Kilbah

Cities of Khazaria. Kromos Estatium
======================
     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.
=======================

Kilbah **
     Also Gelbach, Gulbag, Gilbbah. Kascar. It is often associated with Belendger.
     This city was located in the region of Irkhan in the south of Khazaria on the Kumyk platform, which is now the territory of Dagestan.
     It is believed that Kilbah left Verhne-chir-urt the city ruins.
     At one time, the ruler of the Irhan region was located in the fortress of the city, in a short arab time he held the title of Emir, and the city was called Gelbakh in arabic sources.
     The khazars had their own garrison in the Kilbah fortress, which took part in the iranian-khazar and arab-khazar wars from the 7th century to the end of the 9th century.
     In those days, when in Kilbah was sitting Khazar Khakan, all of the copper from Indirai copper mine, and gold mine near the river Tirik brought Khakan, where he ruled over the region Irhan.
     During the arab-khazar conflict for the supremacy over the Kumyk highway, along which a significant part of the caravans of the Great Silk Road passed, the fortress and the city took an active part in this war on the side of the Khazarus State, over the course of 50 years, it was repeatedly attacked by the arabs and changed hands. But it was constantly restored by khazar architects after the retreat of the arabs.
     The fortress itself was located on the bank of the Sulak river in the very cross of the gorges of the Caucasian foothills, the Kumyk platform and the Caspian lowland. The fortress stood in the way of the advance of the Caliphate's troops into the depths of Khazaria, where other cities of the saltov-mayatsk culture were located, the same as on the Upper Chir-Yurt settlement.
     The fortress was built during the rule of the persian Shahinshahs over this trade route, who in the 6th century felt competition here from savir-bulgar migrants, behind whom stood the Kingdom of the huns.
     At the beginning of the 8th century, the khazars controlled the Kumyk trade route. They strengthen the walls of the fortress, now they have a height of up to 3 meters. The military garrison consists mainly of local mountaineers. This was an important political move of the khazar authorities, which made it possible to buy the loyalty of local autochthonous tribes to the khazar authorities. Which was not the case with the persians.
     Now military garrisons accompanied caravans along the entire route of caravans from Derbent through the Kumyk tract to Azov and the Crimea. Warriors of local origin, participating in trade and military expeditions of the Khazar Khaganate armies, entered into multilateral cultural contacts with a variety of peoples and religions, which enriched the local culture.
     By the middle of the 8th century, a new genotype of the people, called kumyks, began to form here. This ethnic group is based on their autochthonous genocult of caucasian -sarmatian type with attraction savir-bulgar element.
     After the fall of Khazaria, the fortress passes into the full possession of the local Kings of the Caucasus mountains. However, the highlanders did not have the means to maintain and repair these Castles, and control of the trade routes along the valley did not bring the same income as under the persians and khazars, since there was no unified system for managing these revenues. Each Prince of the Mountains controlled only their own section of the road.
     The situation changed for the better after the arrival of a new organized force in the face of the Golden Horde with Rus. The walls are being repaired again, and there are traces of the presence of the Mongoloid population here.
     The inhabitants of the city considered themselves very noble in their families, which is why they did not pass off their sisters and brides as grooms of the lower rank, in their opinion. They were denied even the emirs of the neighbouring cities, considering them to be worthless for himself. On this basis, inter-clan feuds often arose, to which the proud and ardent princes of the Caucasus mountains and gorges were always attracted.
     Many of them came to the fortress with their soldiers, threatening to take the bride by force. Then the fortress was called Kaskar. But they did not dare to storm the fortress because of its impregnable walls. They say that since the fortress to the city and became known as Killah that means inaccessible place.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++