The International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences. Vol. XXXVII. Part B5. Beijing 2008 
960 
- Meshkhed and further went to Europe (Map of GSR, 2006). 
By that route silk fabrics and mirrors of bronze passed from 
China to area of lower side of Volga and North side of Black 
sea through Nuratau area being transit zone. Besides, except of 
the above mentioned directions of GSR there were other 
directions of GSR passed by transit through Nuratau region: 1) 
Dzhizak -Tashkent - Isfindjab (Shymkent) - Aris - Otrar and 
further to Volga side; 2) Urmetan-Pendjikent- Samarkand- 
Kattakurgan-Karmania-Ramitan-Bukhara- AmuT (Chardjev)- 
Merv-Meshkhed-North Afghanistan-Iran; 3) Ramitan- 
Bukhara-Paykend-Kunia-Urghench-Volga side-Alania-Funlin 
(Istanbul); 4) Samarkand- Kish (Shahrisabz)-Termez-Balkh- 
Khulm-Kabul-India. 
At 2 century B.C. Hanian stranger Chzhan Czyan visited 
Nuratau area (Chardarya and Hungry steppe, Dzhizak mountain 
gate, valley of middle side of Zarafshan River). He was a first 
man from China who discovered the way to the ‘Western land’. 
Chinese historians decide that cultivation of lucerne, walnut and 
fig tree in China was introduced by Chzhan Czyan from 
Zarafshan and Ferghana cities (Vasil’ev, 1947; Magidovich and 
etc., 1982). Main flux of goods went by north route - 
Samarkhand and Ferghana (Tikhvinskiy and etc., 1988). 
Main routes of commercial transports at GSR existence were 
described more detail. 
Imperial period: through Nuratau region passed four 
commercial routes: 1) Samarkand-Dzhizak- Khavast-Isfara- 
Kuva-Osh-Kashgar-Turfan-Dunkhuan; 2) Samarkand- 
Dzhizak - Tashkent - Isfindzhab - Otrar - Sauran (Turkestan)- 
Volga side; 3) Tashkent-Dzhizak-Samarkand-Bukhara-Kyat- 
Kunia Urgench-North Caspian Sea-Black Sea side-Alania- 
East Europe; 4) Samarkhand-Chilek-Zarabulak- Bukhara- 
Farab-Amul’-Merv-Iran-Syria-North Afghanistan- India. 
Pre-Islamic period: Biography of Pey Czyuy included to 
dynastic history ‘Suyshi’ contains important information about 
commercial routes in Central Asia at 5-7 centuries. Pey Czyuy 
wrote: ‘From Dunkhuan to western sea go three roads, besides 
each of them has branches...’. [Our interest is a part of the road 
passing though Nuratau, which Pey Czyuy called middle road], 
‘...the middle road goes from Gaochan (Turfan) through 
Yan’czy (Karashar), Tsyutsy (Kucha), Tele and further through 
Tsunlin (Pamir) passes through states of Tsao (Ustrushan) - 
Khe, Big and Small An’ (Karmany), Samarkand. Bukhara, 
Mugo (Merv), arrives Bosa (Sasanids’ Iran) and reaches 
western sea’ (Tikhvinskiy and etc., 1988). 
About 15-20 kms northern from Nuratau ridge a steppe big old 
road goes parallel to the ridge. The road connects Bukhara 
through Nuratau and further Chardarya (where was a well 
equipped ford) with regions of South Kazakhstan. Accordingly 
results of archeological studies these buildings were built at 6-7 
centuries. Chingis-Khan’ army went to Bukhara by this road 
(Gulyamov, 1979). 
Arab-Islamic period: In that period existed 16 ways, besides 6 
of them were roads of Arab Khalifat, 2 of them were segments 
of GSR, whilst the other were roads of regional and subregional 
level. Main directions of that period were: Samarkand - 
Dzhizak - Talas - Turfan; Samarkand - Karmania - Bukhara - 
Amul’ - Merv - Great - Persia -Arabia; Bukhara - Kungrad - 
Volga side; Samarkand - Dzhizak - Tashkent - Osh - Kashgar 
- Yarkend - Khotan - Lo-yan; Samarkand - Koshrabat -Nurata 
-Kuldzhuktau-Kunia-Urgench-Astrakhan; Samarkand- 
Dzhizak-Tashkent-Isfindjab (Shymkent)-Otrar; Dzhizak-Ravat- 
Zaamin-Bundghikant-Kashgar; Bukhara-Nurata- Farish steppe- 
Solonchaks Aydar and Amasay-Chardara steppe-Otrar-North 
side of Black Sea; «Junction of world trade routes: Amydarya- 
Samarkand-Balkh-Saganian-Alay-Kashgar» (Kastalskiyi, 1930). 
In that period (8-13centuries) Nuratau area suffered a 
commercial boom, a lot of caravan sheds, wells and fortresses 
on plain and mountain parts of the region were being built 
(Nemceva, 2004; Savchuk-Kurbanov, 2006). 
Mongolian and Post-Mongolian periods: Roads went by 
directions as follows: Volga side-Chingi Tura (Tumen)-Ishim- 
Sauran (Turkestan)-Otrar (Keder)-Nurata-Ramitan-Bukhara- 
Karshi (Route of Tohtamish, 1387 y.); Samarkand-Dahbet- 
Ravat-Kyzylkums sand-Kyzyl-Orda; Samarkand-Nurak-Chinaz- 
Tashkent-Seven-Rivers region-Sibiria-China; Samarkand- 
Zaamin-Hodj ekent- Andij an-Kashgar-Kul ’ dj a; Samarkand- 
Chorshamba-Dabusia-Kattakurgan-Ziatdin-Karmaniya- 
Ramitan-Khiva-Astrakhan-Kazan’; Otrar-Nurata-Bukhara- 
Samarkand-Termez-Badahshan-Balkh-Merv-Nishapur-Gerat. 
At that period route Bukhara-Nurata-Farish steppe-Solonchaks 
Aydar and Amasay-Otrar terminated its functions. Mongols did 
not take interest in that route. 
After GSR: there were a lot of roads of different directions 
(Siberia, Afghanistan, Persia, China, Russia, Tibet and etc.). 
Since 16 century, significance of GSR was reduced, due to the 
great geographical discovers. The roads lost their international 
status, but preserved regional, subregional status and old 
commercial relationships. In turn, Bukhara became main 
wholesale transit storage for countries of whole Central-Asian 
region (Vasil’ev, 1947). From our point of view especially 
interesting is a circuit route passing through Nuratau going 
through Kyzylkums to Turkestan and further passing through 
Kazakhstan to Ishim-Tumen-Tobol-Omsk-Bamaul-Ufa- 
Astrakhan and then along eastern shores of Caspian Sea through 
Usturt-Kungrad-Khiva-Farab-Bukhara-Gighduvan-Karmaniya 
coming back to Nurata. That was an old road, which was 
exploited by Russian merchants (Magidovich and etc., 1982). 
DEM of the region was created. Mountain gates, and passing 
through them commercial roads were visualized on that DEM. 
This explains clearly uniqueness of Nuratau area for 
commercial relationships of Central Asia region. 
An electronic dB: on historic-geographic-economical state of 
Nuratau region at period from 15 century B.C. to beginning of 
20 century was created. To meet standards an electronic tables 
in MS Word format were applied. On the one hand the format is 
convenient for operating and on the other hand allows easy 
transformation to other formats. At all, there were 8 tables 
created: 1) bazars’ descriptions; 2) categories and names of the 
goods transported through Nuratau area at periods before, in 
time and after of existence the GSR; 3) Typological division of 
states by territorial belonging (continental, regional etc); 4) 
Time division and names of commercial routes in Nuratau area. 
5) Specialization of economical centres (breeding, mining etc); 
6) Names of commercial centres, directions of commercial 
routes and reasons of their changes (politics, climate); 7) Transit 
export and import of the goods through the region; 8) Historic 
background of Nuratau area (relating to Chinese dynasties). 
A thematic GIS map: on history of economical development 
of Nuratau from 15 century B.C. till beginning of 20 century 
was created. Economical centres, fortress, caravan sheds, wells, 
bazars (markets) etc., were pointed. Main directions of 
economical relationships of Nuratau area at different segments