Qajar Art and Technique upon the City of Tbilisi

The Persian Touch upon Tbilisi

• Qajar Art and Technique upon the City of Tbilisi

In 1795, the Qajar dynasty surged into the Caucasus, reaching Tbilisi. The Battle of Krtsanisi left the city devastated in a single, violent episode, scarring its streets and memory.

Yet history leaves more than ruins. In quiet courtyards, hillside homes, and public buildings, traces of Persian influence remain. If you know where to look, Tbilisi tells a story not only of destruction, but of artistic exchange and survival. Let’s explore the lesser-known corners of Tbilisi where the Qajar imprint lingers.

The 1795 sacking of Tbilisi from the Persian perspective was an attempt to re-establish its rule and influence over the region. Formerly, they appointed rulers and considered the area a frontier of their rule. However, their destruction and exile of many Georgians led to a loss of influence in the region, which Russia later regained by annexing the area in 1801. Yet, in this secondary role, the Qajar rulers still left some architecture in Tbilisi.

In the 19th century (1856-1857), the architect Grigol Ivanov built a palace with a church on this site; the owners were most likely Armenian, represented by the Arshakun family.^[1]https://www.scantbilisi.ge/en/objects/318/TBILISI-STATE-ACADEMY-OF-ART Vardan Arshakuni commissioned the artwork by bringing in Qajar masters from Persia.(He later became mayor of the city from 1858 to 1860.) Most likely, it was a good time to bring in Qajar Persian masters, since the Anglo-Persian war was quite turbulent and led to a weak Qajar state.

Qajar Hall of Glass

Tbilisi State Academy of Art houses numerous rooms displaying Qajar art commissioned from Persia. The Hall of Glass displays their enduring work, which combines several techniques unique to Qajar art.

Possibly, other houses on Betlemi and Asatiani streets display Qajar-style work by these artists. Some say that the House-Museum of Elene Akhvlediani showcases the adaptation of elements of Qajar influence in the city, combined with Russian styles.

Persian style in Tbilisi

The artistic features of the Persians give an unmistakable signature of Qajar-era craftsmanship in Tbilisi, most vividly preserved by these mirror mosaics (āina-kāri). This technique, though relatively rare, is the most definitive marker, transforming walls and ceilings into fractured surfaces of light to give the appearance of movement.

Painted Qajar-style human figures add an elegant, courtly touch. With large almond eyes, elongated shapes, and dramatic gestures, they complete the display. These figures often appear among rich floral patterns that fill the space, but sit in a dark shadow among the lighter techniques surrounding them. The intent in these framed panels, similar to that of Persian miniatures, is to lead the viewer into a story, but many of these figures are unknown to modern eyes. The Persian scenes remind the Persians of a past Shia saint or figure from the Shahnameh.

The multiple rooms house a hybrid interiors that blend Persian decorative intensity with European spatial organization. The symmetrical rooms, with tall windows and salon-like layouts, blend a Russian and European style with Persian influences. The crossroads of Tbilisi appropriately mixed the Qajar and the Russian imperial world.

Did these artists desire to honor Georgian figures? In the middle of all this Persian style sits an image of King David IV, who built Tbilisi. This crowned king wears a saintly halo, as the Georgian Orthodox Church considered him a saint for many centuries. The picture reflects a closer style to Georgian ecclesiastical iconography than anything a Qajar Persian artist would form. Was this a requirement imposed on possible non-Georgian artists from Persia? The image is below.

For us modern readers, we may wonder why an Armenian in Tbilisi would honor a Georgian king like David IV? King David IV was known as the liberator from the Seljuk Turks in 1124. Historically, he was known as the liberator of the Armenians and the Georgians. His second wife was Armenian, and their son Demetrius I ruled Tbilisi from 1125 to 1154. These days were known as the golden age that united Georgians and Armenians. For them, this was an important figure, and we know from 19th-century censuses that the largest ethnic group in Tbilisi was Armenian.

The mirror beyond the wall lattice gives a reflective view to encourage light and reflection. The floral designs hint at the Golestan Palace (a 16th-century Qajar palace in Tehran, Iran), which most likely inspired many of them. Near this time, the palace was renovated with the mirror mosaic technique.

Persian Bath Hamams

The bathhouses of Abanotubani form a key backdrop for the craftsmen who later created the mirror halls at the Tbilisi State Academy of Arts. Though older in origin, many baths were repaired and embellished in the 18th–19th centuries, when Persian influence in Tbilisi remained strong.

These renovations relied on the same Qajar-era skills, such as stucco carving, tile work, vaulting, and ornamental geometry that become evident during this time. While the baths lack mirror mosaics, they reveal the artisans’ technical foundation: control of surface, light, and pattern within enclosed spaces. In this way, the bathhouses express the functional side of the same Persian-trained craftsmanship that reached its most refined form in Tbilisi’s mirror halls.

Persian Residency and Consulate Buildings

Walking along the southern ridge, I came upon a former residence of the Qajar Diplomat. Not much is known about the place, but here is my visit to the site.

Mirza Reza lived in the city and desired to make quite a mark. Up the street from this place is another location which he lived in.

Mirza Reza was a Persian diplomat and official who was active in Tbilisi in the late 19th century. He is known for serving as the first secretary at the Persian Consulate in Tbilisi, and these locations became the center of Persian maneuvering due to Russian imperial influence and control. In Tbilisi, he worked at the Persian Consulate from the 1870s onward, eventually becoming a senior diplomatic representative and living in what became known locally as the Palace of Mirza Reza Khan (pictured below)

Later, he served in higher diplomatic roles, such as Minister Plenipotentiary to Russia and ambassador to the Ottoman Empire. Outside Tbilisi, his career included a time in Saint Petersburg, an ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, and living in Europe before returning to Iran, dying just two years after the naming of Iran as a country in 1937.

In my Persian studies, I desired to learn more about what marriage is like under the Islamic rule in that land. Below is my survey.