Introducing Poti
Poti, Georgia’s main port, is one of the most ancient towns in the country, founded as the Greek trading colony of Pazisi or Phasis in the 6th or 5th century BC, although there is little evidence of this now. It’s a pleasant enough town, visited by travellers for two main reasons: the ferry to Ukraine, and the nearby Kolkheti National Park with its wetlands and bird life.
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A centre of the slave trade under Ottoman occupation in the 18th century, Poti was absorbed into the Russian Empire in 1828. It developed rapidly after acquiring port status 30 years later: Georgia’s first railway was opened in 1871 between Poti and Shorapani, 35km southeast of Kutaisi. The town centre was laid out with an unusual radial plan centred on its cathedral, modelled on Istanbul’s Hagia Sofia and completed in 1907. Today Poti has a Georgian navy base as well as a busy container port.
Last updated: Feb 17, 2009
Thorn Tree forum discussion
Recent posts
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RE: Tbilisi - Mestia via Zugdidi/Batumi
by ig0r 08 August 2011
a) is the safer option. The afternoon marshrutka from Zugidi to Mestia is not certain (I had luck - there was a special marshrutka at…
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Re: Crimea to Poti/Batumi
by Lausuus 19 June 2011
Hoi Roald, I hope you had a great and safe travel last summer. I'm planning to do the same soon: to get from Ukrain to Georgia by boat…
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Re: Ferry to Georgia
by mregnier13 29 May 2011
Many thanks for the excellent information BeenHereAndThere! I've been trawling various websites for the past few weeks trying to put all…
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