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{{Infobox settlement
|official_name        = Rustavi
|native_name          = {{lang|ka|რუსთავი}}
|image_skyline        = Rustavi georgia.JPG
|image_caption        = The Shota Rustaveli Monument
|imagesize            = 280px
|image_flag           = Flag of Rustavi.svg
|image_seal           = Coat of Arms of Rustavi.svg
| image_map = {{Maplink|frame=yes|plain=y|frame-width=325|frame-height=325|zoom=11|frame-lat=41.540|frame-long=45.010|type=shape-inverse|id=Q182521|title=Rustavi}}
| mapsize             = 230px
| pushpin_map         = Georgia Kvemo Kartli#Georgia
| pushpin_relief      = 1
|map_caption          = Location of Rustavi in Georgia
|subdivision_type     = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_name     = {{GEO}}
|subdivision_type1    = [[Mkhare]]
|subdivision_name1    = [[Kvemo Kartli]]
|area_magnitude       = 
|area_total_km2       = 60.6
|area_land_km2        = 
|area_water_km2       = 
|population_as_of     = 2018
|population_footnotes = 
|population_total     = 127800
|population_density_km2 = auto
|timezone             = Georgia Time
|utc_offset           = +4
|timezone_DST         = <!-- No DST in Georgia since 2005 -->
|utc_offset_DST       = 
|coordinates          = {{coord|41|32|0|N|45|00|0|E|region:GE|display=inline,title}}
|elevation_m          = 350
|postal_code_type     = Postal code
|postal_code          = 3700
|area_code            = (+995) 341
|blank_name           = [[Köppen climate classification|Climate]]
|blank_info           = [[Humid subtropical climate|Cfa]]
|website              = {{URL|http://www.rustavi.ge}}
|footnotes            = 
}}
'''Rustavi''' ({{lang-ka|რუსთავი}} {{IPA-ka|rustʰɑvi||}}) is a city in the southeast of [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], in the province of [[Kvemo Kartli]], situated {{convert|25|km|0|abbr=on}} southeast of the capital [[Tbilisi]]. It has a population of 125,103 (2014 census) and is dominated by the [[Rustavi Steel|Rustavi Metallurgical Plant]].

==History==
Rustavi is one of the ancient towns of Georgia. The history of Rustavi has two phases: an early history from ancient times until the city was destroyed in the 13th century and modern history from the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] era to the present.

===Early history===
The foundation of Rustavi is dated from [[time immemorial]]. 11th-century [[Georgia (country)|Georgian]] chronicler, [[Leonti Mroveli]] in his work "''[[The Georgian Chronicles|Georgian Chronicles]]''" connects the foundation of the city to [[Kartlos]], the [[Origin myth|eponymous ancestor]] of [[Georgians]], whose wife founded a town along the [[Kura (Caspian Sea)|Kura river]] called Bostan-Kalaki ([[Literal translation|lit.]] "''city of gardens''"). The same chronicler, who also worked on “''The Life of the Kings''”, mentions the town Rustavi among those castles, which opposed [[Alexander the Great]]'s army, although it is proven that Alexander never invaded Iberia. Rustavi is mentioned among such ancient towns 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, the excavations of the castle Rustavi prove that Rustavi was an important political and administrative center of Iberia. In late 4th century A.D [[Trdat of Iberia]] had built a church and a canal in Rustavi.
[[File:Rustaviscixe.JPG|left|thumb|Rustavi fortress]]
During the reign of [[Vakhtang I of Iberia]] (5th century) Rustavi took an important part in the political life in the Kingdom of Iberia. At the beginning of the 6th century, in 503, [[Sasanian Empire|Sassanids]] conquered Iberia and turned it into an ordinary Persian province ruled by a ''[[Marzban|marzpan]]'' (governor). However, [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] Emperor [[Heraclius]]'s offensive in 627 and 628 brought final victory over the Persians and ensured Byzantine predominance in Georgia, until the [[Arab rule in Georgia|invasion of the Arabs]]. In the struggle against Arab occupation Rustavi belonged to [[Principality of Kakheti]], the latter would form [[Kingdom of Kakheti-Hereti|Kakhetian kingdom]], whose ruler [[Kvirike III of Kakheti|Kvirike III the Great]] would install [[Eristavi]] (duke) in Rustavi. On Kvirike's death, Kakheti was temporarily annexed to the [[Kingdom of Georgia]].<ref>[[Cyril Toumanoff|Toumanoff, Cyrille]] (1976, Rome). Manuel de Généalogie et de Chronologie pour le Caucase chrétien (Arménie, Géorgie, Albanie).</ref><ref>[[Vakhushti|Вахушти Багратиони]].{{cite web|url=http://www.vostlit.by.ru/Texts/rus6/Wachushti/text5.htm|title=Archived copy|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100905231600/http://www.vostlit.by.ru/Texts/rus6/Wachushti/text5.htm|archive-date=September 5, 2010|url-status=unfit|access-date=June 29, 2007}}</ref> As soon as the Arabs were defeated, in 1068 Georgia was invaded by resurgent [[Seljuk Empire|Turk-Seljuks]] from Central Asia, under the command of Sultan [[Alp Arslan]]. There was a terrible battle between king [[Bagrat IV of Georgia]] and the Seljuks, where Bagrat was bitterly defeated and as a result, the king of Kakheti gained independence and got into closer contact with the Turkish-Seljuks to secure independence in this way. After [[Great Turkish Invasion|Seljukid invasions of Georgia]], allied forces took Tbilisi and Rustavi and gave it to [[Emirate of Tbilisi|Emir of Tbilisi]]. During that time Rustavi saw decline, its economy was ruined and due to its strategic location it only remained as a well-fortified town in the hands of emirs in Tbilisi. In 1069 Bagrat IV defeated emir Fadlun and captured the fortress of Rustavi, Partskhisi and [[Agarani Fortress|Agarani]]. During the [[History of Georgia (country)#King David IV the Builder and Georgian Reconquista|anti-Seljuk campaigns]] led by [[David IV of Georgia|David IV]] Rustavi played an essential role in securing Georgia's southern boundaries. Rustavi was finally destroyed after [[Timur's invasions of Georgia|Timur's invasion of Georgia]].

===Modern history===
[[File:Rustavi Metallurgical Plant.jpg|thumb|250px|Head office of Rustavi Steel Works]]
Rustavi was rebuilt as a major industrial center during the Soviet era. The development of Rustavi was part of [[Joseph Stalin]]'s accelerated industrialization process, and included ironworks, steelworks, chemical plants and an important railway station on the [[Tbilisi]]–[[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 the [[Rustavi Steel|Rustavi Metallurgical Plant]], constructed in 1941–1950 to process [[iron ore]] from nearby [[Azerbaijan]]. Stalin brought workers from various regions in Georgia, specifically from the poorer rural provinces of Western Georgia. Rustavi became a key industrial centre for the Transcaucasus region. The industrial activity expanded to include the manufacture of [[steel]] 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 the [[Young 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 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. It was founded on the roots of the famous ancestors Khalibs.

German [[POW]]s who were captured in [[World War II]] were enlisted to build the city of Rustavi. Modern Rustavi is 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 Soviet-era block apartments.

The [[Dissolution of the Soviet Union|fall 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 artist [[Greg 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 magazine [http://bombsite.com/issues/1000/articles/4764 interview] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111106121201/http://bombsite.com/issues/1000/articles/4764 |date=2011-11-06 }} with La Toya Frazier for the exhibition "Planet of Slums" addresses many of the complexities of Lindquist's work in the Republic of Georgia.

==Climate==
Rustavi has a [[humid subtropical climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]]: ''Cfa'') with hot summers and relatively cold winters.
{{Weather box
|width = auto
|location = Rustavi
|metric first = yes
|single line = yes

|Jan high C= 6.3
|Feb high C= 7.9
|Mar high C= 12.4
|Apr high C = 19.6
|May high C = 24.8
|Jun high C = 28.6
|Jul high C = 31.9
|Aug high C = 31.6
|Sep high C = 27.0
|Oct high C = 20.3
|Nov high C = 13.4
|Dec high C = 8.2

|Jan mean C = 2.0
|Feb mean C = 3.4
|Mar mean C = 7.3
|Apr mean C = 13.6
|May mean C = 18.6
|Jun mean C = 22.5
|Jul mean C = 25.8
|Aug mean C = 25.4
|Sep mean C = 21.1
|Oct mean C = 14.8
|Nov mean C = 8.8
|Dec mean C = 4.0

|Jan low C = -2.3
|Feb low C = -1.1
|Mar low C = 2.2
|Apr low C = 7.6
|May low C = 12.5
|Jun low C = 16.4
|Jul low C = 19.8
|Aug low C = 19.3
|Sep low C = 15.3
|Oct low C = 9.4
|Nov low C = 4.3
|Dec low C = -0.3

|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 21
|Feb precipitation mm = 27
|Mar precipitation mm = 32
|Apr precipitation mm = 46
|May precipitation mm = 75
|Jun precipitation mm = 69
|Jul precipitation mm = 41
|Aug precipitation mm = 40
|Sep precipitation mm = 37
|Oct precipitation mm = 41
|Nov precipitation mm = 34
|Dec precipitation mm = 22
|source 1 = Climate-Data.org <ref name = Climate-Data.org >{{cite web
| url = http://en.climate-data.org/location/1792/
| title = Climate: Rustavi
| access-date =2016-02-27}}</ref>
}}

==Demographics==
[[File:Sioni of Rustavi.jpg|thumb|[[Rustavi Sioni]] Church]]

{| style="text-align:center; border:1px solid black; background:#fafafa"
|+ {{big|'''Historical population and ethnic composition of Rustavi '''}}
|-
! scope="col" style="width:70px;" | Year
! scope="col" colspan=2 style="width:110px;" | Georgians
! scope="col" colspan=2 style="width:100px;" | Russians
! scope="col" colspan=2 style="width:115px;" | Armenians
! scope="col" colspan=2 style="width:90px;"  | Azerbaijanis
! scope="col" style="width:70" | Total
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | 1959<ref name="ethno-kavkaz">{{cite web|url=http://www.ethno-kavkaz.narod.ru/rngeorgia.html|title=население грузии|access-date=October 8, 2016}}</ref><ref>http://www.demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/ussr59_reg2.php
</ref>
| 27,680
| 44.4% 
| 19,724
| 31.6%
| 4,367
| 7%
| 3,693
| 5.9%
| '''62,395'''
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | 1970<ref>http://www.demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/ussr70_reg2.php</ref>
|  
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
| '''98,210'''
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | 1979<ref>http://www.demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/ussr79_reg1.php</ref>
|  
| 
| 
|
| 
| 
| 
| 
| '''129,084'''
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | 1989<ref>http://www.demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/sng89_reg2.php</ref>
|  
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
| '''158,661'''
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | 2002<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.geostat.ge/cms/site_images/_files/english/census/2002/03%20Ethnic%20Composition.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=October 8, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407043855/http://www.geostat.ge/cms/site_images/_files/english/census/2002/03%20Ethnic%20Composition.pdf |archive-date=April 7, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| 102,151
| 87.8% 
| 3,563
| 3.1% 
| 2,809
| 2.4% 
| 4,993
| 4.3% 
| '''116,384'''
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | 2014<ref>http://census.ge/files/results/Census_release_ENG.pdf</ref>
|  
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
| '''125,103'''
|-
|}

==Rustavi Race Circuit==
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. Until 2009 the [[Rustavi International Motorpark|track]] has not been reconstructed and got out of order. In 2009 the area was sold to the private company Stromos on the State auction. After total reconstruction of 2011–2012, the [[Rustavi International Motorpark|track]] hosts a number of racing events, such as [[Formula Alfa]] series, [[Legends car racing|Legends]] championship, [[BMW]] Annual Festival, [[Drag racing|drag]] and [[Drifting (motorsport)|drift]] competitions, amateur races and many more.

==Sports==
The city is home to the basketball club [[BC Rustavi]] of the [[Georgian Superliga]]. It plays its home games in the Rustavi sports arena.

==Twin towns – sister cities==
{{See also| List of twin towns and sister cities in Georgia}}
Rustavi is [[Sister city|twinned]] with:<ref>{{cite web |title=რუსთავთან დამეგობრებული ქალაქები|url=https://rustavi.gov.ge/page/45|website=rustavi.gov.ge|publisher=Rustavi|language=ka|access-date=2020-12-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Міжнародна співпраця|url=https://kr.gov.ua/investitsiyne_seredovishche/propozitsii_inozemnikh_partneriv|website=kr.gov.ua|publisher=Kryvyi Rih|language=uk|access-date=2020-12-07}}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=15em}}
*{{flagicon|LTU}} [[Akmenė District Municipality|Akmenė]], Lithuania
*{{flagicon|UKR}} [[Cherkasy]], Ukraine
*{{flagicon|TUR}} [[İnegöl]], Turkey
*{{flagicon|UKR}} [[Ivano-Frankivsk]], Ukraine
*{{flagicon|SWE}} [[Kiruna Municipality|Kiruna]], Sweden
*{{flagicon|UKR}} [[Kryvyi Rih]], Ukraine
*{{flagicon|POL}} [[Łódź]], Poland
*{{flagicon|LTU}} [[Panevėžys]], Lithuania
*{{flagicon|POL}} [[Płock]], Poland
*{{flagicon|AZE}} [[Sumqayit]], Azerbaijan
*{{flagicon|BLR}} [[Zhodzina]], Belarus
<!--rest - not twinning-->
{{div col end}}

==See also==
*[[Internati]]
*[[Rustavi 2]], television broadcasting company
*[[Kvemo Kartli]]

==References==
{{reflist}}
* [http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/631dd36d#/631dd36d/58 Professional Motorsport World, April-June 2011]

==External links==
{{Commons category|Rustavi}}
{{Wikivoyage}}
*[http://caucasus-pictures.blogspot.com/2007/02/rustavi-rustawi.html A blogpost about Rustavi]
{{Cities and towns in Georgia (country)}}
{{Districts of Georgia}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Rustavi| ]]
[[Category:Cities and towns in Kvemo Kartli]]
[[Category:Self-governing cities in Georgia (country)]]
{{Source Wikipedia}}
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