Georgian church turned mosque Population: 500
Old names: Haho, Khakhuli
In the far north-eastern corner of Turkey, the domed medieval church of St Mary at Bağbaşı (known as Meryemana to the locals) is still in use as a mosque which means that it is structurally sound. It sits in a walled garden accessed via a stone arch with a stream running through it and a small building, probably a chapel, right beside it. Built in the late 10th century by the Georgian King David Magistros (961-1001), it became a centre for culture and the creation of works of art.
Amongst those works of art was the 12th-century Khakhuli Triptych made from gold and enamel and now one of the prized exhibits in the Tbilisi Museum of Art.
You may be able to stay at a basic pension in Pehlivanlı on the minor road leading down to Bağbaşı.
Transport info
There are no dolmuşes to Bağbaşı but you can get there by taxi from Uzundere.
