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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Deru-Kala in Kumykia **
It was one of the oldest cities in the socio-cultural territory of the rumyks.
Not far from the remains of the city, which is associated with the early medieval city of Gyaur-Kala, there are ancient walls of another fortress, which is identified with the city of Deru-Kala, built during the reign of the Khazar Khaganate.
Judging by the cultural remains, the fortress walls were erected here in the early 8th century, on the eve of the arab-khazar war for control of the trade routes that have passed through the territory of the Kumyk plain since ancient times.
But the first proto-urban settlements with fortifications appear here in the 2nd century after the birth of Christ.
Archaeological material shows that the arabs who came here in the early 8th century made some strengthening works in the fortress, typical of the arab architectural art.
Since the huns, this settlement was used as a strong customs point, which was connected in a single defensive network with other fortresses along the entire Kumyk trade route.
Arab, byzantine, persian, russian, armenian and georgian authors wrote about this system of fortresses and cities, noting the density and diversity of the population living in these cities.
These fortresses with their posads existed during the Reign of the huns, during the Khazar Khaganate, and even during the Golden Horde.
The Kumyk platform, which includes the city of Deru-Kala, has a mild climate, which allows the local population to graze cattle on pastures all year round. All around the city are also engaged in agriculture, cultivation of grain, gardening, rice, fishing, viticulture, cattle breeding. Wheat, barley, millet, oats, rice, cotton, and silk were grown here, mostly for their own use.
Artisans of the city have always been famous for the production of weapons, since the city had a military garrison for several centuries.
Since the 7th century, kumyks have been formed in the bowels of Khazaria as the core of a local autochthonous tribe, the ethnic basis of which was the kipchak-oguz-bulgar conglomerate of clans and tribes.
Kumyks have always been in authority among the mountaineers, they formed the basis of the military garrisons of a unified system of cities along the caravan route through the Kumyk plain. Their khagans, khans and shamkhals, as a rule, were the basis of military and trade campaigns of the Eastern highlanders to the Transcaucasian region. From these campaigns, the kumyks brought new cultural trends to their cities, which they borrowed from the slavic, turanian, and aryan tribes, being cultural guides from Asia through the Eastern Caucasus to Europe.
On the ethnic territory of the kumyk people there were many ancient cities and fortresses that arose many centuries before the formation of the kumyk ethnic core, which the kumyks settled in the huns, khazars, arab and persian times.
The fortress walls and foundations of dwellings were made of glinobit blocks or torn stone.
The city Deru-Kala ceased to function as a city immediately after the collapse of the Khazaria, which provided the passage of trade caravans through the territory of the kumyks. However, the people did not leave here, continuing their craft, although the fortress was empty.
With the arrival of the Golden Horde, its khans restore the fortress and put their ruler here. The fortress has a small military garrison, which provided control over the coastal trade and military road. This is how the garrison ensured its livelihoods. After the collapse of the Golden Horde, the route of trade caravans changed, the city became exhausted and depopulated.
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