In the 630s Balanjar was a capital of the
Baranjar state. Some scholars speculate that the name derives from the Turkic root "Bala" or "Great", and the clan-name "Endzhar". With the rest of the Baranjar domains the city became part of the
Khazar Khaganate around 650; until the early 720s, Balanjar served as the capital of Khazaria. During the
First Arab-Khazar War in the 650s, a
Muslim army under
Abd ar-Rahman ibn Rabiah was defeated outside the town (see
Battle of Balanjar). Around 722 or 723,
Umayyad soldiers under
Al-Jarrah ibn Abdallah crossed the Caucasus Mountains and attacked Balanjar. The inhabitants of Balanjar tried to defend their town by fastening 3,000
wagons together and circling them around the key
fortress on high terrain, but were defeated in the attack. The Arabs massacred much of the town's population; survivors fled to other towns, including
Samandar. The victorious Arab army stole much
booty and the soldiers received large sums of money. The city was rebuilt after the war, but the capital of Khazaria was thereafter moved to Samandar and later to
Atil. Nevertheless, Balanjar continued to be a city of great importance within the Khaganate. After the fall of Khazaria, Balanjar lost much of its importance and declined steadily until it vanished from the record around 1100. The exact location of Balanjar has not yet been established precisely.
Soviet archeologist
Mikhail Artamonov initially placed Balanjar on the site of the modern
Daghestani city of
Buynaksk, but when later the ruins of a town to the south of
Makhachkala were found, he identified them as being those of Balanjar. ==References==