State Archive of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea - Document No. 965

11^th August 1905

On the base of the information received from the press, the Spiritual Council learned that His Highness, Mr. Governor of the Caucasus region gave permission for a Karaite synagogue to open in the city of Tiflis. (Tbilisi since 1936 - translator's note)

Karaite synagogues in Russia, with the exception of the West Region, are subordinated to the jurisdiction of the Spiritual Council, we do not know if a Karaite community which could request the construction of a synagogue exists in Tiflis. This would allow the Spiritual Council to humbly ask Your Highness to inform the Council, if a regulation was issued in the matter of the opening of Karaite synagogues in Tiflis, who asked for the building of synagogue and what Karaite community is located there?

24^th May 1906

Addressed to the Karaite Spiritual Council of Tauris (Tauric Peninsula, Crimea - translator's note) and Odessa
 
The official response to the Spiritual Council inquiry number 501, was filed on the 11th September last year. The main Caucasus leadership permitted the Karaites that live in Tiflis to establish a prayer house in the building in the July of the same year. The building is located in Zarabash street and is owned by Varvara Bugurevich.

This permit was issued by the representatives of Tiflis guberniya at the request of the representative of the Karaites of Tiflis, this representative is called Yakub Anukaoglu. He is the merchant of the second guild of Tiflis.

The Karaite community in Tiflis consists of about 70 souls, before the establishment of the prayer house in the above mentioned house, local Karaites practised their religious rites in the house of David Ibrahimoglu.

The historical part of Tbilisi, where the Karaite prayer house  was located - photo by Roman Aleev