paragraph_text: 250 px|desno|thumb|Arheološka iskapanja tijekom 1930-ih Sarkel ili Šarkil (na hazarskom doslovno "bijela kuća")<ref>D. Dunlop, The History of the Jewish Khazars, Princeton University Press (1954). According to Károly Cseglédy, "Šarkel: An Ancient Turkish Word for 'House'" in D.Sinor, ed., Aspects of Altaic Culture (Uralic and Altaic studies no. 23) (Bloomington and the Hague, 1963), pp. 23-31, shar is related to Chuvash shura 'white' and kel/kil is borrowed from Middle Persian gil 'house.' velika je tvrđava koju su Hazari 830-ih podigli uz bizantsku pomoć na obali rijeke Don u današnjoj Rostovskoj oblasti Rusije.