Baghdati ( ) is a town of 3,700 people in the Imereti region of western Georgia, at the edge of the Ajameti forest on the river Khanistsqali, a tributary of the Rioni.
Geography
The town is located at the edge of the Ajameti forest on the left bank of the river Khanistsqali, about west-northwest of Tbilisi and south-southeast of Kutaisi.
The climate of Baghdati can be classified as moderately humid subtropical (Köppen climate classification Cfa).
History
thumb|285px|Baghdati Cathedral
Baghdati is one of the oldest villages in the historical region of Imereti. Its name shares the same roots as Baghdād, the capital of Iraq derived from the Pahlavi words bagh ("god") and dāti ("given"), translating to "God-given" or "God’s gift." The town has gone under many name changes through out its history. During the Imperial and early Soviet era the town's name was adapted into its Russian form of Bagdadi. () In 1940, it was renamed Mayakovsky (; ), after the poet Vladimir Mayakovsky who was born in the settlement in 1893. In 1981, Mayakovsky was granted town status.