Pre-revolutionary Russian explorers made a great contribution into the studies of the history of the peoples of Middle Asia. They were the first researchers who dwelt on the issues of localization and etymology of the names of ancient cities and towns situated in the historico-cultural region called Ustrushana. There are certain data on this thematics in their works.The authors of the article consider the role of pre-revolutionary Russian explorers in the history concerned with the rise and toponymy of the cities and towns belonging to Ustrushana region of Middle Asia. Here we find such outstanding names as V.V. Bartold, V.V.Grigoryev, V.Kostenko, A.Kushakevich, F.Nazarov, A.Maksheev.
toponymy, localization of cities and towns, etymology of toponyms, pre-revolutionary Russian explorers, Ustrushana
1. Bartold V.V. History of the Сultural Life of Turkestan / V.V. Bartold. - Leningrad: Academy of Sciences of the USSR, 1927. – 256 pp.
2. Bartold V.V. On the History of Irrigation in Turkestan. Compositions in 9 volumes / Bartold; [Editor in charge O.G. Bolshakov]. - Moscow:Science, 1965. –V. 3. - PP.97-232
3. Bartold V.V. Turkestan in the Era of the Mongolian Invasion. Compositions in 9 volumes / V.V.Bartold; [Ed. Yu E. Briegel]. - Moscow: Publishing House of Oriental literature, 1963. –V. 1. - 763 pp.
4. Bartold V.V. Some Words about the Aryan Culture / V.V. Bartold // Ancestral Heritage. - 2006. - № 9. -P P.22-30.
5. Beruni Aburayhon. Osor-ul-Bokiya / Aburayhon Beruni. – Dushanbe: Irfon, 1991. – 432 pp.
6. Grigoryev, V.V. The March of Alexander the Great to West Turkistan. Coving and Consideration of Ancient News About this Subject / O. V.Grigoryev. - St. Petersburg. Printinghouse by V.S. Balashev and Co., 1881. – 84 pp.
7. Ancient Ustrushana: Cities, their Location and History / Material Culture of Ustrushana. VV. 5-8. – Dushanbe: Irfon, 2003. – 480pp.
8. Kostenko, L.F. Turkestan: the Experience of Military Statistical Observation of the Turkestan Military District: Materials for Geography and Statistics of Russia. Vol.1 / L.F. Kostenko. - St. Petersburg.: Printing-house and Chromolithograph by Transhkl A., 1880. – 452pp.: Maps.
9. Kushakevich, A. Essays on Khujant Uyezd / A. Kushakevich // Turkestan Tidings. - 1872. - №4. - P.76.
10. Mayev, N. From Tashkent to Katay-Kurgan / N. Mayev / / Russian Gazette. - 1870. - № 3. – P.253
11. Maksheyev A.I. Historical Overview of Turkestan and Offensive Movement of Russians in it. / comp. A.I. Maksheyev. - St. Petersburg.: Military printing-house, 1890. - 370 pp.: Maps.
12. Nazarov, F. Notes on Some Peoples and Lands of CentralPart of Asia / F. Nazarov. - Moscow: Science, 1968. – 80 p.