diff --git a/pyiceberg/catalog/glue.py b/pyiceberg/catalog/glue.py
index 01bb0e9b05..c028d7f074 100644
--- a/pyiceberg/catalog/glue.py
+++ b/pyiceberg/catalog/glue.py
@@ -680,13 +680,19 @@ def drop_namespace(self, namespace: Union[str, Identifier]) -> None:
         """
         database_name = self.identifier_to_database(namespace, NoSuchNamespaceError)
         try:
-            table_list = self.list_tables(namespace=database_name)
-        except NoSuchNamespaceError as e:
+            table_list_response = self.glue.get_tables(DatabaseName=database_name)
+            table_list = table_list_response["TableList"]
+        except self.glue.exceptions.EntityNotFoundException as e:
             raise NoSuchNamespaceError(f"Database does not exist: {database_name}") from e
 
         if len(table_list) > 0:
-            raise NamespaceNotEmptyError(f"Database {database_name} is not empty")
-
+            first_table = table_list[0]
+            if self.__is_iceberg_table(first_table):
+                raise NamespaceNotEmptyError(f"Cannot drop namespace {database_name} because it still contains Iceberg tables")
+            else:
+                raise NamespaceNotEmptyError(
+                    f"Cannot drop namespace {database_name} because it still contains non-Iceberg tables"
+                )
         self.glue.delete_database(Name=database_name)
 
     def list_tables(self, namespace: Union[str, Identifier]) -> List[Identifier]:
diff --git a/tests/catalog/test_glue.py b/tests/catalog/test_glue.py
index df1734eb68..399c9e8bb1 100644
--- a/tests/catalog/test_glue.py
+++ b/tests/catalog/test_glue.py
@@ -548,6 +548,18 @@ def test_drop_non_empty_namespace(
         test_catalog.drop_namespace(database_name)
 
 
+@mock_aws
+def test_drop_namespace_that_contains_non_iceberg_tables(
+    _bucket_initialize: None, moto_endpoint_url: str, table_schema_nested: Schema, database_name: str, table_name: str
+) -> None:
+    test_catalog = GlueCatalog("glue", **{"s3.endpoint": moto_endpoint_url, "warehouse": f"s3://{BUCKET_NAME}/"})
+    test_catalog.create_namespace(namespace=database_name)
+    test_catalog.glue.create_table(DatabaseName=database_name, TableInput={"Name": "hive_table"})
+
+    with pytest.raises(NamespaceNotEmptyError):
+        test_catalog.drop_namespace(database_name)
+
+
 @mock_aws
 def test_drop_non_exist_namespace(_bucket_initialize: None, moto_endpoint_url: str, database_name: str) -> None:
     test_catalog = GlueCatalog("glue", **{"s3.endpoint": moto_endpoint_url})