The History of the Caucasian Albanians is an Armenian compilation of the tenth century. It preserves much older material. Its second book covers the reign of Varaz-Trdat. It also holds the one narrative any source gives of the Huns who held the passes north of Derbent in the later seventh century.[1]

The relevant passage

In the winter of 681 the prince of those Huns came down into Albania.[2] The text calls him the general and great prince of the Huns, Alp Ilitʿuer. It says he assembled his soldiers and those who came to join him from many places, with generals and ensigns and troops bearing halberds, archers and cataphracts, armoured and helmeted. With this force he invaded Albania at the foot of the great Caucasus.[2] The following winter the Albanian prince sent Bishop Israyēl of Mec Kuēankʿ to his court. The text reports the bishop’s preaching at length. The prince and his army heard him, the sacred trees were cut down, and crosses were set up where the altars had stood.[3]

The name in the manuscripts

  • Movsēs KałankatuacʿiArmenian
  • History of the Country of AlbaniaEnglish

The manuscripts do not agree on the name. The editor of the English text lists what they give: Alpi Litʿuir, Alpiali Tuer, Alpʿilitʿwer, Alpʿ hoł tʿuel, Ilu-Tʿvel and more. He reads through them to Alp the ǝl-tǝbǝr, the brave ilteber.[4] The reading is not new with him. It was set out in 1903. There the Armenian forms were placed beside the title of the Bulgar ruler in Ibn Faḍlān and beside Łewond’s litʿber, and all three were traced to one word.[5]

The article on the title sets out the argument and the objection to it. What belongs here is the date. Whatever the word turns out to be, this is where it is first written down outside China, in an account of the year 681 written in Armenian.[2]

Reliability

The work is late and composite. Its seventh-century material has passed through at least one hand before reaching the compiler. Against this stands its isolation. For the Huns of the north Caucasus under Khazar overlordship there is nothing to set beside it, and nothing that could be abridging it.

References

  1. ^ Dowsett 1961
  2. ^ a b c Movsēs Dasxurancʿi, book II
  3. ^ Movsēs Dasxurancʿi, book II
  4. ^ Dowsett 1961, p. 150
  5. ^ Marquart 1903, p. 114

Sources

Literature

  • Charles J. F. Dowsett (trans.), The History of the Caucasian Albanians by Movsēs Dasxuranci (1961)
  • Josef Marquart, Osteuropäische und ostasiatische Streifzüge (1903)

Articles resting on this source 32

Battle of Lake Sevan (629–630) · Börü Shad · Bread · Chepetukh · Chorpan Tarkhan · Derbent · Funeral Games of the Caucasian Huns · Göktürk Dress and Hair · Göktürk Expansion along the Silk Road · Göktürk Ironworking · Göktürk Weapons · Heraclius · Ilteber · Lake Sevan · Meeting of Heraclius and Ziebel (627) · Murder of Tong Yabgu (630) · Partaw · Raw Materials and Trade among the Turkic Peoples · Riding Round the Dead · Salt among the Turkic Peoples · Shad · Siege of Tiflis (627–629) · Tengri · The Caucasus campaign, 627–629 · The Göktürk Feast · The Göktürk Oath · The Göktürk–Byzantine alliance · Tiflis · Tong Yabgu · Warfare of the Steppe Empires · Western Göktürk Khaganate · Wrestling

Related

What links here22

Persons
Börü Shad · Chorpan Tarkhan · Heraclius
Conflicts
Göktürk Expansion along the Silk Road · The Caucasus campaign, 627–629
Places
Derbent · Lake Sevan · Partaw · Tiflis
Institutions and Titles
Chepetukh · Göktürk Dress and Hair · Göktürk Ironworking · Göktürk Weapons · Ilteber · Salt among the Turkic Peoples · The Göktürk Oath
Religions
Riding Round the Dead
Foods
Bread
Customs & Pastimes
Funeral Games of the Caucasian Huns · The Göktürk Feast · Wrestling
Sources
Sebeos

Cite this article

Yavuz, Emre-E. “Movsēs Dasxurancʿi.” Turkic Atlas, revised 8 November 2026. https://turkicatlas.org/sources/movses-dasxuranci/

Last revised: 8 November 2026