Samosdelka is a village in southern Russia (about 40 km south-south-west of the city of Astrakhan

Astrakhan

Astrakhan is a major city in southern European Russia and the administrative center of Astrakhan Oblast. The city lies on the left bank of the Volga River, close to where it discharges into the Caspian Sea at an altitude of below the sea level. Population:...

) near which archaeologists reported in September 2008 that they had found the remains of Atil

Atil

Atil , literally meaning "Big River", was the capital of Khazaria from the middle of the 8th century until the end of the 10th century. The word is also a Turkic name for the Volga River.-History:...

, the capital of the medieval Khazar kingdom.

The team of archaeologists, led by Dmitry Vasilyev of Astrakhan State University

Astrakhan State University

Astrakhan State University is a university located in Astrakhan, Russian Federation. It was founded in 1932....

, had been excavating for nine years. According to Vasilyev, they found the remains of an ancient brick fortress, which contained characterisric Khazar yurt

Yurt

A yurt is a portable, bent wood-framed dwelling structure traditionally used by Turkic nomads in the steppes of Central Asia. The structure comprises a crown or compression wheel usually steam bent, supported by roof ribs which are bent down at the end where they meet the lattice wall...

s. "This is a hugely important discovery ... We can now shed light on one of the most intriguing mysteries of that period – how the Khazars actually lived. We know very little about the Khazars – about their traditions, their funerary rites, their culture."

External links

• Russian archaeologists find long-lost Jewish capital (Yediot Ahronot)

• Scholar claims to find medieval Jewish capital Yahoo!