იარაღის ისტორიიდან აჭარაში (მაჭახელას თოფის მიხედვით)

Abstract

Ajara was one of the leading centers for the production of firearms and cold weapons (flintlock rifles and pistols, daggers, yataghans, etc.) in southwestern Georgia. The Machakhela gorge and Lower Ajara were particularly distinguished for weapon manufacturing. The combat weapons produced in these centers also served a market purpose. They enjoyed wide popularity not only within the region itself but also beyond its borders. Weapons of Machakhela production reached various parts of the former Ottoman Empire.

Two types of rifles, Tofkhane and Nalfara, were produced in the Machakhela gorge and other workshop centers of Ajara. In terms of craftsmanship, the Tofkhane was distinguished by a rifled barrel made of solid iron. It was predominantly decorated with silver and bone. The barrel of the Nalfara rifle, on the other hand, was made by joining and welding iron pieces together and was inferior in quality to the Tofkhane. The price of both rifles and pistols was determined by the quality of the craftsmanship (the ornamentation of the barrel and the buttstock). Rifles and pistols were primarily made to order, and payment was made in cash or in kind. The price of a rifle was dictated by the decoration of the barrel, the firing mechanism (lock), and the buttstock. The rifle barrel was manufactured on a special machine called a rifle lathe.

Blacksmith workshops were situated either as separate structures or on the ground floor of residential houses. Usually, two to three or more blacksmiths worked in them; one was considered the Ustabashi (the chief master blacksmith), while the second and third persons served as apprentices or separate assistants. The craft of blacksmithing was passed down by inheritance from father to son and to close relatives.

In the 19th century, the spread of cheap European weapons specifically English, French, Belgian, and other foreign makes, as well as those produced in Tula gradually limited the production of local weapons in the Caucasus and Georgia. The emigration of the best master gunsmiths as Muhajirs also had a definitive impact on the ultimate decline of the large-scale production of combat weapons. However, in the 1880s and 1890s, as well as in the first quarter of the 20th century, combat firearms (rifles, pistols) were still being manufactured in Ajara and Akhaltsikhe, though no longer on the same large scale as before.

Today, there are still craftsmen in the Machakhela gorge who strive to continue this ancient tradition, although they primarily produce decorative specimens.

Based on numerous sources, the article explores the history of weapon production in Ajara, lists the production centers, describes the weapon workshops and the manufacturing process, and analyzes the factors that led to the decline in the pace of local weapon production. Furthermore, information is provided regarding the weapon workshops that currently exist in the Machakhela gorge.