The Moukahla () or moukalla was a type of

musket A musket is a muzzle-loaded long gun that appeared as a smoothbore weapon in the early 16th century, at first as a heavier variant of the arquebus, capable of penetrating plate armour. By the mid-16th century, this type of musket gradually dis ...

widely used in North Africa, produced by many tribes, clans and nations.

Mechanism

Lock

Two systems of gunlock prevailed in the Moukahla. One, which derived from Dutch and English types of

snaphance Swedish snaphance guns from the mid 17th century A snaphance or snaphaunce is a type of firearm lock in which a flint struck against a striker plate above a steel pan ignites the priming powder which fires the gun. It is the mechanical progressi ...

lock, was found usually with a thicker lockplate. Half cock was provided by a dog catch behind the cock, and at full cock, the sear passing through the lockplate engaged the heel of the cock. The other mechanism was the so-called Arab toe-lock, a form of

miquelet Miquelet lock is a modern term used by collectors and curators for a type of firing mechanism used in muskets and pistols. It is a distinctive form of snaplock, originally as a flint-against-steel ignition form, once prevalent in the Spanish ...

lock, closely allied to the ''agujeta'' lock (which required a back or dog catch for half cock) and the Italian ''romanlock''. The term miquelet is used today to describe a particular type of

snaplock A snaplock is a type of lock for firing a gun or is a gun fired by such a lock. A snaplock ignites the (usually muzzle-loading) weapon's propellant by means of sparks produced when a spring-powered cock strikes a flint down on to a piece of hard ...

. The miquelet lock, in all varieties, was common for several centuries in the countries surrounding the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

, particularly in Spain, Italy, the

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

, and Ottoman domains including the coastal states of North Africa. The type of musket would be described as a Kabyle snaphance or a Kabyle miquelet. Some muskets were converted to the

percussion lock The percussion cap, percussion primer, or caplock, introduced in the early 1820s, is a type of single-use percussion ignition device for muzzle loader firearm locks enabling them to fire reliably in any weather condition. Its invention gave ...

starting in the mid-19th century.

Other parts

The moukahla's caliber was usually .67, being very long. At around 6 feet, the plain barrel alone is 44 to 52 inches in length. The barrel was retained in the stock by about twelve iron, brass, or silver bands (capucines). When silver was used, it was often done in the

niello Niello is a black mixture, usually of sulphur, copper, silver, and lead, used as an inlay on engraved or etched metal, especially silver. It is added as a powder or paste, then fired until it melts or at least softens, and flows or is push ...

form, and may have all metal work engraved and locks may be covered in sheets of silver. The stock and trumpet shaped butt is typically engraved with silver shapes inlaid with coral or ivory, with even the exposed parts of the wooden ramrod being encased with silver.

Issues

Issues in the weapon were noted. When it was first made, its had high range due to its long barrel, but by the 19th century its range became completely average, and by the 20th century it was completely outdated and short-ranged, causing bursts of smoke when fired, clearing after a long time. Most moukahla lacked bayonets, but organized units such as the

Odjak of Algiers The "Odjak of Algiers" (also spelled ''Ujaq'') was a unit of the Regency of Algiers, Algerian army. It was a highly autonomous part of the Janissary Corps, acting completely independently from the rest of the corps, similar to the relationship be ...

, the Odjak of Tunis, and to a certain extent, the Black Guard of Morocco did have bayonets equipped.

Origin and usage

The Moukahla was locally produced across the

Maghreb The Maghreb (; ), also known as the Arab Maghreb () and Northwest Africa, is the western part of the Arab world. The region comprises western and central North Africa, including Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, and Tunisia. The Maghreb al ...

region, in

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

, and

Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...

. They were the most widespread type of guns, being so widespread that every musket was called a moukahla, and european handbooks translated the english word "gun" as moukahla.

Significance

The Moukahla played a major role in Maghrebi wars up until the early 20th century, being the most used and produced musket in the armies of the

Kingdom of Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to the east, and t ...

, the

Deylik of Algiers The Regency of Algiers was an early modern semi-independent Ottoman province and nominal vassal state on the Barbary Coast of North Africa from 1516 to 1830. Founded by the privateer brothers Aruj and Hayreddin Reis (also known as the Barbaro ...

and the

Beylik of Tunis The Beylik of Tunis () was a de facto independent state located in present-day Tunisia, formally part of the Ottoman Empire. It was ruled by the Husainid dynasty from 1705 until the establishment of the French protectorate of Tunisia in 1881. T ...

References

*Blair, Claude and Leonid Tarassuk, Editors. ''The Complete Encyclopedia of Arms and Weapons''. New York: 1982 *Elgood, Robert. ''Firearms of the Islamic World in the Tareg Rajab Museum, Kuwait''. London: 1995