Chao Mosque

Chao Mosque
სოფელ ჩაოს მეჩეთი
Religion
AffiliationIslam
Ecclesiastical or organisational status
StatusActive
Location
LocationChao, Adjara
CountryGeorgia
Interactive map of Chao Mosque
Coordinates41°37′13″N 42°17′34″E / 41.620333°N 42.292694°E / 41.620333; 42.292694
Architecture
Groundbreaking1909
Completed
  • 1912
  • 1995 (renovation)
Specifications
Length9.2 m (30 ft)
Width7.5 m (25 ft)
Height (max)4.3 m (14 ft)
Minaret1 (removed in 1936)
MaterialsTimber; corrugated metal
[1]

The Chao Mosque (Georgian: სოფელ ჩაოს მეჩეთი) is a wooden mosque in the village of Chao[a] in the Adjara region of Georgia.

History

Built between 1909 and 1912 by Laz craftsmen from Batumi, the mosque was restored between 1993 and 1995. The first minaret of the mosque was demolished in 1936 on the orders of Soviet authorities. In the same year, the mosque was converted into a warehouse and the madrasa next to the mosque into a social club. The interior of the mosque is decorated with murals of corn stalk motifs.[1] The mosque is 4.3 metres (14 ft) high, 9.2 metres (30 ft) long and 7.5 metres (25 ft) wide.[2] The corrugated metal cladding of the mosque was brought from Turkey and the carpets from Batumi.[3]

As of 2018, the mosque was still in use, though a 1988 landslide in Chao led many residents to move away, reducing the mosque's attendance.[1]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Chao, Georgia

References

  1. ^ a b c Harris-Brandts, Suzanne; Wheeler, Angela; Shioshvili, Vladimer (2018). "The Wooden Mosques of Adjara" (PDF). static1.squarespace.com. pp. 76–79. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 28, 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  2. ^ Baramidze, Ruslan (2010). "The Muslim Monuments of Worship (I part)". Retrieved January 7, 2025 – via academia.edu.
  3. ^ "Chao Mosque". indigenousoutsiders.com. Retrieved January 8, 2025.