A black curtain once split this mosque in two. Since 1996, Sunni and Shia Muslims have prayed here side by side.
This is the Jumah Mosque, in the old town of Tbilisi, Georgia, at the foot of Narikala Fortress. It stands in the sulphur-bath district of Abanotubani, close to a church and a synagogue.
Muslims have lived in Tbilisi since the Arab conquest in the seventh century. The Ottomans, who then held the city, built a Sunni mosque here in the early eighteenth century, and Persian forces destroyed it in the seventeen forties.
It was rebuilt between 1846 and 1851. In 1895, the Azerbaijani philanthropist Zeynalabdin Taghiyev reportedly funded the red-brick building seen today.
Its style blends neo-Gothic and Islamic elements, with arched windows along the walls and a single octagonal minaret. The plain exterior is said to hide a richly patterned interior, with two mihrab niches, one for each community.
For decades, Tbilisi had a separate Shia mosque near the river. Around 1950, the Soviet authorities demolished it to make way for a bridge, and the Shia community began praying here.
A curtain divided the two groups until 1996, and the mosque was restored in 1998. Friday and Eid prayers are held here, and it is often described as one of the rare mosques where both groups share one prayer hall.
Muslims have lived in Tbilisi since the Arab conquest in the 7th century, and the city once had multiple mosques. The original Juma Mosque built by the Ottomans in the early 18th century, at the foot of Narikala Fortress, was destroyed by Persian forces in the 1740s, then rebuilt between 1846–1851 by the Italian architect Giovanni Scudieri. In 1895, funded by Azerbaijani philanthropist Zeynalabdin Taghiyev, it was rebuilt again in its current red-brick form. The mosque underwent restoration in 1998.
The mosque serves both Sunni and Shia Muslims and is primarily used by the Azerbaijanis in Tbilisi. It was also used by Tatars during the Soviet Union. Originally separated by a curtain, Shias and Sunnis eventually began praying together in 1996, making it one of the few mosques where followers of the two main branches of Islam share a single prayer space. It is also the focal point for Friday prayers and celebrations of Eid al‑Adha and Eid al‑Fitr, drawing both local worshippers and tourists. It is subordinate to the Mufti of Azerbaijan.
The mosque stands among other religious landmarks in Old Tbilisi, including bathhouses, synagogues, and churches, exemplifying the city's long-standing tradition of religious diversity and tolerance.
The History, Architecture and later sections are adapted from the Wikipedia article “Juma Mosque, Tbilisi”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article. Text has been shortened.
The article is a short summary based on published sources; where accounts differ, the text says so. Photos come from Wikimedia Commons and are shown under their free licences, with the author credited under each image. If you are an author and want a credit changed or a photo removed, please write to [email protected].
