Mapping the Vanished Han Networks of Bosnia: The Use of GIS to Visualize Local Road Systems in an Ottoman Context

This article addresses the use of a Geographic Information System (GIS) for the study of an Ottoman road network at a local scale, over the long term. Taking Bosnia between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries as a case study, I aim to shed light on a little examined context that is lacking the monumental material remains that usually guide the study of historical Islamic road systems. I adopt a spatial history methodology by following a regressive approach as well as cross-referencing late nineteenth-century maps and earlier travel narratives to visualize several scenarios for the Bosnian road network during the Ottoman period. Following a brief discussion of GIS potentialities and prerequisites, this article turns to the selection of the han (caravanserai) as is its focus and offers a step-by-step description of the approach that was used.