Development of a historical web resource for studying the settlement patterns of the Tatars in the Eastern Trans-Kama region (based on 1795–1834 revision censuses and 19th – early 20th centuries cartographic sources)

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22378/2410-0765.2026-16-2.57-77

Keywords:

historical web GIS, Digital Humanities, revision lists, Tatars, Eastern Trans-Kama region, spatial analysis, settlement patterns, database, interactive mapping

Abstract

The article presents the development of the specialized historical web resource (https://tarihgis.ru) designed to study the demographic and social history of the Tatar population in the Eastern Trans-Kama region (the territory of the modern Republic of Tatarstan) in the late 18th – early 19th centuries. The system is based on the data from the 5th–8th revision censuses (poll-tax registers) of the Menzelinsk Uyezd of the Orenburg Governorate. A relational database comprising 15 tables and more than 1,100 records was constructed. Historical maps (General Land Survey plans and a 1912 map) were digitized and georeferenced. The web application was developed using a modern technological stack (Vue 3, Supabase, PostgreSQL / PostGIS) and supports alternative client-side mapping libraries (Leaflet and OpenLayers), enabling data import, validation, filtering, spatial visualization, and export in XLSX and GeoJSON formats. The system is conceptually based on the CIDOC CRM ontology (ISO 21127:2023), ensuring semantic interoperability. The web GIS enables spatial and temporal analysis of settlement patterns, estate structure, and population dynamics. The project is situated within the field of Digital Humanities and expands methodological approaches to historical-demographic research.

Funding: The research was carried out at the expense of a grant provided in 2024 by the Tatarstan Academy of Sciences for the implementation of fundamental and applied scientific work in scientific and educational organizations, enterprises and organizations of the real sector of the economy of the Republic of Tatarstan (24.12.2024 №05/2024-FIP).

For citation: Gainullin I.I., Kasimov A.V., Iskhakov R.R, Abdullin Kh.M. Development of a historical web resource for studying the settlement patterns of the Tatars in the Eastern Trans-Kama region (based on 1795–1834 revision censuses and 19th – early 20th centuries cartographic sources). From History and Culture of Peoples of the Middle Volga Region. 2026, vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 57–77. https://doi.org/10.22378/2410-0765.2026-16-2.57-77 (In Russian)

Author Biographies

Iskander I. Gainullin, Marjani Institute of History of the Tatarstan Academy of Sciences

Researcher at the Department of History of the Volga and Cis-Urals Regions, Marjani Institute of History of the Tatarstan Academy of Sciences (Kazan, Russian Federation); https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9224-6072; ScopusID: 56150512700; e-mail: gainullis@gmail.com

Alexey V. Kasimov, Marjani Institute of History of the Tatarstan Academy of Sciences

Laboratory Research Assistant at the North-West Scientific Center, Marjani Institute of History of the Tatarstan Academy of Sciences (Kazan, Russian Federation); https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8625-8309; e-mail: delaluna@mail.ru

Radik R. Iskhakov , Marjani Institute of History of the Tatarstan Academy of Sciences

Dr. Sci. (History), Head of the Department of History of the Volga and Cis-Urals Regions, Marjani Institute of History of the Tatarstan Academy of Sciences (Kazan, Russian Federation); https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7303-408X; e-mail: ishakovist@gmail.com

Khalim M. Abdullin, Marjani Institute of History of the Tatarstan Academy of Sciences

Cand. Sci. (History), Head of the Department of Modern History, Marjani Institute of History of the Tatarstan Academy of Sciences (Kazan, Russian Federation); https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0212-6953; ResearcherID: F-6652-2018; ScopusID: 56707127600; e-mail: Xalimabd@mail.ru

References

Adamovich I., Volkov O. The use of Geographic Information Systems in technology of concrete historical investigation support. Systems and Means of Informatics. 2021, vol. 31, no. 3, pp. 158–169. (In Russian)

Bryukhanova E., Rygalova M. Historical GIS on-line: a Review of Foreign and Russian Projects. Izvestiya of Altai state university. 2016, no. 2(90), pp. 56–59. (In Russian)

Vladimirov V. Historical Geoinformatics: Geoinformation Systems in Historical Research. Barnaul: Altai University Publ., 2005. 192 p. (In Russian)

Gainullin I. I., Abdullin Kh. M. The Geoinformation methods in the study of the Tatar retired soldiers in 1816–1834 (on the example of the Menzelinsky district of the Orenburg province)]. Gasyrlar avazy – Eho vekov – Echo of centuries, 2025, no. 1, рр. 70–81. (In Russian)

Iskhakov R. On the formation of the Teptyar-Bobyl estate in the Eastern Trans-Kama and Cis-Urals regions (1730–1780s). From History and Culture of Peoples of the Middle Volga Region. 2025, vol. 15, no. 4, pp. 21–32. https://doi.org/10.22378/2410-0765.2025-15-4.21-32 (In Russian)

Conceptual reference model CIDOC CRM. Institute of Scientific Information on Social Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences (INION RAN); International Council of Museums; International Documentation Committee; trans. from English by A.B. Antopolsky, D.Yu.Guk. Moscow, 2024. 400 p. (ISO 21127:2023). URL: https://cidoc-crm.org/sites/default/files/CIDOC_CRM_7.1_RU.pdf (accessed: 06.04.2026). (In Russian)

Rygalova M. Application of Historical Geographic and Information Systems in the Study of Social and Economic Processes. Izvestiya of Altai state university. 2019, no. 5(109), pp. 77–80. (In Russian)

Savinova A., Stepanova I. The Settlement of the Tver Karelians in 17th–19th Centuries: the Study by GIS-Technologies. Istoriya. 2017, vol. 8, Iss. 7 (61) https://doi.org/10.18254/S0001952-6-1 (In Russian)

Frolov A. Geographical information technologies in present-day research studies of Russian historians. Problems of Geography. 2013, vol. 136, pp. 447–458. (In Russian)

Burdick A., Drucker J., Lunenfeld P., Presner T., Schnapp J. Digital_Humanities. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2012. 160 p.

Gainullin I., Usmanov B., Gafurov A., Ivanov M., Khomyakov P., Nicu I.C. Web-portal «Country of cities» – comprehensive study of the Volga Bulgarian fortified settlements. International Journal of Conservation Science. 2022, vol. 13, Iss. 4, pp. 1143–1158.

Ivanov M., Abdullin H., Gainullin I., Gafurov A., Usmanov B., Williamson J. Using XVIII–XIX Cent. Maps and Modern Remote Sensing Data for Detecting the Changes in the Land Use at Bulgarian Fortified Settlements in the Volga Region. Earth (Switzerland). 2021, vol. 2, Iss. 1, pp. 51–65.

Published

2026-07-08

How to Cite

Gainullin, I. I., Kasimov, A. V., Iskhakov , R. R., & Abdullin, K. M. (2026). Development of a historical web resource for studying the settlement patterns of the Tatars in the Eastern Trans-Kama region (based on 1795–1834 revision censuses and 19th – early 20th centuries cartographic sources). From History and Culture of Peoples of the Middle Volga Region, 16(2), 57–77. https://doi.org/10.22378/2410-0765.2026-16-2.57-77

Issue

Section

Аrticles