Nogai Road

one of the main routes used by nomads to attack the Russian lands between the 13th and 17th centuries. It became known as the Nogai Road in the early 16th century, when Nogai feudal lords used it mainly to drive cattle to the Russian market. The Nogai road began along the lower Volga and divided into two branches. The first branch followed the right bank of the Don, passing through the Kazar Urochishche (where Voronezh now stands) and extending to Riazan’ and Kolomna. The second branch stretched from the Tsaritsyn crossing on the Don to the area between the Khoper and Sura rivers and then, crossing the upper reaches of the Tsna, Pol’nyi Voronezh, and Lesnoi Voronezh rivers, proceeded to Riazhsk, Riazan’, and Shatsk. To prevent attacks along these roads, the Russian government founded the Voronezh Fortress in 1586 and the Tambov, Kozlov, and Lomov fortresses in the 1630’s.