Islam in Georgia (country)

[5] The Georgia-Turkey agreement will allow the reconstruction of the historical Azize mosque in Batumi, Ajaria demolished in the middle of the last century.

In that year, Marwan II took hold of Tbilisi and much of the neighbouring lands and installed there an Arab emir, who was to be confirmed by the Caliph of Baghdad or, occasionally, by the ostikan of Armīniya.

After the formation of the Emirate of Tbilisi, Arabic historical sources provide evidence of the use of the terms nisbas at-Tiflisi or at-Taflisi.

[6] Between 1386 and 1404, Georgia was subjected to invasions by the armies of Turco-Mongol conqueror Timur, whose vast empire stretched, at its greatest extent, from Central Asia into Anatolia.

Timur was preparing for a major confrontation with the Ottoman dynasty and apparently wished to freeze the currently prevailing situation in Georgia, until he could return to deal with it more decisively and thoroughly at his leisure.

From the early 16th to the course of the second half of the 18th century, the Safavids had to deal with several independent kingdoms and principalities, as Georgia was not a single state at the time.

While the Ottomans leaned towards the complete Islamization of the Southwest Georgian populace or a hands-off approach in certain western provinces, the Iranians focused on converting the elite class in the eastern region without influencing the predominant Christian majority among the population.

[6] For several centuries, the Georgian kings and aristocrats converted to Islam and served as courtiers to the Iranian Safavid, Afsharid and Qajar dynasties, who ruled them.

[9] In the regions of southern and western Georgia, where Ottoman rule held direct sway, a distinct scenario unfolded.

Its initial penetration occurred in the aforementioned southwest region of Georgia, notably with the establishment of the Ottoman pashalik of Akhaltsikhe (Childir).

In the sixteenth century, as per the Ottoman census of mountainous Adjara, the majority of inhabitants adhered to Christianity, subject to religious taxes.

[10] The nineteenth century marked a significant turning point in Georgia's interactions with the Islamic world, primarily shaped by its integration into the Russian Empire.

However, as the Russo-Turkish and Russo-Persian wars led to an increased Muslim population within the Russian Empire, a more nuanced distinction emerged.

The ethnic Georgian Muslims are Sunni Hanafi and are concentrated in the Autonomous Republic of Adjara of Georgia bordering Turkey.

Other Muslim groups include ethnic Georgians in Adjara (an autonomous region in the southwestern part of the country) and Chechens in the northeast.