Heritage Of Fergana Armourers
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www.sairamtour.com Everyday life of the Uzbeks still incorporates centuries-long traditions and customs. Many of them many had arisen before spread of Islam in Central Asia. The knife pichok, a part of Uzbek men’s national dress, reminds of the custom the Sacae, ancestors of the Uzbeks, used to have: they would wear on the belt a short sword akinak – symbol of martial spirit. Yet a pichok knife, though coming from cold steel, is never double-edged, and is never a dagger. In the Middle Ages a richly decorated belt knife with a handle encrusted with precious stones was an indication of courage and nobleness of the military aristocracy. Bukhara arms and armour were of great value not only in Central Asia but also far beyond. According to ancient Russian archives, Khiva and Bukhara merchants used to bring them to Moscow rulers as gifts. Medieval miniatures and survived examples prove that ancient Bukhara and Samarkand knives had rather long and narrow blades with very sharp tips. One of the most ancient centers of metal works was situated in Fergana Valley. As far back as the 10th century an Arabian chronicler wrote that iron arms made in Fergana were commonly used from Khorasan to Baghdad. Later Fergana armourers started to specialize in making knives. And this craft is still practiced in Kokand, Andijan and other towns of Fergana Valley. But the most renowned centre of national knives making is in town of Chust – the famous center of blacksmith’s works. In the center of Chust there has been for a very long time a smith quarter called suzangaron, where in a small forges suzangar-masters have made knives. In order to make a pichok knife, a smith needs a furnace with bellows, big and small anvils, pincers, files, a set of hammers: from sledge-hammer to flatten red-hot steel bar to smaller hammers to forge blades, and other instruments. It takes a smith a few dozens of operations to forge a knife. Then its blade is tempered a couple of times. The smith’s experience and intuition should always help to know the proper temperature of the piece to be tempered: if it is too hot, it will get brittle. In almost ready but not yet chilled blade the smith then hammers a brass label. Such labels usually represent a crescent with stars, arrows, or Arabic monograms. By the label an experienced eye can always tell not only the place where the knife was made but also the name of the smith. Finally the blade is whetted on grindstones and on a rubber disc. Genuine Chust pichok- knife has always had the properties modern designers try to achieve: aesthetic quality and functionality. As a rule, a Chust knife’s tyg blade is straight, 3-4 centimeters in width and, depending on the purpose, from 10 to 20 centimeters in length. Only the knife tolbargi pichok has a narrower and a slightly curved blade that reminds of a willow leaf. The knife tugri pichok has a straight blade with a straight back. The blades of khisori pichok, kozoki pichok and bodomcha pichok have almond-shaped tips. The knives soilik pichok and kamalak pichok have kushkamalak flute on the blade, whereas kushsoilik pichok blade has two flutes. Knives with flutes are thought to be stronger.
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