nomadic confederation · Central Asia and the Steppe

Sabirs

463 CE – 576 CE (approx.)

A powerful nomad people of the North Caucasus steppe who served as mercenaries for both Byzantium and Persia in the 6th century.

Origins

The Sabirs moved west from the steppes of Western Siberia around 463, when, according to Priscus, they were pushed by the Avars and in turn drove the Saragurs, Urogs and Onogurs towards the Black Sea. By the early 6th century they were settled north of the Caucasus between the Caspian and the Kuban.

Rule and society

Byzantine authors such as Procopius describe them as numerous and warlike, ruled by several chiefs, and skilled in siege engineering. In 515 they raided Armenia and Cappadocia, and they hired themselves to both Justinian and the Sasanian kings in the wars over Lazica. Their queen Boa, a widow ruling 100,000 people, allied with Justinian around 527.

Decline and legacy

The Avars defeated the Sabirs in the late 550s, and the Turkic Khaganate subdued the remainder in 576. Their people merged into the Khazars and Bulgar peoples; some are recorded settled in Byzantine and Caucasian territory.

Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.

Lineage

SabirsKhazar Khaganate 650 CE – 969 CE

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Sabirs. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/sabirs
MLA
“Sabirs.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/sabirs. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Sabirs.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/sabirs.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Sabirs’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/sabirs (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻