280px|right|thumb|Balconies in Old Dusheti
Dusheti () is a town in Georgia, the administrative center of Dusheti Municipality, in the Mtskheta-Mtianeti region. It is the residence of the Tsilkni Eparchy.
Geography
Dusheti is on both banks of the small, mountainous Dushetis-Khevi River in the foothills of the Greater Caucasus range at an elevation of 900 m. The town is 33 km north of Mtskheta and 54 km northeast from the capital Tbilisi. Dusheti has a moderately humid climate, with moderately cold winters and long warm summers.
Transport
The town is accessible via a paved road on the S3 highway (also known as the Georgian Military Road) connecting Tbilisi to Stepantsminda. There is regular bus traffic between the town and Tbilisi.
Climate
History
Dusheti functions as the center of the Dusheti Municipality which, beyond the town itself, includes several villages of the historical community of Pkhovi, (Pshavi, and Khevsureti). As of the 2014 all-Georgia census, the town had a population of about 6,167.
Dusheti first appears in Georgian written records in 1215. In the 17th century, it served as a residence of the local mountainous lords – the dukes of Aragvi – whose defiance to the Georgian crown more than once led to invasions and devastation of the town by the royal troops. After the abolition of the duchy of Aragvi in the 1740s, Dusheti passed to the crown but significantly declined. In 1801, the Russians took over and granted Dusheti a town status.
Politics and governance
Dusheti is governed by a municipal administration, with the mayor as the head of the local government. The mayor is elected every four years in municipal elections and is responsible for overseeing local policies, infrastructure, and public services. , the mayor of Dusheti is Manana Narimanidze, who has been in office since 2021.
Demographics
As of the 2014 census, a total of 6,167 people live in Dusheti.
Notable people
- Nikolai Bugaev (1837–1903), Russian mathematician born in Georgia
- Shota Khinchagashvili (b. 1951), retired Georgian football player
- Alexander Roinashvili (1846–1898), first Georgian photographer
Gallery
<gallery>
File:Dusheti Local Lore Museum.jpg|Dusheti Local Lore Museum
File:Georgian Military Road; White castle in Dushet cropped.jpeg|White castle in Dusheti along the Georgian Military Road
File:New year in dusheti - panoramio.jpg|New Year celebration in the town
File:Dushetis centri.JPG|City center
File:დუშეთის წმინდა გრიგოლის ნიში.jpg|Shrine of St. Gregory in the town
</gallery>