History
Rustavi in Historical Sources

Rustavi is one of the ancient towns of Georgia. First notes about foundation of Rustavi are found in Georgian works of eleventh-century historian, Leonti Mroveli. According to him, Rustavi was mentioned as a city in the 4th century BC and its construction is connected with the wife of Kartlos.
The most prominent trace of Rustavi city existence was observed in the 4th century AD. On the basis of different historical sources, the construction of one of the largest cities of feudal Georgia was connected with the name of the son of Kartlian king -Trdat Revi(383-395). He built an irrigation canal called "Ru"(meaning "stream" in Georgian) from "Mtkvari" river which had special importance for Kukheti region. This fact appeared to be the basis of the city name origination. The construction of Rustavi fortress and the first church are connected with this period. According to the ecclesiastical reforms led by Vakhtang Gorgasali, Rustavi became the large Bishopric centre in the second half of the 5th century.
According to the manuscripts discovered on the Mount of Sinai, Kukheti and Rustavi had been under the leadership of Rustavian feudalists since the end of the 8th century and there is an opinion, that the twelfth-century poet, the author of famous poem "The Knight in Panther's Skin", Shota Rustaveli, was the representative of the feudal family.
In 753-737, Arabian conqueror, Murvan-Kru, destroyed Rustavi. In the 11th century, Rustavi was under the supremacy of Turkish-Seljuks. Its liberation was connected with the name of Davit Aghmashenebeli`s fellow-fighter, Giorgi Chkondideli.
In the 13th century, Rustavi city life achieved the peak of its development. Rustavi was the largest commercial centre and represented an important part of the trade net in the near East. Different products of Rustavian artisans known with high quality were in great demand at foreign markets.
Rustavi was once again destroyed by Mongols under the leadership of Berka Khan in 1265 and in fact, it stopped its existence.
In the 17-18th centuries, Bagrationis' attempt to restore the city was failed. At that period, Rustavi totally stopped its existence. After the foundation of Soviet Union, the authority took the decision to rebuilt the city on the ruins of old Rustavi and form a powerful metallurgical centre.
In 1944, Rustavi started a new life. Mechanical mill, diesel electric-station, 2-kilometer-long railway and 20-kilometer-long motorway were constructed in the city. Specialists from different parts of Georgia came to Rustavi for constructing the metallurgical factory and thus, Rustavians' international family became multinational.
On January 19, 1948, a decree of the Supreme Soviet of Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic declared Rustavi a town of republican importance. So, Rustavi occupied its historical place on the modern map of Georgia again.
On April 27, 1950, Rustavians marked the significant day of production of the first industrial Georgian steel. it was the beginning of new Georgian steel founded on the roots of the old Khalibs