In region of southern Georgia, stands the abandoned Sakuneti Mosque. The building dates from the period when this part of Georgia was under Ottoman rule, which lasted from the sixteenth until the nineteenth century. During this time, several mosques were constructed throughout the region, reflecting the strong Ottoman influence on local culture and religion.

The mosque is built from local stone and features thick masonry walls designed to withstand the harsh mountain climate. Its simple rectangular design differs from the elaborate mosques found in larger Ottoman cities and is more typical of rural religious architecture in the Caucasus. The small metal dome crowning the structure remains one of its most recognizable features.

After the Russian Empire took control of the region in the nineteenth century and later during the Soviet era, the mosque gradually lost its religious role. Many religious buildings throughout the Soviet Union were closed, repurposed, or left abandoned. Sakuneti Mosque eventually fell into disuse and has remained largely untouched for decades.