Rustavi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rustavi or Rust'avi (Georgian: რუსთავი) is a city in the southeast of Georgia, in the province of Kvemo Kartli, situated 16 miles (25 km) southeast of the capital Tbilisi. It stands on the Kura river at . It has a population of 116,384 (2002 census).
The city was founded in 1948 to house the workforce of a nearby metallurgical plant, constructed in 1941-1950 to process iron ore from nearby Azerbaijan. Stalin brought workers from various regions in Georgia, specifically from the rural poorer provinces of Western Georgia. It took its name from a nearby ancient town which was destroyed by the Mongol leader Tamerlane around 1400. Rustavi became a key industrial centre for the Transcaucasus region. The main industries are iron and steel milling and the manufacture of metal products and chemicals.
German POW's who were captured in World War II were enlisted to design and build Old Rustavi. Rustavi is actually divided into two parts--Dzveli Rustavi (Old Rustavi) and Akhali Rustavi (New Rustavi). Old Rustavi adheres to Stalinist architectural style while New Rustavi is dominated by a multitude of seemingly endless stretch of depressing Soviet era block apartments.
The fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 proved disastrous for Rustavi, as it also caused the collapse of the integrated Soviet economy on which the city depended. Today, most of its industrial plants have been shut down and 65% of the city's population is unemployed, with all of the attendant social problems of high crime and acute poverty that such a situation brings. The population shrank from 160,000 in the mid-1990s to 116,000 in 2002 as residents moved elsewhere in search of work.
[edit] History
Rustavi is one of the ancient towns of Georgia, the name of which is connected with the fate of our people beginning from the incursion of Mongols. The town Rustavi took the essential part in the history of Georgia. It always protected the capital Tbilisi from the South-East.
The foundaton of Rustavi is dated from the time immemorial. Leonti Mroveli connects this process with the name of the glorious ancestor of Georgian people. As Leonti writes in his works The description of the Kingdom of Georgia Rustavi was called as Bostan-Kalaki. It was situated on the river Mkvari and it was founded by the wife of Kartlos. She built a castle to the East of the mountain lagluji.
The historian Leonti Mroveli, who described the lives of the first Georgian kings, mentions the town Rustavi among those castles, which protested the troops of Alexander Macedonian.
Though it is proved in history that Alexander Macedonian never invaded Georgian but Rustavi itself is mentioned among such ancient towns as Uplistsikhe, Urbnisi, Mtskheta and Sarkineti. This fact proves that Rustavi as a city had been founded in the V-IV centuries B.C, it was the period of unification of Georgia.
This is what Leonti Mroveli gives us in his work-“The lives of Kings”. The king Trdat, the 28th King of Kartli (of the end of IV centuries A.D) had built a church and a canal. The academician Niko Berdzenishvili wrote that from that time on Rustavi was considered as a big political and administrative center.
Iagluji Mountain
During the reign of Vakhtang Gorgasali (V century) Rustavi took an important part in the political life of Georgia. Since then a Bishopricpulpit had been founded in Rustavi and of the bishops out of twelve was sanctified according to the wish of Vakhtang Gorgasali.
The thing is that the churches of Kartli acted against the King Vakhtang Gorgasali as they were under the influence of Persia. That’s why the King of Kartli dismissed the main Bishop Michael and charged his man.
Museums of Regional Studies
The Bishopric of Rustavi existed till XIII century, before it was ruined by Mongols. Later the Bishopric was transferred to Martkopi, but the Bishop of Martkopi wore the ecclestiastic title of Rustaveli (Rustavi).
At the beginning of the VI century, in 503, the united troops of Georgian and Armenian warriors resisted against the Persian King. In the bettle the King Vakhtang Gorgasali was mortally wounded.
Ancient Exhibits
The troops of Georgian and Armenian warriors remained without the commander and they had been defeated by the Persians. They destroyed the Kingdom of Kartli and the government was given to Mirzahan-the vizi(e)r of Shah.
Besides, the manuscripts, the excavations of the castle Rustavi prove that Rustavi was a big political and administrstive center. During the archaeological excavations the remnants of the ancients buildings are found, there are the remnants of the buildings of the IV and V centuries.
It is well-known that in the IV century Rustavi and Ujarma had been promoted in Kakheti.
Religion
Ujarma was the main residence of the king Vakhtang Gorgasali, its name comes from the Persian. “Ostan” or “Vostan” means the Kingdom, that’s why its ancient name was Bostan-kalaki,. If we take into consideration this explanation, we must believe that Rustavi was the residence of the Georgian Kings.
Rustavi was still a very important place when it was invaded by Arabs. In VIII century it belonged to Kakheti and it became one of the best administration centers.
The head of Kakheti-Hereti, Kvirike the great sent one Eristavi (the head of a nation) out of three to Rustavi and gave him the whole Kakheti. As Arabs were defeated and driven out, another enemy invaded Georgia – those were Turkish-Seljuks. They ruined the whole Asia and killed the inhabitants of it. First the Turkish-Seljukes invaded Georgia in 1068 under the leadership of Sultan Alparsan. There was a terrible battle between the king Bagrat the IV and the enemy. But Bagrat the IV was bitterly defeated. The Turkish-Seljukes took Akhalkalaki. Later the king of Kakheti got into closer contact with the Turkish-Seljukes and they took the inner area of Kartli. Though as it was winter they left Georgia and as the enemy was leaving our country on the way home they took Tbilisi and Rustavi and gave them to Phadlon (Amira). This was the hardest period in the life of Rustavi. Its economy was ruined and it remained only as a military center. It had only a strategic meaning for Tbilisi.
Archangel Mikael Church
In 1069 Bargat the IV defeated Arnira Phadlon and joined the fortress Rustavi, Partskhisi and Agarani.
On 24 November, 1072, Bagrat the IV died and George the II came to the throne. He tried to fortificate Georgia, to join all its friends and enemies by sweet words and good behaviour, by presents and so on, than by sword.
George the II gave the betrayer Ivane (Ohanes) Orbeliani Samshvilde, as for the King of Kakheti he was given Rustavi.
The whole royal family was against the King George the II. They were not satisfied with him. So he was compelled to retire and in 1089 his 16 years old son was called sanctified as a King. Later he was called David the Builder. Now the country developed again. It began to grow from Nikopsia to Darubandi.
In 1097 David the builder stopped paying a tribute to Turkish-Seljukes. In 1104 he joined Kakheti –Hereti. In 1105 he defeated the Amira of Ganja and the whole army of the enemy. Only Tbilisi, Rustavi, Samshvilde, Somkhiti and Agarani were in the hands of the enemy. In 1110 David took Samshvilde. In 1115 he took Rustavi. The enemy was excited as they lost Rustavi, as Rustavi and its surroundings were the pastures of their herds.
The famous Didgori war took place on the 12 of August in 1121. The Georgian troops (55600 warriors) defeated the Moslems, they were about half a million.
In 1122 David the builder took Tbilisi. The liberation and the consolidation of Georgia was over. In those big battles Rustavi took an essential part. In 1220 another misfortune broke out. Georgia again fought against the enemy. This time Mongols invaded the whole east part of Asia and they reached Georgia.
Berka Khan, the sovereign of the Golden Horde, reached the Caucasus in 1265, in spring, Georgia fought at a time against two enemies, - the llkhans of Iran and the Mongols.
This is the period, when Rustavi was completely destroyed and it became a desert.
The days of May of 1944 will always remain in the memories of the builders of Rustavi. And very soon Rustavi became multi-popular town. Geodesists began to define the soil of the place where they were going to build the Metallurgical works. The area was empty, there were only temporal lodgings and slums there. A lot of people arrived at Rustavi. They came from different parts of Georgia. The first newspaper came out on 30 August of 1944. It was called “Metallurgisatvis” (for metallurg). It was a great event in the history of the town.
Rustavi was celebrating houseworming parties every day, every now and then as a lot of people were migrating each day. In 1948 the first streets were “baptized” in Rustavi. The first street was called after the Y.C.L., the second one was called after the builders of Rustavi and the third one – after its ancient name Bostan-Kalaki. According to the decree of the Supreme Soviet of Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic (on 19 January of 1948) Rustavi was declared as the town of republican importance. So Rustavi was restored and it took its historical place on the earth of Georgia. And soon on 27 April in 1950 the whole town celebrated the important day, the happiest day in the history of Rustavi. The whole town was assembled at the Marteni Shop. It was the birthday of the first Georgian steel. It was the memorable day in the lives of all the people of Rustavi. 1950 was the great year in the history of Rustavi as it was the beginning of our new Georgian steel. It was founded on the roots of our famous ancestors Khalibs.
Art
Georgian State Academic Ensemble “Rustavi”
Georgian Sate Academic Ensemble “Rustavi” was founded in 1968. During 35 years that passed from its foundation the Ensemble has performed over 3000 concerts, travels in more than 50 countries had a great success. The largest concert halls all over the world have greatly appreciated and praised to the highest level the Ensemble’s performing art. In all countries wherever the Ensemble has played concerts the newspapers gave the highest ranking to their performance.
[edit] External links
- A blogpost about Rustaviaz:Rustavi
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