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

The weapon reserve of the Georgian National Museum has a very

diverse collection. Here, one will nd not only unique pieces of Georgian weaponry, but also martial equipment from different countries:
ries, 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 helmet away from the last ruler of the KhwarazmianEmpire during battle.

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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 importance, 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, Chinese, 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

plenty of cold weapons. In Georgian

serve of the Georgian National Mu-

from the 18th century, old American

historiography, ries are mentioned for

seum: for instance, the ries of Erekle

Winchesters, African spears, Japanese

the rst time in the 15th century, in the

II, Solomon I, Solomon II, Giorgi XII

samurais equipment, but what we

description of the battle that took place

and Giorgi Saakadze, and a cannon of

are the most proud of are the Geor-

between King Constantines and the Ta-

Teimuraz II.

gian weaponry art pieces. Shields are

tars armies. But artillery was not used

distinguished items among the exhibits,

by the Georgian armed forces until the

because they tell a lot about the cultural

17th century. The Georgians used to

differences between various peoples,

go to battle with old weapons after the

who would often decorate their shields

Mongol invasion, but when clashing

with ornaments characteristic of their

with the Ottoman Empire, it became

culture.

clear that this kind of equipment was

The shields and swords from Khevs-

Back in the 17th and 18th centuries,

interest from both Georgian and foreign

during the reign of Vakhtang VI, an

scientists and weapon amateurs.

artillery manual was translated into

also related to the different political

inuences the country has experienced
for centuries. For instance, Georgian
swords of the Persian type come from
the inuence 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

taking place in the Simon Janashia

Museum, in which anyone may visit the
unique and abundant collection of the
National Museums weapon reserve.

out of date.

ureti are unique and generate great

The weapons produced in Georgia are

A temporary exhibition is currently

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 ries, eld ries
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-

Arm Armour (pair). 18th century

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Erekle IIs sword, 18th century

Georgian shield, 16th-17th centuries

Georgian National Museum

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.

Eizerashvilis Georgian dagger, 1850

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

Eizerashvilis Georgian dagger, 17th century

King Archils matchlock rie, 18th-19th centuries

Georgian National Museum

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, TofiaraRsa da zarbaznebs asxamdnen.
1770 wels, erekles brZanebiT,
Tofiswamlis qarxana aigo.

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.

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.
Flintlock pistol, Gunpowder ask, 18th-19th centuries
Georgian National Museum