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The International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences. Vol. XXXVII. Part B5. Beijing 2008 
semantical dB’s into GIS thematic layers. It should be noted 
that application of this approach extends widely possibilities of 
studies and “allows to use almost all kind of information of 
historical sources, which have to be organized spatially” 
(Piatukh, 2004). In general, 123 GIS layers, including 43 
auxiliary and 80 main layers were created. Auxiliary layers 
consist of data on historical and modem administrative division, 
hydrography, populated areas, mountain gorges, relief, AALS in 
period of time 1984-2005 ys. AALS layer was necessary for 
determination already disappeared ancient roads and their 
infrastructure. Main layers consist of data on commercial routes, 
markets, their infrastructure, ancient agroceonoses, rock arts 
accumulations, types of economic centres and toponymical 
names. So, using GIS, two final thematic maps were completed. 
One of them is map of reconstructed commercial routes 
exploited before, in time and after existing the GSR. The other 
is map of perspective localities for further historic-archeological 
studies. 
Knowing location of caravan road allows us to determine 
localities of elements of its infrastructure, for instance - wells, 
caravan-sheds, etc. So, in one word, having a map of old 
caravan roads, several ancient guidebooks and geographic- 
historical description of the locality we can compose plan-chart 
of perspective zones for searching buildings of infrastructure on 
the roads. In turn, availability of satellite and aero images 
simplifies significantly this search. 
Moreover the DEM for demonstration uniqueness of Nuratau 
area as transit commercial crossroad was created. Map of 
perspective localities was completed on base of narrative 
information and GIS thematic maps on commercial routes, 
which had been created earlier. Overlay of this information on 
satellite imagery of high resolution allows recognizing traces of 
ancient roads and contour lines of ruins of caravan-sheds, 
fortresses and ancient agroceonoses for further field studies. 
The DEM was created in 2003 year on ground of topographical 
map of scale 1:500000 (of 1984 y.) on Nuratau area by 
exploiting GIS Software Maplnfo Professional v.6.0. and GIS 
utillite A112pts v. 0.9 alfa (created by Emmanuel Pare). After 
creation the DEM, GIS layer on reconstruction of commercial 
routes in Nuratau area was put on it. Next historical analysis of 
all resulting information was completed. This shows that GIS is 
analytical facility, which describes not only spatial location of 
objects but also links of historic-economical processes, events 
and dynamics of their development. 
Historical analysis is necessary for comprehension of modem 
processes and forecasting of tendencies of their development. 
Disregarding this analysis weakens a researcher both in theory 
and practice. For modem analytical and perspective elaborations 
it is important to know economic-geographical experience of 
the Past including history of commercial routes and centres and 
commercial-transporting infrastructure in whole. Knowledge of 
the Past allows us to forecast better tendencies, structure and 
parameters of Future (Lappo, 1987). 
Data used 
Map sources: The Shtarlenberg map xerocopy of ‘Nova 
descripto Tatariae magnae ham orientalis quam occidental^’ 
dated from 1730 year. The A. Il'in’ ‘Map of the Turkistan 
Governorship’. Scale 50 milestones (verst) per 1 English inch, 
Compiled by Staff-Captain Lyusin, under supervision of 
lieutenant colonel Narbut, Tashkent (in Russian), dated from 
1871 year. The Bolshev’ ‘Map of the Southern Belt of Asian 
Russia’ Sheet XIX Tashkent, in scale of 40 milestones (verst) 
Method of historical analysis was used. For this end, more than 
300 bibliographical sources on archeology, ethnography, history, 
geography and irrigation (including translated to russian modem 
editions of old Persian and Arab manuscripts) were gathered 
and classified. Moreover, publications of Russian strangers 
dated from 1823 y. (Eversman, 1823, Bikchurin 1829; 
Horoshkhin, 1876 and etc.) and 14 cartographical sources (in 
that number 4 old maps dated from 1730 y.) were used. On this 
base narrative-semantical dB’s were created. They consist of 
several divisions: historic-economical state; trade routes; 
descriptions of markets; category of transported goods; 
specializations of trade centers; list of transit trade crossroads; 
list of places with accumulations of rock arts; toponymical 
information. Let us consider two the last divisions more detail, 
since they play important role for reconstruction of commerce 
routes.For instance on mountain passes and gates since ancient 
times human left symbols - rock arts (Tikhvinskiy and etc., 
1988). 
In Nuratau area and surrounding territories they mainly were 
placed in mountain localities: Nuratau ridge (Shackiy, 1973; 
Muminov, 1995), Zirabulak-Ziauttdin mountains and mounts of 
Central Kyzylkums. Toponymical information also helps in 
determination of commercial infrastructure and directions of 
trade routes. Such a methodic was suggested first by V.I. 
Kireyev and E.B. Pruger (Kovalev, 1975) and later by S.K. 
Karayev for recognition of trade routes (Karaev, 1991). Essence 
of the method is interpretation of toponymical names due to the 
languages, which applied in common use on the considered 
territory at that time. For instance in south part of Nuratau area 
is a village named JAM or YAM, which in Mongolian language 
means post station. Such stations appeared since 1225 y. Under 
Mongols’ power ‘Yam’s were away each from other at distance 
5 ‘farsah’s, i.e. about 30-32 km (Karaev, 1991). Toponyms of 
East never are occasional. In steppe, in south-western part of the 
area there is a village ‘Ramitan’. Its name is translated from old 
Saghdian language as fortress at a road. This way, knowledge of 
meanings of toponymical names can be used for the 
reconstruction. Essentially, such kind of sources should be used 
accurately, together with narrative, semantical (archeological, 
historic-geographical) sources from ancient Arabian route 
guides (Petrovskiyi, 1894) and other cartographical information. 
Typological classifying of commercial routes and centres was 
carried out due to a methodic, which differs a little the methodic 
of E. Rtveladze (Rtveladze, 1999). The distinctions were in 
ways of regional, subregional, local and domestic divisions. I.e. 
we decide that regional elements belong to Central Asia, 
subregional to Middle Asia, local elements are inside the 
territories surrounding Nuratau and domestic elements are 
inside Nuratau area. 
Applying historic-geographical approach in framework of GIS 
(Piatukh, 2004; Bartli and etc., 2004), we transform narrative-