On The Sources Used

The difficulty in investigating the history of the Khazars lies in the lack of indigenous sources and our reliance on the views of Arabic, Persian, Byzantine and Orientalist sources. Thus, our understanding of the Khazars and its Empire is informed by the views of non-Khazar peoples, all of whom are infused with their own particular biases, and none of which can adequately reflect the historical reality of Khazar history.

An additional difficulty in understanding the Khazars arises from the confusion emanating from the political use of conspiracy theories about the Khazars, largely originating in America in the 20th century.

These histories and conspiracy theories are deserving of separate treatment (expand).

A brief description of the written sources is given below.

Al-Masudi
was a 10th century historian and traveler; known in the West as the 'Herodotus of the Arabs'; was the first interdisciplinarian Arab academic to combine scientific geography and world history in his seminal work, 'The Meadows of Gold and Mines of Gems'.Al-Masudi was a descendent of a prominent companion of Muhammad.

Ibn al-Athir

Ibn al-Faqih al-Hamadani 
(ca. 903) was a 10th century Persian historian and geographer, native of Hamadan (ancient Ecbatana), who wrote Mukhtasar Kitab al-Buldan  (Concise Book of Lands).
Al-Faqih wrote a testimony on the Khazar conversion.

Ibn Fadlan
was a 10th century ambassador, whose mission, as entreated to him by Khalif Moktadir Billah, was to the king of the Bulghars.

Ibn Miskawayh

Sinan ibn Thabit
was a 10th century mathematician.