The Thirteenth Tribe: The Khazar Empire and Its Heritage by Arthur Koestler (26-May-2014) Hardcover Unknown Binding

In this book, first published in 1976, Arthur Koestler traces the history of the ancient Khazar people, who from around 750 AD, converted to Judaism. They lived in the Caucasian region and were related to other Turkish tribes, the Magyars, Huns, and Oghuz. Were they wiped out in the Middle Ages by the Mongol hordes of Gengis Khan sweeping westward at around 1222 AD? There is substantial evidence that the survivors migrated north and west, primarily to Hungary and Poland. Their influence on European history was considerably greater than their numbers might suggest, as they formed a buffer state between the expanding Islamic empire and Byzantium, and later slowed the southward marauding Viking Rus, some of whom eventually served as the mercenary Varangian Guard in Constantinople. The Khazars, by rejecting Orthodox Christianity and Islam, choosing instead Judaism, did so primarily for political purposes. The reasoning went that the commonality of the Hebrew Scripture's acceptability to Jews, Christians and Muslims alike aided diplomacy and commercial trade. One could argue it also unwittingly exposed them to Anti-semitism.David Keys, in his book ' Catastrophe: An Investigation into the Origins of the Modern World ', cites the Khazars and their migration as evidence of the widespread displacement of peoples after 536 AD, and an explanation of the relatively sudden appearance of the Northern European Jewish (Yiddish speaking) communities.What implications are there in this contentious history, in linking the origin of the Northern European Jews, the Ashkenazim, with the migrating Khazars? Zionism was the political Jewish movement that sought a Jewish homeland in Palestine. The United Nations in 1947 partitioned Palestine into an Arab and a Jewish state. Without commenting on the complex political situation in the modern day Middle East, no nation-state anywhere in the world today depends for its existence upon a genetically pure link with a historical `mother-race'. Ironically, such a concept we normally might associate with Nazism.Koestler sums up his argument by claiming the philosophical, artistic and scientific achievements of individual Jews consist of contributions to the culture of their host nations; they do not represent a common cultural inheritance, or autonomous body of traditions. At first, this seemed at odds with the spirit of the major Jewish writers of the twentieth century. Koestler argues that Jews of the Diaspora, at least in the present day, have little in common except a religion the majority do not practice or believe in, and the shared trauma of the Holocaust, the effect of which can only lessen in the future. The national identity of Israel, then does not depend on the European heritage that originated in Khazaria.

Koestler recounts the fascinating story of an almost forgotten ancient history of a tribe,the Khazaars,who lived in the 8thcent in an area which extended between the Caucasus and the Volga and who adopted Judaism as their religion in opposition toChristianity and Islam.This commitment has by various routes persisted to this day and Koestler sites this as evidence of the Jewish people's presence in later centuries throuout the world.During the Middle Ages the majority of those who professed the Jewish faith were Khazaars,and a substantial number of these went to Poland,Lithuania and Hungary,where the Eastern Jews were founded,and this in turn became the dominant majority of world Jewry for which there is strong evidence for Khazaar/Turkish derivation.In a chapter 'Race and Myth',it is explained that the Jews of today fall into two main categories:Sephardim and Ashkenazim.In the 1960s the number of Sephardic Jews was estimated at 500,000,whereas the Ashenazic was around eleven million,and so in common parlance 'jew' is almost synonymous with the Ashkenazic Jew.The question as to whether the Jews are a pure race or rather a religious sect is examined,historians whether Austrian,Israeli or Polish,have argued independently that the bulk of modern Jewry is not Palestinian but Caucasian in origin,and the findings of anthropology,contrary to popular view,show that there is no Jewish race,and this is the accepted view today.In summing up,Koestler recognises that there are unavoidable implications inherent in this account,but notes this may be misinterpreted.The State of Israel's right to exist is based on international law.It may be noted that this book,published American edition 1976,and given present history re the Israeli/Palestine conflict,seems to have increasing pertinence today.

Very interesting read.

this book bought as a present and well recieved

Until I read this book I was always under the assumption that Jews were a race of Semitic people from the loins of Abraham's second born Issac. It seems there was a race in the Caucuses between the Black sea and the Caspian an area that covered from the Ural mountain to the Volga's known as the Khazars.Khazaria was a kingdom that chose to convert to Judaism in the hope if staying independent from the rule of Byzantium or Baghdad. They Chose the Jewish faith instead of Christianity or Islam in order to preserve their proud warrior status.It is amazing how little people know about this race which after the collapse of the kingdom dispersed to Russia and Western Europe, and much of the Jews in USA are from this stock. In fact, it now clear that the invasion of the Holy Lands and in particular Jerusalem is mainly by the non-Semitic Jews of the Khazaria decent A History of Jerusalem: One City, Three Faiths

This information is very important in showing how the past impacts on the future in ways that you never thought possible. For eons tribes with long forgotten names have invaded and expanded into other areas. It is important to understand certain groups of people changed their religion to avoid being conquered and sharing their territories with other neighbouring districts who were encroaching on their boarders. By the Khazars converting to the Hebrew faith they avoided converging with the 2 most dominant religions at the time, Christianity and Islam. This book may require some study as it constructs the layout and design in a slow manner so that a full understanding is attained. It is interesting to note that the author Arthur Koestler was ostracised from the Jewish community after this publication and died in a car crash at the height of this published material.

This book does the one thing, the unspoken rule of our modern world. It critsizes or explain the kazarian empire. Kanye west was made an example out of for doing the same thing, but still this is a great book. It answers a lot of questions for those who dare to think out side of main stream media.

Steppenvölker wie die Kasaren (Chasaren) haben wenig Zeugnisse hinterlassen, da sie lange Zeit in Zelten lebten und auch keine Geschichtsschreiber hatten. So sammelt Koestler akribisch die Berichte arabischer, byzantinischer und russischer Reisender und Geschichtsschreiber. Für mich völlig überraschend gab es jahrhundertelang zwischen der arabischen und byzantinischen Welt einen militärisch starken Staat, der sich gegen beide Seiten wehren mußte und sich nicht in die Hände einer Seite begeben wollte. Daher die Konversion zum Judentum.Koestler leitet daraus ebenfalls ab, daß die sogenannten Ostjuden eher westwärts gewanderte Kasachen als ostwärts gewanderte Deutsche und Franzosen waren.Interessanterweise finden sich in der "Geschichte des jüdischen Volkes" von H.H.Ben-Sasson mehrere Fundstellen, die über die Kasachen berichten und zwar in gleicher Weise wie Koestler. Diese werden von Koestler nicht aufgeführt, entweder weil er sie nicht kannte oder weil er Primärquellen verwenden wollte.

An informative work, filled with historically established facts. Especially pertinent today as Zionist-Israel endeavors to establish itself as fully Semitic, denying recent DNA studies, recreating myths and legends in support of its claim that Palestine was never Palestinian (i.e. Arab) and therefore rightfully claimed by Jews and should be cleansed of non-Jews. A good follow-up to Koestler's 1976 publication is Shlomo Sand: How I Stopped Being a Jew.

book arrived in perfect condition ahead of expected datevery satisfied

Really good book