Kaspi ( ka, კასპი) is a town in central
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 ...
on the
Mtkvari River
The Kura is an east-flowing river south of the Greater Caucasus Mountains which drains the southern slopes of the Greater Caucasus east into the Caspian Sea. It also drains the north side of the Lesser Caucasus while its main tributary, the Ar ...
. It is a center of
Kaspi district
Kaspi ( ka, კასპის მუნიციპალიტეტი) is a district of Georgia, in the region of Shida Kartli. Given a ''District'' status within Transcaucasian SFSR in 1930. District center is Kaspi.
Geography
The district ...
, one of the four districts in
Shida Kartli
Shida Kartli ( ka, შიდა ქართლი, , ; "Inner Kartli") is a landlocked administrative region (''Mkhare'') in eastern Georgia. It comprises a central part of the historical-geographic province of Shida Kartli. With an area of , S ...
region. Founded in the early
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
, the town turned into possession of the
Amilakhvari
The Amilkhvari ( ka, ამილახვარი) was a noble house of Georgia which rose to prominence in the fifteenth century and held a large fiefdom in central Georgia until the Imperial Russian annexation of the country in 1801. They were ...
noble family in the 15th century. Kaspi officially acquired a town's status in 1959 and, , had the population of 13,423.
The Kaspi
cement
A cement is a binder, a chemical substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to other materials to bind them together. Cement is seldom used on its own, but rather to bind sand and gravel ( aggregate) together. Cement mi ...
plant is one of Georgia's largest industrial facilities and sources of
air pollution
Air pollution is the contamination of air due to the presence of substances in the atmosphere that are harmful to the health of humans and other living beings, or cause damage to the climate or to materials. There are many different typ ...
.
During the
Russia-Georgia war, the cement factory, as well as the railway bridge in the city were severely damaged by the Russian raids.
History
Kaspi is one of the oldest cities in Georgia. It is first mentioned in the 4th century.
During this period, Kaspi was one of largest and most important cities of the Iberian (old Georgian state) kingdom. It is on the trade routes shown on the
late antiquity
Late antiquity is the time of transition from classical antiquity to the Middle Ages, generally spanning the 3rd–7th century in Europe and adjacent areas bordering the Mediterranean Basin. The popularization of this periodization in English ha ...
Peutinger map
' (Latin for "The Peutinger Map"), also referred to as Peutinger's Tabula or Peutinger Table, is an illustrated ' (ancient Roman road map) showing the layout of the ''cursus publicus'', the road network of the Roman Empire.
The map is a 13th-cen ...
. Kaspi was the center of the historical administration object "Kaspis Sasparsalaro". In the 8th century, the city was destroyed after a battle with Arabs. In the 20th century, the town was again upgraded and developed.
Grakliani Hill
Grakliani Hill ( ka, გრაკლიანი გორა, ''Grakliani Gora'') is an archaeological excavation site in eastern Georgia near Kaspi, showing evidence of human presence possibly going back 300,000 years.
The site was discovered ...
, one of the oldest and richest human archaeological sites, is located near Kaspi.
See also
*
Shida Kartli
Shida Kartli ( ka, შიდა ქართლი, , ; "Inner Kartli") is a landlocked administrative region (''Mkhare'') in eastern Georgia. It comprises a central part of the historical-geographic province of Shida Kartli. With an area of , S ...
References
Jaoshvili f., J. Gvasalia., Kse, vol. 5, p. 425, ed., 1980
External links
Kaspi District Shida Kartli
Shida Kartli ( ka, შიდა ქართლი, , ; "Inner Kartli") is a landlocked administrative region (''Mkhare'') in eastern Georgia. It comprises a central part of the historical-geographic province of Shida Kartli. With an area of , S ...
regional administration website.
{{Cities and towns in Georgia (country)
Cities and towns in Shida Kartli