Masmada

Cities of Khazaria. Kromos Estatium
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     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.
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Masmada **
     Also M-s-n-d-r, Masdar, M-sk-at.
     In the chronicle of the Limits of the World or Hudud al-Alem, composed in the late 10th century, this city belonged to the Kingdom of suvar with its capital in Semender, and the Kingdom itself in this chronicle belonged to the Khazarus state.
     Armenian geography is also casually mentions the city of Masada, placing it last on the line of fortified settlements, where there was Varadjan, Chundars, Mcndr. All these cities belonged to the huns, whom Armenian geographers called khons.
     In 739, the arab general Mervan tried to subdue the Mountain Kings of the North-Eastern Caucasus when he conquered Derbent. Taking Khamzin, he sent part of his army to the mountains, where the land of Masdart was located. This was reported by Ibn al-Asir.
     Without conquering the mountains, Mervan gathered the 12 kings of the mountains and tried to persuade them to oppose the Khazar Khaganate. But the kings of the Caucasus Mountains apparently knew the history of the future, in which it was written that Mervan would be the last arab conqueror in the land of the North Caucasus.
     All the cities of the suvar Kingdom were rich. To them, the anonymous author of the Limits of the World with the city Masmuda and Semender consider also Hemlig, Balandgar, Bayda, Savgar, Htlg, L-k-n and Sur.
     In the 7th century, the city of Masmada had fortifications of ramparts and ditches, which appear here with the arrival of the savir-bulgars, a century before the formation of Khazaria.
     At the beginning of the 8th century, a fortress with strong walls appears in Masmad, which is reported by the authors of the Limits of the World. At the same time, the city lives a fairly free life, managed by its own community. The city trades with the cities of Serira, Khazaria in the North Caucasus.
     During a series of wars between the arabs and the khazars for control of trade routes in the North Caucasus, the city of Masmada tried to maintain a neutral position, despite the presence of a khazar military garrison stationed in the fortress.
     This freedom continued until the beginning of the 9th century, when the khazars repelled all attempts of the Caliphate to infiltrate the North Caucasus. From the arabs only islam and noble ranks remained here, which the owners of the city enjoyed with pleasure.
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