Batumi for Arab families: mosque, halal food, family holidays and buying rules

A city with its own Muslim heritage

Islam is not new in Batumi. Adjara was under Ottoman rule for centuries, and many Adjarians are ethnic Georgian Muslims, a community found nowhere else in the country. According to the 2024 census, as reported on Wikipedia from national statistics office data, 33.85% of Adjara's population is Muslim, and Batumi has 59,779 Muslim residents, 25.4% of the city. Across Georgia, Muslims make up 11.1% of the population.

This guide is for families from the Gulf and the wider Arab world who are thinking about a flat in Batumi. It covers the mosque, halal food, family attractions, visas and travel, the treaties and document rules for each Arab country, and how purchases are usually paid for. Rules that apply to every foreign buyer, whatever the passport, are set out in our guide to money and taxes.

Orta Jame, the city's mosque

Orta Jame, the "middle mosque", stands in Old Batumi with its entrance on Kutaisi Street. It was built in 1866 by the family of Aslan Beg Khimshiashvili, and its name comes from its position between two other mosques that were later demolished. In the Soviet period it was closed and used as a military warehouse; it reopened for worship in 1995. It holds the five daily prayers and the Friday prayer and runs a Quran school.

It is the only active mosque in Batumi, and it is too small. Lonely Planet notes that worshippers overflow onto the street during Friday prayers, and Reuters reported in July 2025 that congregations are swollen by visitors from Turkey, about 20 km away, and by tourists from the Middle East. We found no published figure for its capacity.

A second mosque has been in the courts for years. The community bought a plot in 2016, and the city refused a building permit in 2017, citing a residential zone. Batumi City Court found the refusal discriminatory in September 2019, and the Kutaisi Court of Appeals agreed in April 2021. On 25 May 2023 the Supreme Court annulled that ruling and sent the case back to Kutaisi. We found no final decision as of October 2026.

Halal food

Several restaurants that describe themselves as halal are on or near Kutaisi Street in Old Batumi, close to the mosque and the city's main market. Halal directories such as Zabihah list, for example, a Georgian, Arabic and Turkish restaurant at 30 Kutaisi Street, where staff told the directory the food is halal and no alcohol is served, and an Indian and Arabic restaurant on Sherif Khimshiashvili Street run by Muslim owners. These are directory listings, not inspections, so ask the staff where the meat comes from.

• Certification: we found no official Georgian body that certifies halal food. Commercial travel guides say there is none; we could not confirm this from an official source.
• Markets: a commercial halal guide says the bazaar on Kutaisi Street sells halal meat alongside fresh produce, spices and bread.
• Georgian restaurants: the same guide advises asking staff at local Adjaran restaurants where their meat comes from before ordering.

Hotel booking sites for Muslim travellers, such as HalalBooking, list Batumi hotels that are alcohol-free or remove alcohol from rooms on request. None that we found offers a women-only pool or beach.

Arab and Gulf visitors

Visitors from the Gulf are a steady part of Batumi's summer. The Georgian National Tourism Administration counted 145,513 visits to Georgia from the Gulf Cooperation Council countries in 2025, up 3.4%, with Saudi Arabia up 9.1%, Qatar up 4.6% and the UAE up 0.7%. Saudi Arabia was 12th among all source countries from January to September 2025, with 84,384 visits. The tourism administration says Georgia is increasingly popular with families from the region.

The first quarter of 2026 was mixed. Galt & Taggart reported that total international visits were flat, as the escalation in the Middle East hit travel in March, but visits from the Gulf rose by 8.2% and from Saudi Arabia by 36.6%. We found no figures yet for the summer of 2026.

How many Arab buyers are there?

Arab buyers are still a small group in Batumi's market. Galt & Taggart's survey of more than 30 developer projects, about 40% of the new-build market, puts buyers from Arab countries at 3 to 4%, according to International Investment in June 2026. The firm's sales-based review of 2025, which counts all flat sales, shows the following mix; Arab buyers are included under other countries.

A small share means you are unlikely to find many neighbours from the region in one building, so do not count on an Arabic-speaking community around you; we found no Arabic-language public services in Batumi either. Our guide to foreign buyer statistics compares the figures across the country.

Family days out

Adjara's official tourism portal, Visit Ajara, lists the main family attractions. Prices below are the ones shown on the portal and may have changed.

The beaches are public and mixed, and we found no women-only beach in Batumi, Gonio or Kvariati. Highland Adjara, where most villages have a mosque, offers cooler air in August; our guide to houses in the Adjara mountains covers the area. The Botanical Garden side of the city is described in our guide to Green Cape and Chakvi.

Visas, insurance and flights

Citizens of the Gulf states, Jordan and Lebanon may stay in Georgia visa-free for a full year under Government Ordinance No 255; our guide to visa-free stay in Georgia explains the rules. The Georgian embassy in Jordan states that Iraqi citizens must obtain a visa before travelling. We could not confirm the current rule for Egyptian citizens, so check the Georgian consular checker at geoconsul.gov.ge. Travel insurance is also compulsory: from 1 January 2026 every foreign visitor needs a health and accident policy covering at least GEL 30,000.

Gulf carriers such as flydubai, flynas and Jazeera Airways have flown to Batumi in summer, mostly from July to September. We found only booking-site data, not airline announcements, for 2026, so check the current schedule. Our guide to flights to Batumi covers the airport and transfers.

Treaties and documents by country

Two rules decide how much paperwork an Arab buyer faces. The first is whether Georgia has a double taxation treaty with your country; the Ministry of Finance lists 58 in force. The second is whether your country is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention: if it is, a power of attorney signed there needs only an apostille; if not, it needs consular legalisation.

For the UAE, the Georgian embassy in Abu Dhabi legalises documents that carry the UAE foreign ministry's stamp, for a fee of AED 56 per document, and says the process takes up to 10 working days. Applications start online at geoconsul.gov.ge. A power of attorney must be notarised before it can be legalised. Every foreign document then needs a notarised Georgian translation. Our guides to the power of attorney and to apostille and legalisation walk through each step.

A treaty decides which country taxes which income; rent from a Batumi flat is normally taxed in Georgia, where the flat is. Read the treaty text or ask an adviser before relying on it, and see our guide to double taxation treaties.

Paying without interest

We found no Sharia-compliant mortgage, Islamic bank or Islamic window at any Georgian bank as of October 2026; the banks offer conventional loans only. Families who avoid interest therefore usually pay in full or use a developer's instalment plan, where the price is fixed in the contract and paid in stages during construction. Check whether the plan adds a surcharge and what happens if the building is late; our guide to developer instalment plans covers the terms and risks.

Where to look for a flat

For families who want to walk to the Friday prayer, Old Batumi around Kutaisi Street is the obvious choice, with halal restaurants and the market nearby, though prices there are the highest in the city. Families who come mainly for the summer may prefer a newer tower on the coast and drive to the mosque; check that the building has the parking and the lifts it advertises. Green Cape suits those who want greenery and quiet near the Botanical Garden.

Batumi for Arab families: pros and cons

Preparing to buy in Batumi from the Gulf step by step

1. Visit in summer and in spring

   See the city full and quiet.

2. Choose the area

   Near the mosque or by the sea.

3. Check your document route

   Apostille or consular legalisation.

4. Decide how to pay

   In full or by developer instalments.

5. Check the developer

   Permits, past projects and the contract.

6. Plan the tax position

   Georgian rental tax and the treaty, if any.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a mosque in Batumi?

Yes, Orta Jame on Kutaisi Street, built in 1866; it is the only active mosque in the city.

How many Muslims live in Batumi?

59,779 at the 2024 census, 25.4% of the city.

Is halal food easy to find?

Several restaurants near Kutaisi Street describe themselves as halal; ask staff, as we found no certification body.

Do Gulf citizens need a visa?

No, they may stay visa-free for a full year; Iraqi citizens need a visa.

Does a UAE power of attorney need an apostille?

No, the UAE is not in the Apostille Convention; it needs consular legalisation.

Is there a Sharia-compliant mortgage?

We found none at Georgian banks as of October 2026.

How many buyers come from Arab countries?

About 3 to 4% in a Galt & Taggart developer survey.

Is there a women-only beach?

We found none; Batumi's beaches are public and mixed.

Sources

1. Adjara, Wikipedia, citing the 2024 census, and Georgia's population in the 2024 census, Imedi, 22 June 2026
2. Batumi Mosque, Wikipedia, and Orta Jame Mosque, Lonely Planet (accessed 28 October 2026)
3. In deeply Christian Georgia, a Muslim minority upholds its patriotism, Reuters via The Star, 11 July 2025
4. The Batumi new mosque case, Social Justice Center, 28 June 2023, and Supreme Court ruling on the Batumi mosque, Sakartvelos Ambebi
5. Restaurant listing, Kutaisi Street and restaurant listing, Khimshiashvili Street, Zabihah, and halal food guide to Georgia, HalalSpy (accessed 28 October 2026)
6. Batumi hotel listing, HalalBooking (accessed 28 October 2026)
7. 145,513 GCC visits in 2025, TradeArabia, 6 August 2026, and the GCC remains a strategic market, Gulf Times, 19 July 2026
8. Top 15 countries with the most tourists, BM.ge, 13 October 2025, and international visitors in the first quarter of 2026, Commersant, citing Galt & Taggart, 20 April 2026
9. Foreigners bought 52% of apartments in Batumi in 2025, 13 March 2026, and sales growth and risks of oversupply, 1 June 2026, International Investment, citing Galt & Taggart
10. Dolphinarium, Botanical Garden and Aquapark, Visit Ajara, and Goderdzi resort (accessed 28 October 2026)
11. Government Ordinance No 255, Legislative Herald of Georgia, visa information, Embassy of Georgia in Jordan, and mandatory travel insurance, Embassy of Georgia in Egypt, 27 December 2025
12. Double taxation treaties, Ministry of Finance of Georgia, and Apostille Convention status table, HCCH, 30 June 2026
13. Legalisation, Embassy of Georgia to the UAE (accessed 28 October 2026)

Change log

• 28 October 2026 - Guide published from Wikipedia, Imedi, Lonely Planet, Reuters, the Social Justice Center, Sakartvelos Ambebi, Zabihah, HalalSpy, HalalBooking, TradeArabia, Gulf Times, BM.ge, Commersant, International Investment, Visit Ajara, Goderdzi resort, the Legislative Herald, Georgian embassies, the Ministry of Finance and HCCH.