Rustavi is one of the Georgia's older towns. The history of Rustavi has two phases: an early history from ancient times until the city was destroyed in the 13th century and its modern history from theSoviet era to the present day.
The 11th-centuryGeorgian chronicler,Leonti Mroveli in his work "Georgian Chronicles" connects the foundation of the city toKartlos, theeponymous ancestor ofGeorgians, whose wife had founded a town along theKura river called Bostan-Kalaki (lit. "city of gardens"). The same chronicler, who also worked on “The life of the Kings”, mentions the town Rustavi among those castles, which opposedAlexander the Great's army, although it is proved that Alexander had never invaded Iberia. Rustavi is mentioned among other ancient towns such as Uplistsikhe, Urbnisi, Mtskheta and Sarkineti. It could be assumed that Rustavi as a city had been founded at least in the 5th–4th centuries B.C. Besides the manuscripts, excavations in the Rustavi castle prove that the city was an important political and administrative center of Iberia. In late 4th century A.DTrdat of Iberia had built a church and a canal in Rustavi.
Rustavi fortress
During the reign ofVakhtang I of Iberia (in the 5th century), Rustavi took an important part in the political life of the Kingdom of Iberia. At the beginning of the 6th century, in 503, theSassanids conquered Iberia and turned it into an ordinary Persian province ruled by amarzpan (governor). However,Byzantine EmperorHeraclius's offensive in 627 and 628 brought final victory over the Persians and ensured Byzantine predominance in Georgia, until theinvasion of the Arabs. During the struggle against the Arab occupation, Rustavi belonged to thePrincipality of Kakheti. The latter would eventually form theKakhetian kingdom, whose ruler,Kvirike III the Great, installed anEristavi (duke) in Rustavi. Upon Kvirike's death, Kakheti was temporarily annexed by theKingdom of Georgia.[5][6] As soon as the Arabs were defeated, in 1068, Georgia was invaded by the resurgentTurkic Seljukids from Central Asia, under the command of SultanAlp Arslan. A fierce battle took place between kingBagrat IV of Georgia and the Seljuks, where Bagrat was bitterly defeated and as a result, the king of Kakheti gained independence developing closer contact with the Seljuks and securing independence in this way. After theSeljukid invasions of Georgia, allied forces took Tbilisi and Rustavi and gave it to theEmir of Tbilisi. During that time, Rustavi declined, its economy was ruined, and only thanks to its strategic location did it remain as a well-fortified town in the hands of the emirs in Tbilisi. In 1069 Bagrat IV defeated emir Fadlun and captured the fortress of Rustavi, Partskhisi, andAgarani. During theanti-Seljuk campaigns led byDavid IV Rustavi played an essential role in securing Georgia's southern boundaries. Rustavi was finally destroyed afterTimur's invasion of Georgia.
Rustavi was rebuilt as a major industrial center during the Soviet era. The development of Rustavi was part ofJoseph Stalin's accelerated industrialization process, and included ironworks, steelworks, chemical plants and an important railway station on theTbilisi–Baku railroad line. Rustavi is the site of approximately 90 large and medium-sized industrial plants.
The core of the city's industrial activity was theRustavi Metallurgical Plant, constructed in 1941–1950 to processiron ore from nearbyAzerbaijan. Stalin brought workers from various regions in Georgia, specifically from the poorer rural provinces of Western Georgia. Rustavi became a key industrial center for the Transcaucasus region. The industrial activity expanded to include the manufacture ofsteel products, cement, chemicals, and synthetic fibers.
May 1944 was a significant time in the history of modern Rustavi. Geologists began to define the soil of the place where the metallurgical works were to be built. The area was nearly empty, and there were only temporary lodgings and slums available. Many people arrived at Rustavi, coming from different parts of Georgia. The first newspaper came out on 30 August 1944. It was called “Metallurgiisatvis” (meaning "For Metallurgy" in Georgian).
Rustavi celebrated frequent housewarming parties as many people migrated to the city each day. In 1948 the first streets were “baptized” in Rustavi. The first street was named after theYoung Communist League, the second, after the builders of Rustavi, and the third, after its ancient name Bostan-Kalaki.
On 19 January 1948, a decree of the Supreme Soviet of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic declared Rustavi a town of republican importance. On 27 April 1950, the whole town celebrated the production of the first industrial Georgian steel. The theme of the celebration was dedicated to an ancient people whom are believed to have originally settled the area, known as theKhalibs.
GermanPOWs who were captured inWorld War II were enlisted to build the city of Rustavi. Modern Rustavi is divided into two parts—Dzveli Rustavi (Old Rustavi) andAkhali Rustavi (New Rustavi). Old Rustavi adheres to Stalinist architectural style while New Rustavi is dominated by a multitude of Soviet-era block apartments. Thefall of the Soviet Union in 1991 proved disastrous for Rustavi, as it also caused the collapse of the integrated Soviet economy of which the city was a key part. Most of its industrial plants were shut down and 65% of the city's population became unemployed, with 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.
New York-based artistGreg Lindquist (b. 1979) has documented Rustavi's crumbling concrete factories in his paintings and installations, such as the exhibition "Nonpasts" in 2010. Lindquist has also worked with Georgian collaborators, such as artist Gio Sumbadze (b. 1976), in projects that address the current social, cultural and political significance of these architectures. In 2010, the Laura Palmer Foundation staged an exhibition at the Ministry of Transportation building (Tbilisi Roads Ministry Building) in which Lindquist and Sumbadze installed paintings addressing the history of Georgia's transportation system. This BOMB magazineinterviewArchived 2011-11-06 at theWayback Machine with La Toya Frazier for the exhibition "Planet of Slums" addresses many of the complexities of Lindquist's work in the Republic of Georgia.
At the beginning of 2021, Rustavi had more than 130,072 inhabitants,[7] an increase of 4% since the 2014 census.[1] This increase makes Rustavi thefourth most populous city in Georgia, just behindKutaisi, which is suffering from ongoing contraction. Rustavi experienced rapid growth due toindustrialization underStalin. Following Georgian independence in 1991, and the years of civil war and crisis that followed, many residents emigrated due to unemployment. The low point was reached around 2002, with growth picking up in the 2010s while industrial activities and employment have resumed.
The proportions of the ethnic minorities in the city has not always been this way. Especially in the Soviet period these were completely different, with striking numbers of Russians. The city also had a substantial Ossetian community. Migration during and after the fall of the Soviet Union and due to civil conflicts has made the city much more mono-ethnic, i.e. Georgian.
Rustavi is a self-governing city. The representative body of the city is the City Council, and the executive body is the City Hall. Administratively, Rustavi is divided into 10 territorial bodies:[16]
Rustavi City Assembly (Georgian: რუსთავის საკრებულო, Rustavi Sakrebulo) is the representative body in Rustavi City that consists of 35 members as of 2021,[17] who are elected every four years.
The last election for thesakrebulo was held inOctober 2021. Rustavi was one of only seven municipalities where the ruling Georgian Dream party failed to secure a council majority in 2021.[18]
Statue ofShota Rustaveliview of the Rustavi Metallurgical Plant. 1957
The most recent mayoral election was held on 2 October 2021, with a runoff on 30 October which Nino Latsabidze (Georgian Dream) won from Davit Kirkitadze (United National Movement).[25]
The last of the racetracks built in the USSR. Competitions started in the end of 1979 and the track hosted eleven USSR Championship events until 1989. Prior to 2009 the condition of thetrack had deteriorated. That same year the area was sold to the private company Stromos on the State auction. After total reconstruction in 2011–2012,[28] thetrack reopened and has hosted a number of racing events, such as theTCR International Series,Formula Alfa series,Legends championship,BMW Annual Festival,drag anddrift competitions, amateur races and many more.
^abThe 2014 census found an inexplicable gap with the data from the national statistical office Geostat. UN-assisted research has found the 2002 census was inflated by about 8-9 percent. See,[15] "1. Introduction", Page 1.
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