Juma Mosque in Tbilisi: The City's Only Mosque

🕌 Active mosque · ⏱️ 30–60 minutes · 📍 Abanotubani, at the foot of Narikala

🧭 Who this article is for

The Juma Mosque is one of those places in Tbilisi that everyone walks past but few actually understand. From the outside it's a red brick building with mosaics — and that alone stops people. Inside is three centuries of history: two architects, two branches of Islam, and a city that eventually brought them under the same roof without a dividing curtain. This article is for those who want to know what to look at and why the place matters.

📜 Three centuries in one building

The first mosque on this site was built in 1723–1735 — by the Ottomans. The location was not straightforward: a sheer rocky cliff in the Abanotubani quarter at the foot of Narikala. In the 1740s Persian forces attacked the city — and the mosque was left in ruins.

About a hundred years passed. In 1846–1851 the building was reconstructed almost from scratch by Italian architect Giovanni Scudieri. This is where the unusual combination appears: Scudieri brought neo-Gothic elements that sit unexpectedly alongside the Islamic tradition. The result was arched windows and a character unlike any other mosque in the region.

In 1895 Azerbaijani industrialist from Baku G. Taghiyev paid for a full renovation — substantially changing the eastern-facing section of the façade, which faces towards Mecca.

🏛️ What makes it unusual

• The site. The building stands on a sheer rocky cliff. That's not a figure of speech — the mosque is literally constructed on the edge of a rock face. How exactly a massive brick structure came to stand there is a question everyone asks when they look at it from below.
• Architecture. Juma Mosque is not the typical dome-and-arches you might expect. Scudieri mixed neo-Gothic with Islamic tradition: arched windows, specific façade proportions, brick construction. The minaret is octagonal, not round — immediately noticeable and unusual. The façade mosaic is what catches the eye first for most tourists who don't yet know they're looking at a mosque. It repays careful attention.
• The story of Sunnis and Shia. Until the mid-20th century Tbilisi had two mosques. The Juma was Sunni. The Shia "Blue Mosque" stood separately — until it was demolished for the construction of the Metekhi Bridge. After that, Shia Muslims had nowhere to go, and the Tbilisi mosque took them in. At first the prayer hall was divided by a black curtain — one side for each branch of Islam. Gradually the curtain came down. Now the hall is undivided and open to all believers.

🗺️ How to fit the mosque into your route

1️⃣ Start at Meidani Square — the mosque is 5 minutes through the Abanotubani quarter.

2️⃣ Approach from below — look at how the building stands on the rocky slope.

3️⃣ Walk up to the mosque and examine the mosaic on the façade — the main detail outside.

4️⃣ Notice the octagonal minaret — it stands out clearly from any standard design.

5️⃣ Go inside if time and dress allow. The interior is calm — carpets, quiet, a different atmosphere.

6️⃣ Nearby: the Abanotubani sulphur baths and the Botanical Garden. Easy to combine in one route.

🏁 What stays with you

The Juma Mosque is a small place with a dense history. Three centuries, two destructions, an Italian architect with neo-Gothic instincts and two branches of Islam that eventually stopped dividing their shared prayer hall with a black curtain. You can feel all of that by simply standing there — provided you know what you're looking at.

ℹ️ The mosque is an active place of worship. Visiting hours for tourists may vary; check in advance. Modest dress is required; shoes must be removed at the entrance. Information is current at the time of publication.

🏛️ Nearby attractions