The Bazaleti Lake ( ka, ბაზალეთის ტბა) is a

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

in eastern

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

some 60 km northwest of the nation's capital

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the Capital city, capital and the List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia (country), Georgia, lying on the ...

and 5 km south of the town of

Dusheti Dusheti () is a town in Georgia (country), Georgia, the administrative center of Dusheti Municipality, in the Mtskheta-Mtianeti mkhare, region, 54 km northeast of the nation's capital of Tbilisi. History Dusheti is on both banks of the small ...

. The surface area of the lake is 1.22 km². and its maximum depth is 30 m. It is known that Bazaleti lake has an outflow but it has not been discovered. Lake is used for fish culture, irrigation and recreation.

History

The nearby village and the

historical district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from c ...

around the lake are also known as Bazaleti. In 1626, the

Battle of Bazaleti The Battle of Bazaleti ( ka, ბაზალეთის ბრძოლა, ''bazalet’is brdzola'') was fought between the two rival Georgian parties centered respectively on Teimuraz I of Kakheti and his defiant noble Giorgi Saakadze in the f ...

between two rival Georgian factions took place there. The area around the lake housed a flourishing medieval town and is surrounded by many legends. According to local legend, a golden-lips child is lying in a golden crib on the bottom of the lake. The lake was formed from his mother's tears. The story is retold in a Georgian poem. Locals claim that the water in the lake recirculates. They tell a story about a bull which was drowned in the lake and was later found in a well in the nearby village. Currently, the area is a popular recreational area served by a modern tourist complex.The Bazaleti complex
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References

Lakes of Georgia (country) Geography of Mtskheta-Mtianeti Tourist attractions in Mtskheta-Mtianeti {{Georgia-geo-stub