About Sights – 19th Century Mosques in Ajara
Ajara (Georgian: აჭარა) is an autonomous republic of Georgia located in the southwestern corner of the country, bordered by Turkey to the south and the eastern end of the Black Sea. According to 2006 estimates by the Department of Statistics of Ajara, 30% of Ajara’s population are Muslim.
Islam spread to Ajara as a consequence of the Ottoman Empire’s occupation from 1552. Initially slow to spread, Islam gathered momentum during the 18th century, when believers began to establish mosques in the region. An especially intense period of building mosques took place throughout Ajara in the 19th century and a number of these survive today.
During Soviet rule, an anti-religious campaign in the 1930s forced the closure of mosques and other spiritual institutions. The minarets of mosques were demolished and religious buildings converted to serve an economic or social purpose. It wasn’t until the 1980s that religious life across a variety of faiths in Ajara and throughout Georgia was revived.
Photos courtesy of the Cultural Heritage Preservation Agency of Ajara.
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