AKHALTSIKHE MOSQUE AND ITS LIBRARY FOLLOWING PAVEL SANKOVSKI’S ARTICLE

Abstract

The Akhaltsikhe Main Mosque stands as the most prominent and impressive Islamic monument in Georgia. Erected by Haji Ahmed Pasha (d. 1758), a Muslim descendant of the Christian feudal lords (Atabags) of the southern Georgian principality of Samtskhe-Saatabago, surnamed Jakeli, it is accordingly known as the Ahmed Mosque. Uniquely among Georgian mosques, the Ahmed Mosque boasts a documented cultural, educational, and, in particular, library history.

Numerous written and oral accounts, memoirs, and studies pertain to the Ahmed Mosque, extensively explored by Shota Lomsadze (1925-2003) in his work on the fortunes of Samtskhe-Saatabago. This encompasses the mosque library’s history, composition, and significance. Early references to the Ahmed Mosque are attributed to the German and French scholars Johan Anton Güldenstädt and Jean Francois Gamba. Lomsadze’s research, drawing on an article from the first Georgian Russian newspaper, „Тифлисские Ведомости [Tiflisskie Vedomosti || Tbilisi News]” (1828-1833), provides an overview of the Mosque’s library. Current study aims to expand upon Lomsadze’s source base, incorporating new material, refining details, and resurrecting a hitherto overlooked document crucial to Georgian cultural and scientific history.
The principality of Akhaltsikhe fell under Turkish dominion in 1578, becoming the province of Childir Eyalet. On 15-16 August 1828, the Russian imperial army, supported by Georgian militia, recaptured Akhaltsikhe and much of the region, incorporating it into the Russian Empire. Amidst the fierce fighting, Field Marshal Ivan Paskevich learned of the unique manuscripts and printed books housed within the Ahmed Mosque’s library and ordered its protection. The library survived, yielding a collection of 600 volumes. A specially appointed commission divided the collection, with Paskevich transferring a portion to Tbilisi en route to the Imperial Public Library in St Petersburg, while leaving the remainder in situ. This collection was augmented by manuscripts brought to Tbilisi by Alexander Griboedov from Ardebil, along with hundreds of books seized from the mosques of Bayazet and Erzurum, all destined for the same St Petersburg library. The highlyeducated Pavel Sankovski, editor of the „Тифлисские Ведомости [Tiflisskie Vedomosti
|| Tbilisi News]”, described these collections in publications that this study introduces to scholarly discourse for the first time.
Pavel Sankovski devoted several articles to the Akhaltsikhe campaign, the Ahmed Mosque, and its library. The pseudonym “П. С . . . . .скаго [P.S. ….ski]” was later identified as Pavel Sankovski through research by Andro Abramishvili of the St Petersburg National Library, as detailed in the present study.

Sankovski’s article offers a notable early assessment of the Akhaltsikhe Main Mosque and its book collection. It includes a pioneering attempt at a scholarly evaluation of the collection, along with a preliminary bibliography of three hundred items selected for transfer to St Petersburg. This catalogue provides a comparative analysis with other Islamic texts acquired during the Russian military operations, including the manuscripts from Ardabil, Bayazet, and Erzurum.
The main goal of this study is to describe, analyze, and republish Sankovski’s article as well as its Georgian translation, completed by the renowned figure in Georgian culture, science, and politics, Solomon Dodashvili (1805-1836). In the present article the original and translated material are presented concurrently. The Russian original has been lightly revised in accordance with contemporary literary Russian orthography. Translation is presented in accordance with the principle of diplomatic edition.