Great Synagogue, Tbilisi

The Great Synagogue-also known as the Georgian Synagogue-was constructed between approximately 1904 and 1911 by Jewish immigrants originally from Akhaltsikhe. This two-story brick structure, blending eclectic Moorish and Romanesque revival styles, features a dome, lantern, and an exterior orientation facing toward Jerusalem in keeping with Jewish tradition.

Step inside, and the synagogue unfolds into two prayer halls. The upper hall-used for the Sabbath and festivals-boasts richly painted walls and a ceiling adorned with vegetal motifs, biblical verses, and prayers. It also features a women’s gallery, offering both spiritual and architectural insight. The lower hall, reserved for daily prayers, echoes similar decorative motifs but is architecturally simpler.

Key religious furnishings include a nearly 150-year-old Holy Ark and a adorned Teba or prayer platform, both central to the congregation’s worship. The synagogue underwent respectful renovation in the early 2000s-around 2009 to 2012-helping preserve its heritage as a cultural monument recognized by Georgia’s Ministry of Culture and Sports.