Baghdati (Georgian: ბაღდათი, romanized: baghdati) is a town of 3,700 people[2] in the Imereti region of western Georgia, at the edge of the Ajameti forest on the river Khanistsqali, a tributary of the Rioni.

Baghdati
ბაღდათი
Town
Baghdati Town Center
Baghdati Town Center
Baghdati
Baghdati
Baghdati
Baghdati
Baghdati
Baghdati
Baghdati
Baghdati (Imereti)
Coordinates: 42°4′4″N 42°49′29″E / 42.06778°N 42.82472°E / 42.06778; 42.82472
CountryGeorgia
RegionImereti
DistrictBaghdati
Elevation
200 m (700 ft)
Population
 (2024)[1]
 • Total
2,511
Time zoneGeorgian Time (UTC+4)
ClimateCfa
Map

Geography

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The town is located at the edge of the Ajameti forest on the left bank of the river Khanistsqali, about 170 kilometres (110 mi) west-northwest of Tbilisi and 25 kilometres (16 mi) south-southeast of Kutaisi.

The climate of Baghdati can be classified as moderately humid subtropical (Köppen climate classification Cfa).

History

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Baghdati Cathedral

Baghdati is one of the oldest villages in the historical Imereti region.[citation needed] Its name shares the same origins as the name of the capital of Iraq, Baghdād: Bagh 'god' and dāti 'given', which can be translated as "God-given" or "God's gift" in the Pahlavi language. When Georgia was part of the Russian Empire and during the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic, its name was changed to Baghdadi (Russian: Багдади).[citation needed] In 1940, it was renamed Mayakovsky (Georgian: მაიაკოვსკი; Russian: Маяковский), after the poet Vladimir Mayakovsky who was born here in 1893.[3] In 1981, Mayakovsky was granted town status.[3] In 1991, the original name, slightly modified, was restored.[3]

Demographics

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Year Population
1959 4586
1970 4609
1979 4831
1989 5465
2002 4714
2009 4800
2014 3707
Note: Census data 1959–2014[2]

Economy

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In Baghdati there is a furniture factory and companies in the food industry (canned food, wine). The nearest railway stations are located in Rioni and Kutaisi.

Culture

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Baghdati has the Vladimir Mayakovsky Museum and a National Theatre. It is also home to the Baghdati Cultural Center and the Baghdati Central Stadium.

Notable people

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Notes

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  1. ^ "Population by regions". National Statistics Office of Georgia. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  2. ^ a b National Statistics Office of Georgia, Population Census 2014
  3. ^ a b c Е. М. Поспелов (Ye. M. Pospelov). "Имена городов: вчера и сегодня (1917–1992). Топонимический словарь." (City Names: Yesterday and Today (1917–1992). Toponymic Dictionary.) Москва, "Русские словари", 1993, p. 30.
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