Geoarchaeological Investigation of British-Era Forts in Northern Pakistan Using GIS

This study explores the strategic significance and spatial analyses of British-era military forts in District Abbottabad, Pakistan. Based on the spatial analysis of data collected on the British-era military forts of Nara and Bakote in District Abbottabad, this study addresses a gap in quantitative research by establishing a clear relationship between the forts' spatial and environmental characteristics. It also contributes to a deeper understanding of their historical development and geographical distribution. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are used to map and identify the sites of the forts, hence examining their interaction with adjacent water resources, communication routes, and topographical features. The study shows the military goals of the British during the colonial era and stresses the strategic factors guiding their choice of fort sites. The study looks at the interaction between the surrounding physical and cultural elements and the forts using, Contour lines, Digital Elevation Models (DEM), viewshed analysis, multi-ring buffer analysis and Euclidean distance. This GIS archaeological approach raises heritage documenting and sets foundation for preservation planning.