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
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Town
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Baghdati Town Center
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  Baghdati Baghdati Show map of Georgia Baghdati Baghdati (Imereti) Show map of Imereti | |
| Coordinates: 42°4′4″N 42°49′29″E / 42.06778°N 42.82472°E / 42.06778; 42.82472 | |
| Country | Georgia |
| Region | Imereti |
| District | Baghdati |
| Elevation | 200 m (700 ft) |
| Population
(2024)[1]
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| • Total | 2,511 |
| Time zone | Georgian Time (UTC+4) |
| Climate | Cfa |
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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).
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]
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1959 | 4586 |
| 1970 | 4609 |
| 1979 | 4831 |
| 1989 | 5465 |
| 2002 | 4714 |
| 2009 | 4800 |
| 2014 | 3707 |
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.
Baghdati has the Vladimir Mayakovsky Museum and a National Theatre. It is also home to the Baghdati Cultural Center and the Baghdati Central Stadium.
