The weapon reserve of the Georgian National Museum has a very diverse collection. Here, one will nd not only unique pieces of Geor-gian weaponry, but also martial equipment from different countries: ri es, swords, daggers, shields, catapults, mails, helmets, and the list goes on...

The oldest item of the collection is the so-called Jalaedin helmet of the 13th century. According to the legend, Georgian princes took the hel-met away from the last ruler of the KhwarazmianEmpire during battle.

Chain Mail Shirt owned by King Aleksandre III of Imereti (1639-1660). 17th century

Georgian National Museum

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The weapon collection of the museum is expanded almost yearly. New items come from the mountainous regions of Georgia, particularly from Svaneti. Last year, a member of the museum found a knife assembled in the 1930s while visiting a Svanetian family when the owner got aware of his knifes impor-tance, he offered it to the museum without any hesitation.

Generally, it is precisely from private collections that the weapon reserve has been lled with Japanese, Chi-nese, Central Asian, Indian, European, Turkish, Persian or Russian weaponry. For example, we can relate the story of Zurab Kobiashvili, a public gure of the Georgian military in the 1920s, who offered a large collection of weapons and Buddhist items to the museum in 1925. He was traveling all around the world, was very fond of weapons, and would gather these unique items during his journeys.

The collection has German helmets from the 18th century, old American Winchesters, African spears, Japanese samurais equipment, but what we are the most proud of are the Geor-gian weaponry art pieces. Shields are distinguished items among the exhibits, because they tell a lot about the cultural differences between various peoples, who would often decorate their shields with ornaments characteristic of their culture.

The shields and swords from Khevs-ureti are unique and generate great interest from both Georgian and foreign scientists and weapon amateurs.

The weapons produced in Georgia are also related to the different political in uences the country has experienced for centuries. For instance, Georgian swords of the Persian type come from the in uence of Persia.

Georgia has always been known as a producer of steel of the best quality. The profusion of Georgian words for swords also suggests that there were

plenty of cold weapons. In Georgian historiography, ri es are mentioned for the rst time in the 15th century, in the description of the battle that took place between King Constantines and the Ta-tars armies. But artillery was not used by the Georgian armed forces until the 17th century. The Georgians used to go to battle with old weapons after the Mongol invasion, but when clashing with the Ottoman Empire, it became clear that this kind of equipment was out of date.

Back in the 17th and 18th centuries, during the reign of Vakhtang VI, an artillery manual was translated into Georgian, though there was no cannon of Georgian production until the reign of Erekle II. On the latters initiative, an artillery workshop was created in Tbilisi in 1749, where fortress ri es, eld ri es and cannons were manufactured. A gunpowder factory was also created in 1770 after his orders.

One will also nd weapons that have been used by Georgian kings and historic gures in the weapon re-

serve of the Georgian National Mu-seum: for instance, the ri es of Erekle II, Solomon I, Solomon II, Giorgi XII and Giorgi Saakadze, and a cannon of Teimuraz II.

A temporary exhibition is currently taking place in the Simon Janashia Museum, in which anyone may visit the unique and abundant collection of the National Museums weapon reserve.

Arm Armour (pair). 18th century

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saqarTvelos erovnuli muzeumis iaraRis fondSi mravalferovani koleqciaa daculi. aq inaxeba ara

marto qarTuli iaraR-saWurvlis unikaluri nimuSebi, aramed sxvadasxva qveynis sabrZolo aRWurviloba:

Tofebi, xmlebi, xanjlebi, farebi da Surdulebi, jaWvis perangebi, muzaradebi, CaCqnebi da sxv.

yvelaze Zveli am fondSi XIII saukuniT daTariRebuli, e.w. jalaledinis muzaradia. legenda

mogviTxrobs, rom xvarazmTa imperiis bolo mmarTvelisTvis muzaradi brZolis dros qarTvel Tavadebs,

amirejibebs waurTmeviaT.

muzeumis iaraRis fondi TiTqmis yovelwliurad axldeba. axal-axali nivTebis wyaro mTiani saqarTvelo,

gansakuTrebiT ki, svaneTia. magaliTad, 2011 wels muzeumis TanamSromelma svaneTSi stumrobisas,

maspinZlis ojaxSi 1930-ian wlebSi damzadebuli dana naxa. rodesac maspinZelma danis mniSvnelobis

Sesaxeb Seityo, daufiqreblad aCuqa igi muzeums.

Erekle IIs sword, 18th century

Georgian shield, 16th-17th centuries

Eizerashvilis Georgian dagger, 1850

Georgian National Museum

Georgian National Museum

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ZiriTadad, swored kerZo

koleqciebis meSveobiT Seivso

iaraRis fondi iaponuri,

Cinuri, Suaaziuri, induri,

evropuli, Turquli, sparsuli

Tu rusuli sabrZolo

atributikiT. magaliTad,

sainteresoa 1920-ian wlebSi

moRvawe qarTveli samxedro

piris, zurab kobiaSvilis

istoria. muzeums misgan

1925 wels, Turme, sabrZolo

iaraRisa da budisturi nivTebis

didi koleqcia SeuZenia.

kobiaSvili, romelic mTel

msoflioSi mogzaurobda,

iaraRis didi moyvaruli

yofila da am mogzaurobebis

dros Seugrovebia es unikaluri

nivTebi.

fondSi XVIII saukunis germanuli

muzaradebis, Zveli amerikuli

vinCesterebisa Tu afrikuli

Subebis garda, iaponeli

samurais aRkazmulobac aqvT,

Tumca CvenTvis yvelaze

mniSvnelovani mainc qarTuli

sabrZolo xelovnebis

nimuSebia. gansakuTrebuli

nivTi sabrZolo eqsponatebs

Soris faria, radgan igi didi

informaciis matarebelia

da asaxavs sxvadasxva xalxis

kulturas. xSirad farebs

ama Tu im kulturisTvis

damaxasiaTebeli ornamentiT

amkobdnen.

yvelasgan gamorCeulia

xevsuruli far-xmali da didi

interesis sagans warmoadgens

rogorc qarTveli, aseve

ucxoeli mecnierebisa da

iaraRis moyvarulebisTvis.

qarTuli warmoebis iaraRi

im politikuri gavlenebis

Sesaxebac gviambobs, rasac

saqarTvelo saukuneebis

ganmavlobaSi ganicdida.

magaliTad, iranuli tipis

qarTuli xmali iranuli

gavlenis Sedegia.

saukeTeso foladis warmoebiT,

saqarTvelo yovelTvis

yofila cnobili. civi iaraRis

mravalferovnebaze qarTuli

xmlebis terminologiis

siuxvec metyvelebs. qarTul

istoriografiaSi Tofi pirvelad

XV saukunis miwurulsaa naxsenebi

im brZolis aRwerisas, romelic

qarTlSi, konstantine mefis

jarsa da TaTrebis armias Soris

gamarTula. Tumca, artilerias

qarTul SeiaraRebul ZalebSi

XVII saukunemde ar iyenebdnen.

monRolTa Semosevis Semdegac,

qarTvelebi, Zveleburad

SeiaraRebulebi gamodiodnen

brZolis velze, magram

osmaleTTan Setakebisas aSkara

gaxda, rom amgvari SeiaraReba

ukve moZvelebuli iyo.

jer kidev XVII-XVIII saukuneebSi,

vaxtang meeqvsis dros Targmnila

artileriis saxelmZRvanelo,

Tumca mefe erekles epoqamde

qarTuli warmoebis zarbazani

ar gvqonia. mefe erekles

iniciativiT, 1749 wels, TbilisSi

jabaxana, Tanamedrove enaze

saartilerio qarxana augiaT,

sadac cixis Tofebs, Tof-

iaraRsa da zarbaznebs asxamdnen.

1770 wels, erekles brZanebiT,

Tofiswamlis qarxana aigo.

saqarTvelos erovnuli

muzeumis iaraRis fondSi

daculia qarTveli mefeebisa da

istoriuli pirebis memorialuri

iaraRi: erekle meores, solomon

pirvelis, solomon meores,

giorgi meTormetesa da giorgi

saakaZis Tofebi da Teimuraz

meoris zarbazani.

amJamad, simon janaSias

saxelobis saqarTvelos muzeumSi

warmodgenilia droebiTi

gamofena, sadac nebismier

msurvels SeuZlia gaecnos

qarTul iaraR-saWurvels

erovnuli muzeumis iaraRis

fondis unikaluri da umdidresi

koleqciidan.

Eizerashvilis Georgian dagger, 17th century

King Archils matchlock ri e, 18th-19th centuries

Flintlock pistol, Gunpowder ask, 18th-19th centuries

Georgian National Museum

Georgian National Museum

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