Atil

Atil, sometimes transliterated as Itil, is best known as the capital city of the Khazar Khaganate, located on the Volga delta near the Caspian Sea. It served as a major political and commercial hub from the 8th to the 10th centuries, acting as a gateway between Europe, the Middle East, and the Eurasian steppe. The city was part of a network of fortifications and markets that connected river routes along the Volga with the Caspian coast, facilitating trade and diplomacy among diverse cultures.

The site of Itil is associated with the Volga Delta in present-day Russia. The exact location has been a matter of scholarly debate, with various ruins and artifacts attributed to Itil by historians and archaeologists. Despite archaeological work, our understanding of the city’s layout and daily life remains incomplete, and the archaeological record is fragmentary.

The Khazar state declined in the late 10th century, and Itil was largely abandoned thereafter. Itil remains an important reference point for studying Khazar administration, trade networks, and the broader intercultural connections among the steppe, the Islamic world, and Byzantium. The question of Khazar Judaism—often discussed in relation to the ruling elite—continues to be debated among scholars, with no consensus on its extent or significance.

Atil is also used as a given name in Turkic-speaking regions and appears in modern place names and surnames. The term thus refers both to a historical city and to contemporary onomastic usage.