Poti

Poti ფოთი
Above: Poti Sea Port, Middle: Poti Cathedral, Bottom: King Parnavaz Avenue
UTC+4 (Georgian Time)
Postal code	4400-4499
Website	poti.gov.ge

Poti (

Etymology

The name Poti is linked to Phasis, but the etymology is a matter of a scholarly dispute. "Phasis" (

The recorded history of Poti and its environments spans over 26 centuries. In Classical antiquity and the early Middle Ages, the area was occupied by the Greek polis of Phasis which was established by the colonists from Miletus led by one Themistagoras at the very end of the 7th, and probably at the beginning of the 6th century BC. The famed Greek semi-mythological voyage of Jason and the Argonauts in search of the Golden Fleece would have entered Georgia at this port and traveled up the river to what is today Kutaisi.

After many years of uncertainty and academic debate, the site of this settlement now seems to be established, thanks to underwater archaeology under tough conditions. Apparently, the lake which the well-informed Ancient Greek author Strabo reported as bounding one side of Phasis has now engulfed it, or part of it. Yet, a series of questions regarding the town’s exact location and identification of its ruins remain open due largely to the centuries-long geomorphological processes of the area as the lower reaches of the Rioni are prone to changes of course across the wetland. Phasis appears to have been an important center of trade and culture in Colchis throughout the Classical period.^[3][4] The section along the river Phasis was a vital component of the presumed trade route from India to the Black Sea, attested by Strabo and Pliny.^[5]

Between the 6th and 2nd centuries BC, the town played an active role in these contacts. During the

In the 8th century, the name Poti entered Georgian written sources. It remained a place of maritime trade within the Kingdom of Georgia and was known to medieval European travelers as Fasso.^[7] In the 14th century, the Genoese established a trading factory, which proved to be short-lived.

Modern history

In 1578, Poti was conquered by the

Poti particularly grew in size and importance during the mayorship of Niko Nikoladze between 1894 and 1912. Considered to be the founding father of modern Poti, Nikoladze presided over a series of modernizing and construction projects, including a theatre, a large cathedral, two gymnasia, a power station, an oil refinery, etc. By 1900, Poti had become one of the major ports on the Black Sea, exporting most of Georgia’s manganese and coal.^[8] During the First Russian Revolution, Poti became a scene of workers' strikes and barricade fighting in December 1905.^[9] At the beginning of World War I, on November 7, 1914, the Ottoman SMS Breslau appeared off the port of Poti and subjected the railway yards there to a bombardment that lasted three-quarters of an hour, without any direct results.^[10]

During a brief period of independence in 1918–1921, Poti was Georgia’s principal window to Europe, also serving as the portal of entry for successive German and British expeditionary forces. On May 28, 1918, a German-Georgian preliminary

During the

Poti City Assembly (Georgian: ფოთის საკრებულო) is the representative body in Poti City, consisting of 35 members, which is elected every four years. The last election was held in October 2021. Beka Vacharadze of Georgian Dream was elected mayor through the 2nd round against a candidate of the United National Movement.

Geography and climate

Poti is situated 312 kilometres (194 mi) west of Georgia’s capital,

Highest recorded temperature: 45.2 °C (113 °F) on 30 July 2000[15]

Economy

The service and food industries represent the most important sectors of the economy. The Poti Sea Port (7.7 million tons per annum) is operational. The railway to Tbilisi makes this a more useful port than the natural harbor at Batumi.^[17]

In April 2008, Georgia sold a 51% stake of the Poti port to the Investment Authority of the

As of November 2009, there were plans for a Kerch–Poti ferry route.^[19]

Sport

The town's main football team is Kolkheti 1913 Poti who play at the multi-use Fazisi Stadium.

Fiber optic network

A long haul

The Poti naval base was organized by the Soviet government in July 1941, a month after the

On October 9, 1993, a war-torn Georgia had to legalize the Russian military presence in the country, and lease, among other military facilities, the Poti base to the Russian navy. However, Georgia continued, though fruitlessly, to claim the vessels formerly stationed at Poti as a part of a tripartite Russo-Ukrainian-Georgian dispute over the Soviet Black Sea Fleet shares.^[22] By September 1998, the Russian military personnel had been withdrawn from Poti to the Russian base at Batumi under a Russo-Georgian agreement signed earlier that year.^[23]

Currently, Poti is a

International relations

Twin towns—Sister cities

• Berdyansk
  , Ukraine
• Chornomorsk, Ukraine
• Kiryat Yam, Israel
• LaGrange, United States
• Larnaca, Cyprus
• Nafplio, Greece
• Östhammar, Sweden
• Pazar, Turkey
• / Sevastopol,^{[~ 1]} Russia/Ukraine Russia/Ukraine
• Shanwei, China
• Yazd, Iran (1990)^[24]

See also

• Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti

References

Notes

1. ^ Disputed territory

Sources

• ISBN 3-515-07070-2
  .
• ISBN 0-674-01902-4
  .
• Richard J. A. Talbert et al. (ed., 2000), Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World.
  ISBN 0-691-04945-9
  .

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Poti, Georgia.

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article "Poti".

• poti.gov.ge (Poti city Portal)
• Poti city web site
• Poti Sea Port Authority
• Chart of Poti port
• @bbc - The Georgian foreign ministry said the Black Sea port of Poti, which is the site of a major oil shipment facility, had been "devastated" by a Russian aerial bombardment.
• New fiber optic cable connected to Europe^{[permanent dead link]}