Sarir or Serir was a medieval Christian state lasting from the 6th or 7th century to the 12th century in the mountainous regions of modern-day Dagestan in southern Russia . Its name is derived from the Arabic word for "throne" and refers to a golden throne that was viewed as a symbol of royal authority.
68-535: Sarir was first documented as a political entity in the 6th century AD. The memory of its foundation was transmitted orally among the Caucasian Avars . According to one legend, the kingdom was established by a Persian general who was sent to control the Caucasus by a Sasanian king. This legend is corroborated by the names of local kings, which are normally of Persian or even Syrian etymology. According to
136-563: A glottal stop ). In modern Avarian, three words retain the ancient basis of awar . They include awarag , meaning "envoy, prophet, messiah"; awari , meaning "pommel of a saddle"; and awara , meaning "obstacle, opposition". Awara habize means "to make an obstacle, to resist." There is also an Avarian river called авар ʕωr in Avarian and Avar koysu in Russian. All three listed words are found in ancient lexicons of
204-573: A Chinese transfer of a similar-sounding word, war/Uar. Mehmed Tezcan writes that according to a Chinese record, the Hephthalites descended from a Rouran tribe called Hua in the Qeshi region (near Turpan ). This tribe came to Tokharistan and soon settled also in eastern regions of Khorasan at the beginning of the 5th century. About the same time, the name Avars/Awards appears in the sources. Again, in his well-known Atlas of China, A. Herrmann shows
272-529: A Mongol residue in Daghestan". Supporters of the so-called old Turanian nomad horde "infiltrate" point of view (with various clauses) include the following scientists: Josef Markwart , Omeljan Pritsak , Vladimir Minorsky , Vladimir Baileys , Harald Haarmann , Murad Gadjievich Magomedov , Alikber Alikberov , and Timur Aytberov . The Avar language belongs to the Avar-Andi-Tsez subgroup of
340-757: A Northeast Caucasian people who speak Avar , a Northeast Caucasian language . According to Encyclopedia Britannica , the Turanian nomads also share the name Avar. The Encyclopedia Britannica describes the Turanian nomads as "a people of undetermined origin and language." As of 2002, the Avarians numbered about 1.04 million. 912,020 Avarians lived in Russia during the 2010 census; 850,011 of them lived in Dagestan. Only 32% lived in cities. Avarians inhabit most of
408-589: A certain Bukht Yisho Khosrow. He is known from a silver plate found in a monastery in southwestern Georgia dated to the year 1008 as well as the 11th-century tarikh al-bab . The latter mentioned that his daughter married Emir Mansur of Derbent in 1025. Alarmed by the growing Christian supremacy in the Caucasus, the Muslim powers of the region pledged mutual assistance against Sarir. Their economic and military pressure, coupled with internal discord, led to
476-580: A dependency of the Byzantine Empire . The capital of Sarir was the city of Humraj, tentatively identified with the modern-day village Khunzakh . The king resided in a remote fortress at the top of a mountain. During the Arab–Khazar wars of the 7th and 8th centuries, the kings of Sarir allied themselves with the Khazars. Following the victorious campaign of Merwan ibn Muhammad in 737–739, Sarir
544-724: A friendly state in Georgia's immediate southwestern neighborhood, as well as by the dynastic solidarity to the dispossessed Comnenoi. The country's power had grown to such extent that in the later years of Tamar's rule, the Kingdom was primarily concerned with the protection of the Georgian monastic centers in the Holy Land , eight of which were listed in Jerusalem . Saladin 's biographer Bahā' ad-Dīn ibn Šaddād reports that, after
612-527: A historical period in the High Middle Ages , spanning from roughly the late 11th to 13th centuries, during which the Kingdom of Georgia reached the peak of its power and development. In addition to military expansion, this period saw the flourishing of medieval Georgian architecture, painting and poetry, which was frequently expressed in the development of ecclesiastic art, as well as the creation of
680-794: A long time. According to Richard Helli: "By such reasoning, the Ephthalites are thought to have originated at Hsi-mo-ta-lo (southwest of Badakhshan and near the Hindu Kush ), which tantalizingly, stands for Himtala, 'snow plain', which may be the Sanskritized form of Hephthal." In 484, the Hephthalite chief Akhshunwar led his army to attack the Sassanian King Peroz I , who was defeated and killed in Khurasan. After
748-540: A national meaning connected with former statehood. "Avar" is a significant part of the word "Avaria," which refers to the Khunzakh Khanate. The Khanate formed in the 12th century after the disintegration of Sarir . From the middle of the 19th century, this territory was the Avarian District of the Daghestan area. This area is now referred to as Khunzakhsky District of Dagestan. Khunzakhsky District
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#1732776718119816-401: A parity basis. Due to close family ties between Georgian and Byzantine royalty - Princess Martha of Georgia , aunt of David IV, was once a Byzantine Empress Consort - by the 11th century as many as 16 Georgian ruling princes and kings had held Byzantine titles, David becoming the last one to do so. David IV made particular emphasis on removing the vestiges of unwanted Eastern influences, which
884-457: A prominent Mongol commander Chormaqan led a massive army against Georgia and its vassals, forcing Queen Rusudan to flee to the west, leaving eastern Georgia in the hands of noblemen who eventually made peace with the Mongols and agreed to pay tribute; those who resisted were subject to complete annihilation. The Mongol armies chose not to cross the natural barrier of Likhi Range in pursuit of
952-797: A relationship with the Sasanians. During the Iranian Renaissance of the 10th and 11th centuries it was common among both Muslim and Christian rulers of the Iranian world and its periphery to express their legitimacy in reference to the Sasanians. Sarir bordered the Khazars to the north, the Durdzuks to the west and northwest, the Georgians and Derbent to the south. As the state was Christian, Arab historians erroneously viewed it as
1020-504: A result of these processes, by the 15th century Georgia fractured and turned into an isolated enclave, largely cut off from Christian Europe and surrounded by hostile Islamic Turco-Iranic neighbors. For Georgia the Golden Age forms an important part of its status as a once-powerful and ancient nation that maintained relations with Greece and Rome . The Golden Age began with the reign of David IV ("the builder" or "the great"),
1088-520: A sequence of eight free-verse psalms. In this emotional repentance of his sins, David sees himself as reincarnating the Biblical David , with a similar relationship to God and his people. His hymns also share the idealistic zeal of the contemporaneous European crusaders to whom David was a natural ally in his struggle against the Seljuks . The kingdom continued to flourish under Demetrius I ,
1156-513: Is Thou Art a Vineyard , which is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, the patron saint of Georgia, and is still sung in Georgia's churches 900 years after its creation. Demetrius was succeeded by his son George in 1156, beginning a stage of more offensive foreign policy. The same year he ascended to the throne, George launched a successful campaign against the Seljuq sultanate of Ahlat . He freed
1224-534: Is now western Georgia fell under Ottoman Turkish control. Although the Ottoman Turks briefly gained Dagestan during the Ottoman-Safavid War of 1578–1590 , Dagestan and many of its Avar inhabitants stayed under Safavid suzerainty for many centuries. Despite Safavid rule, many ethnic groups in Dagestan, including many Avars, retained relatively high amounts of freedom and self-governance. After
1292-405: Is referred to as χunzaχ in literary Avarian and χwnzaa in a local dialect. The modern literary language of Avarias ( Awar mac' ), both in the past and today, is known among Avarians as the language of boʔ ( bolmac' ). The Avarian word bo means "army, armed people." According to reconstructions, this word descends from * ʔωar in the proto-Avarian language ("ʔ" represents
1360-642: Is the Datuna Church , which has been dated to the late 10th–early 11th century. Several stone crosses bearing Georgian, Armenian and even Avarian inscriptions have also been noted. Christianity probably arrived via Georgia and had its peak in Avaria contemporary to the Georgian Golden Age in the 10th–12th centuries. Christianity remained dominant until the early 14th century, but eventually disappeared in favour of Islam. Oral traditions recall that
1428-641: The Avarian District . Some Avars refused to collaborate with Russians and migrated to Turkey, where their descendants live to this day. Despite war and emigration, the Avars retained their position as the dominant ethnic group in Dagestan during the Soviet period. After World War II , many Avars left the barren highlands for the fertile plains closer to the shores of the Caspian Sea . The Avarians are
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#17327767181191496-624: The Battle of Didgori , with fleeing Seljuq Turks being run down by pursuing Georgian cavalry for several days. A huge amount of booty and prisoners were captured by David's army, which had also secured Tbilisi and inaugurated a new era of revival. To highlight his country's higher status, he became the first Georgian king to reject the highly respected titles bestowed by the Eastern Roman Empire , Georgia’s longtime ally, indicating that Georgia would deal with its powerful friend only on
1564-532: The Fifth Crusade and concentrated on fighting the invaders, but the Mongol onslaught was too strong to overcome. Georgians suffered heavy losses in the war and the king himself was severely wounded. As a result, George became handicapped and died prematurely at the age of 31. George's sister Rusudan assumed the throne but she was too inexperienced and her country too weakened to push out the nomads. In 1236
1632-590: The Georgian Orthodox Church and gained free passage for Georgian pilgrims to the Holy Land . The widespread use of the Jerusalem cross in Medieval Georgia - an inspiration for the modern national flag of Georgia - is thought to date to the reign of George V. The death of George V, the last of great kings of unified Georgia, precipitated an irreversible decline of the Kingdom. The following decades were marked by Black Death , which
1700-598: The Iranian languages . The Parthian word apar and the Middle Persian word abar/aβar both mean "up, on, over" and "higher, superior." The Middle Persian word abraz means "acclivity," or uphill slope. Similar Middle Persian words include abarag/aβarag , meaning "superior"; abargar/aβargar , meaning "god, divinity"; abarmanig/aβarmanig , meaning "noble"; apar amatan , meaning "to surpass", and apar kardan/apar handaχtan , meaning "to attack". At
1768-585: The Lord's Sepulchre , they march into the Holy City...without paying tribute to anyone, for the Saracens dare in no wise molest them... With flourishing commercial centers now under Georgia's control, industry and commerce brought new wealth to the country and Tamar's court. Tribute extracted from the neighbors and war booty added to the royal treasury, giving rise to the saying that "the peasants were like nobles,
1836-703: The North Caucasus between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea . Alongside other ethnic groups in the North Caucasus region, the Avars live in ancient villages located approximately 2,000 meters above sea level. The Avar language spoken by the Caucasian Avars belongs to the family of Northeast Caucasian languages . Sunni Islam has been the prevailing religion of the Avars since the 14th century. According to 19th-century Russian historians,
1904-684: The Northeast Caucasian (or Nakh–Dagestanian) language family. The writing is based on the Cyrillic script , which replaced the Arabic script used before 1927 and the Latin script used between 1927 and 1938. More than 60% of the Avars living in Dagestan speak Russian as their second language. Georgian Golden Age The Georgian Golden Age ( Georgian : საქართველოს ოქროს ხანა , romanized : sakartvelos okros khana ) describes
1972-540: The Russo-Persian War of 1722–1723 , Russia briefly took Dagestan from the Safavids. The Afsharids reestablished full control over the Caucasus again in the early 18th century under Nader Shah 's Caucasus campaign and Dagestan campaign . During that same time, the Avars routed one of Nader Shah's armies at Andalal during the later stages of his Dagestan campaign. In the wake of this triumph, Umma Khan of
2040-563: The 10th-century Arab geographer al-Masudi the king of Sarir was a descendant of the 5th-century Sasanian king Bahram V . The first king allegedly arrived in Dagestan as an emissary of Yazdegerd III , bringing with him the Sasanian throne and the imperial treasure after the Sasanian empire had been defeated by the Arabs in the 7th century. To protect the throne he established a hereditary reign. The 9th-century geographer al-Ya'qubi noted that
2108-836: The Avar territory, and the alliance with the Golden Horde enabled the Avar khans to increase their prosperity. In the 15th century the Horde declined, and the Shamkhalate of Kazi-Kumukh rose to power. The Shamkhalate absorbed the Avar Khanate. From the 16th century onwards, the Safavids and Ottomans began expanding their territory in the Caucasus. By the mid-16th century, what is now Dagestan , eastern Georgia , Azerbaijan , and Armenia were under Safavid rule. The area that
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2176-680: The Avars (reigned 1774–1801) managed to extract tribute from most states of the Caucasus, including Shirvan and Georgia. Umma Khan died in 1801. Two years later, the khanate voluntarily submitted to Russian authority following the Russian annexation of Georgia and the Treaty of Georgievsk . This was only confirmed after considerable Russian successes and the victory in the Russo-Persian War of 1804–1813 , after which Persia lost southern Dagestan and many of its other Caucasian territories to Russia. The 1828 Treaty of Turkmenchay indefinitely consolidated Russian control over Dagestan and other areas where
2244-529: The Avars lived. The Russians instituted heavy taxes, expropriated estates, and constructed fortresses in the Avar region. The Avar population revolted under the flag of the Muslim Imamate of Dagestan . Ghazi Mohammed (1828–1832), Hamzat Bek (1832–1834), and Shamil (1834–1859) led the revolts. This Caucasian War raged until 1864, when the Avarian Khanate was abolished and replaced by
2312-418: The Avars' neighbors usually referred to them with the exonym Tavlins ( tavlintsy ). Vasily Potto wrote, "The words in different languages have the same meaning... [of] mountain dwellers [or] highlanders." Potto claimed that members of Avarian tribe also often referred to themselves by the alternate endonym maarulal , also meaning "mountaineer". Most of those known as Tavlins trace their lineage to
2380-671: The Ayyubid conquest of Jerusalem in 1187, Tamar sent envoys to the sultan to request that the confiscated possessions of the Georgian monasteries in Jerusalem be returned. Saladin's response is not recorded, but the queen's efforts seem to have been successful. Ibn Šaddād furthermore claims that Tamar outbid the Byzantine emperor in her efforts to obtain the relics of the True Cross , offering 200,000 gold pieces to Saladin who had taken
2448-475: The Datuna church was looted by Muslims in around 1475. Caucasian Avars The Avars ( / ˈ æ v ɑːr z / ), also known as Maharuls' ( Avar : магӀарулал , romanized: maⱨarulal , lit. 'mountaineers'), are a Northeast Caucasian ethnic group . The Avars are the largest of several ethnic groups living in the Russian republic of Dagestan . The Avars reside in
2516-548: The Georgian Queen, sparing western Georgia of the widespread rampages. Later, Rusudan attempted to gain support from Pope Gregory IX , but without any success. In 1243, Georgia was finally forced to acknowledge the Great Khan as its overlord. Perhaps no Mongol invasion devastated Georgia as much as the decades of anti-Mongol struggle that took place in the country. The first anti-Mongol uprising started in 1259 under
2584-515: The Georgian court. According to Tamar's historian, the aim of the Georgian expedition to Trebizond was to punish the Byzantine emperor Alexius IV Angelus for his confiscation of a shipment of money from the Georgian queen to the monasteries of Antioch and Mount Athos . Tamar's Pontic endeavor can also be explained by her desire to take advantage of the Western European Fourth Crusade against Constantinople to set up
2652-733: The Georgians considered forced, in favor of the traditional Christian and Byzantine overtones. As part of this effort, he founded the Gelati Monastery , a UNESCO World Heritage Site , which became an important center of scholarship in the Eastern Orthodox Christian world of that time. David also played a personal role in reviving Georgian religious hymnography, composing the Hymns of Repentance ( Georgian : გალობანი სინანულისანი , galobani sinanulisani ),
2720-497: The Mongols, restored the pre-1220 state borders of Georgia, and returned the Empire of Trebizond into Georgia's sphere of influence. Under him, Georgia established close international commercial ties, mainly with the Byzantine Empire - to which George V had family ties - but also with the great European maritime republics , Genoa and Venice . George V also achieved the restoration of several Georgian monasteries in Jerusalem to
2788-586: The Panther's Skin ( Vepkhistq'aosani ). Revered in Georgia as the greatest achievement of native literature, the poem celebrates the Medieval humanistic ideals of chivalry , friendship and courtly love . Around the time when Mongols invaded the Slavic northeast of Europe , the nomadic armies simultaneously pushed down south to Georgia. George IV , son of Queen Tamar, put aside his preparations in support of
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2856-412: The census. This makes it difficult to know exactly how many Avarians live in Turkey. According to Ataev B.M., who referenced A.M. Magomeddadaev's research, the Avarian population there should have been around 53,000 in 2005. Avarian is a collective term; among the Avarians there are around 15 sub-ethnic groups, including the Avar, Andi , and Tsez (Dido) peoples. According to genetic studies in 2023,
2924-406: The eastern regions of Khorasan, Tokharistan, etc. as the dominions of Afu/Hua/Awards/Hephthalites between ca. 440 and 500 A.D., relying on the identification Hua = Uar = Awar. The German researcher Karl Heinrich Menges considered Eurasian Avars to be one of the ancient Mongol peoples, who "were the first to use the title ga gan (later qān, ḵān) for their supreme ruler." He describes the "traces of
2992-534: The first female ruler of Georgia in her own right and under whose leadership the Georgian state reached the zenith of power and prestige in the Middle Ages. She not only shielded much of her Empire from further Turkish onslaught but successfully pacified internal tensions, including a coup organized by her Russian husband Yury Bogolyubsky , prince of Novgorod . Additionally, she pursued policies that were considered very enlightened for her time period, such as abolishing state-sanctioned death penalty and torture. Among
3060-403: The first major works of secular literature. Lasting more than two centuries, the Golden Age came to a gradual end due to persistent invasions of nomads , such as Mongols , as well as the spread of Black Death by these same nomadic groups. Georgia further weakened after the Fall of Constantinople , which effectively marked the end of the Eastern Roman Empire , Georgia's traditional ally. As
3128-416: The following haplogroups are found to predominate among Avars: МагIарулал , transliterated as Ma'arulal means "inhabitants of the top grounds, mountaineers." Another group of Avarians is described as belonging to a different category, Хьиндалал ( X'indalal with a soft "χ"). This term means "inhabitants of plains (warm valleys) and gardeners". The name "Avarians" has a narrower meaning; it has
3196-431: The golden throne of Sarir was a gift of the 6th-century shah Khosrow I Anushirvan . The king of Sarir reportedly titled himself as sahib al-sarir ("master of the throne") as well as khaqan al-jabal (" khagan of the mountain") and wahrazan-shah (possibly "king of the Avars"), titles he had allegedly received from the Sasanian shah. These reports suggest that the kings of Sarir tried to back their authority by claiming
3264-462: The important Armenian town of Dvin from Turkish vassalage and was thus welcomed as a liberator in the area. George also continued the process of intermingling Georgian royalty with the highest ranks of the Eastern Roman Empire, a testament of which is the marriage of his daughter Rusudan to Manuel Komnenos , the son of Emperor Andronikos I Komnenos . The successes of her predecessors were built upon by Queen Tamar , daughter of George III, who became
3332-437: The leadership of David VI and lasted for almost thirty years. The anti-Mongol strife continued without much success under Kings Demetrius the Self-Sacrificer , who was executed by the Mongols, and David VIII . Georgia finally saw a period of revival unknown since the Mongol invasions under King George V the Brilliant . A far-sighted monarch, George V managed to play on the decline of the Ilkhanate , stopped paying tribute to
3400-504: The mountainous part of Dagestan as well the plains ( Buynaksk , Khasavyurt , Kizilyurt and other regions). Outside of Dagestan, Russian Avars also live in Chechnya and Kalmykia . As of 1999, 50,900 Avarians lived in the Balakan and Zakatala rayons of Azerbaijan. The Avarian population of Azerbaijan had decreased to 49,800 by 2009. In 2002, 1,996 Kvareli Avars lived in Georgia. In Turkey , Avarians are considered "ethnic Turks", and so aren't counted as their own ethnic group on
3468-464: The nobles like princes, and the princes like kings." Tamar's reign also marked the continuation of artistic development in the country commenced by her predecessors. While her contemporary Georgian chronicles continued to enshrine Christian morality, the religious theme started to lose its earlier dominant position to the highly original secular literature. This trend culminated in an epic written by Georgia's national poet Rustaveli - The Knight in
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#17327767181193536-495: The relics as booty at the battle of Hattin – to no avail, however. Jacques de Vitry , the Patriarch of Jerusalem at that time wrote: There is also in the East another Christian people, who are very warlike and valiant in battle, being strong in body and powerful in the countless numbers of their warriors...Being entirely surrounded by infidel nations...these men are called Georgians, because they especially revere and worship St. George...Whenever they come on pilgrimage to
3604-406: The remarkable events of Tamar's reign was the foundation of the empire of Trebizond on the Black Sea in 1204. This state was established in the northeast of the crumbling Byzantine Empire with the help of the Georgian armies, which supported Alexios I of Trebizond and his brother, David Komnenos , both of whom were Tamar's relatives. Alexios and David were fugitive Byzantine princes raised at
3672-434: The same time, according to the morphology of the Middle Persian language, the word Aβarag , meaning "superior" can also be translated as "Aβarian", "Khurasanian", and "Parthian" as seen, for example, in a Middle Persian word, Eranag , meaning "Iranian". The first known use of the term "Avar" was in the 10th century. According to Persian author Ibn Rustah , a so-called governor of Sarir , Johannes de Galonifontibus
3740-400: The son of George II and Queen Helena, who assumed the throne at the age of 16 in a period of Great Turkish Invasions . As he came of age under the guidance of his court minister, George of Chqondidi , David IV suppressed the dissent of feudal lords and centralized the power in his hands to effectively deal with foreign threats. In 1121, he decisively defeated much larger Turkish armies during
3808-434: The son of David. Although his reign saw a disruptive family conflict related to royal succession, Georgia remained a centralized power with a strong military, with several decisive victories against the Muslims in Ganja , gates of which were captured by Demetrius and moved as a trophy to Gelati. A talented poet, Demetrius also continued his father's contributions to Georgia's religious polyphony . The most famous of his hymns
3876-419: The sovereign house.") In summary, Aparšahr/Aβaršahr is very similar to the German word Oberland . According to historian H.W. Haussig, Aβaršahr means Reich der Abar ("Kingdom of the Abar") and should be sought in the south-western territory of the Western Turkic Khaganate . A Dahae tribe, the Aparnak ( Parni ) moved from the south-eastern shore of the Caspian Sea (part of modern Turkmenistan ), into
3944-480: The state's disintegration in the early 12th century. In the 13th century, the Caucasian Avars formed a new Muslim state, traditionally known as Avaristan . The ruler of Sarir and the inhabitants of his fortress were reported to be Christians, while the population of the countryside remained pagans. Relics of Christianity, like crosses, churches and Christian burials, are, however, commonly found throughout much of Avaria. The most significant preserved Christian monument
4012-535: The territory of Khurasan, where they founded a confederation of Dahae tribes that Avestani texts referred to as "barbarians" and "enemies of Aryans," according to Christian Bartholomae. On the border of Khurasan, the Sassanid Persians built a strong wall, named the " Great Wall of Gorgan " or "The Red Snake." The wall was built to protect Iran from invasion by the White Huns ( Hepthalites ; called Khionites, X'iiaona and Xyôn in Zoroastrian texts). Later another wave of White Huns conquered Khurasan and occupied it for
4080-490: The top, coming from the upper side." Nöldeke, Hübschmann, Frye, Christensen and Enoki identify Aparshahr/Abarshahr/Abharshahr/Abrashahr with Khurasan , a historical region of Iran, or with Nishapur , an Iranian city. The Khurasan ( χwarasan ) in Iranian studies is known as "rise of Sun." The Parthian word apar ( Middle Persian abar/aβar , meaning "up, on, over") and Parthian/Middle Persian šahr are cognate with Old Iranian χšaθra , which means "empire, power,
4148-476: The upper parts of two tributaries of the Sulak River : the Andiyskoe Koisu and Avarskoye Koisu. Between the 5th and 12th centuries, Georgian Orthodox Christianity was introduced to the Avar valleys. During the Islamic conquests , Arabs invaded the Caucasus , conquering Azerbaijan in 639 and Derbent in 643. They also founded the Emirate of Tbilisi in 736. Later, the Christian kingdom of Sarir governed much of modern-day Dagestan. The Kingdom of Georgia
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#17327767181194216-406: The victory, the Hephthalite empire extended to Merv and Herat . Some of the White Huns drew up a peace treaty with Iran and the two became allies, both fighting against the Byzantine Empire . Thus, Hephthalites lived in the Khurasan/Khorasan area. According to the Chinese classic Liang chih-kung-t'u , 滑 ( pinyin : hua ) was the name the Hephthalites used for themselves, and that is probably
4284-554: Was Agran". The editor of this book, an academician of the Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan, Z.M. Buniyatov, confirms that this "Agran" corresponds to the Avar Khanate . The word "Agran" is unknown to modern Avars. According to the Altiranisches Wörterbuch, written by Christian Bartholomae, "agra" means erste, oberste; Anfang, Spitze in his language, German. This corresponds to "first, upper, beginning, tip" in English. He also wrote that "agra'va" meant vom Obersten, von der Oberseite stammend in German, which translates to "from
4352-404: Was also Christian. However, when Sarir fell in the early 12th century and Mongol invasions led by Subutai and Jebe weakened Georgia, Christian influence in the area ended. The Avar Khanate , a predominantly Muslim polity, succeeded Sarir. The only extant monument of Sarir architecture is the 10th-century Datuna Church in the village of Datuna. The Mongol invasions seem not to have affected
4420-408: Was generally victorious and this allowed Sarir to manipulate the politics of Derbent. Concomitantly, the kings of Sarir shifted away from the Khazar alliance and mounted several incursions into the Khazarian steppes. The pattern of intermarriage between the royal houses of Sarir and Alania cemented the anti-Khazar alliance of the two Christian states. During the early years of the 11th century ruled
4488-478: Was pressed into submitting to the Caliph 's authority. It paid tribute and provided men for the Arab garrison of Derbent until the ninth century, when, emboldened by the shift in momentum in the south, Sarir asserted sovereignty over large portions of the Caucasus, including Gumik , Filan and parts of Arran . As the hegemony of the Caliphate crumbled, Sarir found itself continually at war with its successor states, such as Derbent and Shirvan . In these wars, it
4556-479: Was spread by the nomads, as well as numerous invasions under the leadership of Tamerlane , who devastated the country's economy, population, and urban centers. After the fall of Byzantium , Georgia definitively turned into an isolated, fractured Christian enclave, a relic of the faded East Roman epoch surrounded by hostile Turco-Iranic neighbors. Georgia's decline resulted in "emasculation" of its image in Russian Imperial perceptions, which systematically overlooked
4624-436: Was the first person to write about Avars under the name "Avar." He wrote in 1404 that " Circassians , Leks , Yasses, Alans , Avars, [and] Kazikumukhs" live in the Caucasus. According to Vladimir Minorsky, one account from 1424 called the Daghestanian Avars the Auhar. Azerbaijani writer Abbasgulu Bakikhanov wrote that the "inhabitants of vicinities of Agran have been moved here from Khurasan . A residence of this emir also
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