City (pop., 1997 est.: 240,000), west-central Republic of Georgia.
One of the oldest cities of Transcaucasia, it served as the capital of successive kingdoms in Georgia: Colchis , Iberia (Kartli), Abkhazia, and Imeretia. It was often caught in wars between Persians, Mongols, Turks, and Russians. Russia occupied it in the 19th century and made it a provincial seat. It is a major regional industrial and trade centre.