Baghdati
Baghdati
Baghdati (Georgian: ბაღდათი) is a town of 3,700 people[1] in the Imereti region of western Georgia, at the edge of the Ajameti forest on the river Khanistskali, a tributary of the Rioni.
Geography
The town is located at the edge of the Ajameti forest on the left bank of the Khanistskali River, 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).
Hotels
- Guesthouse Zedafoni / https://zedafoni.com [5]
History
Baghdati is one of the oldest villages in the historical Imereti region. Its name shares the same origins as the name of the capital of Iraq, Baghdad: هدیه Bag "god" and خدا dāti "given", which can be translated as "God-given" or "God's gift" in old Persian. When Georgia was part of the Russian Empire and during the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic, its name was changed to Baghdadi (Russian: Багдади). In 1940, it was renamed Mayakovsky (Georgian: მაიაკოვსკი; Russian: Маяковский), after the poet Vladimir Mayakovsky who was born here in 1893.[2] In 1981, Mayakovsky was granted town status.[2] In 1991, slightly modified original name was restored.[2]
Demographics
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1959 | 4586 |
| 1970 | 4609 |
| 1979 | 4831 |
| 1989 | 5465 |
| 2002 | 4714 |
| 2009 | 4800 |
| 2014 | 3707 |
- Note: Census data 1959–2014[1]
Economy
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
Baghdati has the Vladimir Mayakovsky Museum and a National Theatre.
Notable people
Vladimir Mayakovsky (1893–1930), poet