Traditional Decor and Forms of Artistic Decoration of Wooden Mosques of Adjara

Abstract

The coexistence of pagan, Christian and Islamic symbols in Adjara was caused by the relatively late spread of Islam. Despite the difficult historical situation, the population of Adjara was able to challenge the national cultural values for the foreign ethnic element and thereby save the ethnic consciousness. The ornament preserved in the interior of the mosque can be considered as one of the expressions of the above mentioned statement.

In the decoration of the wooden mosques of Adjara, there are plant motifs with a decorative function, as well as those related to beliefs and ideas. The abundance of vine images has historical significance. In Adjara, the fact that vines are depicted on Jameh mosque indicates the continuation and preservation of the traditions of decorating Georgian Christian churches. Subject ornament is found: ship, water vessel, sword, scales. The image of the water vessel is mainly related to the plant ornament. It emphasizes the fertility of the plant. The ship on Jameh's facade is painted by Lazi masters with oil paint and is supposed to be a symbolic sign of seafaring. The images of scales and swords are symbolically related to the necessary fulfillment of the strict requirements of Muslim dogmas and culture. On the wooden Jamehs in Adjara, we see different expressions of crosses, including Borjgali, hidden crosses, bunches of vines. These signs are visualizations of the knowledge accumulated in the past.

The universality of the ornament often determined the use of Georgian carving on mosques, so that it did not cause irritation to the representatives of the Muslim religious services.

The abundance and variety of ornamental faces on Adjara Jamehs are an expression of the accumulated knowledge that the Georgian creator always had and genetically inherited.