.
After starting a war with the khazars, the arabs were unable to tear the alans away from the khazars and secure an unimpeded passage through Daryal. The arabs during the war with the khazars repeatedly tried to settle in the Daryal pass.
In the 8th century, Khazaria and Byzantium agreed on an eternal peace. To secure the agreement, the Emperor sent the King of Khazaria a Princess to marry.
The procession stopped at the Daryal fortress, where according to the official version, the Princess took poison that was hidden under her fingernail. In fact, not all the byzantine nobility agreed with this decision of the Emperor and was able to introduce their own person into the procession, who seized the moment and poisoned the Princess. Apparently, the Princess was not the daughter of the Emperor, and her parents were looking for a different fate for their daughter.
The procession was headed by the khazar general Blachan that on arrival in the Khanate was immediately executed.
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