Archaeological Studies of Fortifi cations in Bashkir Cis-Urals Region

The article addresses archaeological studies of the 16th ? 18th centuries fortifications in Bashkortostan. A few of them were studied by archaeologists, including the Ufa Kremlin and the Birsk fortress on the right bank of the Belaya River, Tabynsk town on the left bank of the Voskresenka River (the right tributary of the Belaya), and Eldyatskaya fortress on the right bank of the Ufa River. The above sites provide diverse material dated within the 17th ? 19th centuries. Traces of fortifications are registered only on two sites - the Ufa fortress and Tabynsk town. The authors highlight the key historical data on both of them as well as the history of studies on these sites. It also briefly describes archaeological materials and defines their current state. It further emphasizes the need to elaborate an archaeological approach to studying the 16th ? 17th centuries fortifications and to learn from the successful experience of colleagues from the Republic of Tatarstan.