Saqsin

Location

Saqsin was a medieval city that flourished from the eleventh to the thirteenth centuries CE. It was situated in the Volga delta (modern-day Astrakhan Oblast).

Saqsin in History

It was mentioned by the Arab writers al-Gharnati and al-Qazwini , among others. Saqsin may be an Arabized version of "Sarighsin", Turkic for "Yellow City". The identity of its inhabitants is unclear. It was situated near the ruins of Atil, the old Khazar capital, but there is no indication that it was part of any latter-day Khazar polity. It was situated in Kipchak territory and may have been the center for one of their principalities. Some sources claim that it was under the influence of the Volga Bulgars.

Excavations

In 2003 Dmitry Vasil'ev of Astrakhan State University led a series of excavations around the site of Samosdelskoe in the Volga delta. Vasil'ev connected artifacts from the lower strata with Khazar, Oghuz and Bulgar culture, leading him to believe that he had discovered the site of Saqsin. The matter is still unresolved.