VISUAL SOURCES ON THE FORMATION OF THE BORDER OF KAZAKHSTAN IN THE XVIII – EARLY XX CENTURIES

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to study the formation of the border of Kazakhstan in the XVIII – XX centuries based on visual and written sources. The author introduces into scientific circulation visual and written sources discovered in 2024 in archives, museums and libraries of Kazakhstan.

Scientific novelty and significance of the study is that it is interdisciplinary and prepared at the intersection of sciences: history, historical geography and historical cartography.

Results: the discovered visual sources clearly present in historical perspective various fortress structures, fortification lines, border outposts, military detachment routes and armament of the army of the Russian Empire and the history of administrative-territorial divisions. As a result of the analysis of the identified visual and written sources, it was established that the formation of borders had a long and multifaceted nature. The main characteristics were the placement of fortifications, militarization, territorial and military expansion into the depths of Kazakh territories, regular military units, and paramilitary forms of administration. The study allows us to identify the following periods in the formation of the border of Kazakhstan in the XVIII – XX centuries: the construction of fortresses (with the aim of strengthening imperial power and influence on the Kazakhs), the creation of fortification lines (pushing the Kazakhs back into the depths of the steppe), the formation of a border zone, reform and establishment of the border. Borders were established and strengthened by poor accessibility, scarcity of natural resources, rivers and mountain ranges.