Manglisi

Manglisi მანგლისი
Borough
Environs of Manglisi
Manglisi Location in Georgia
Coordinates: 41°41′49″N 44°23′04″E / 41.69694°N 44.38444°E / 41.69694; 44.38444Coordinates: 41°41′49″N 44°23′04″E / 41.69694°N 44.38444°E / 41.69694; 44.38444
Country	Georgia
Region	Kvemo Kartli
Municipality	Tetritsqaro
Daba	1926
Elevation	1,200 m (3,900 ft)
Population (2014)
• Total	1,441
Climate	Dfb

Manglisi (Georgian: მანგლისი, pronounced [mɑnglisi]) is a daba (small town) in the Tetritsqaro Municipality, Kvemo Kartli region of Georgia. As of the 2014 census, it had the population of 1,441. With a recorded history going back to the 4th century, Manglisi was one of the earliest centers of Christianity in Georgia and is a home to the medieval cathedral of the Mother of God. It also functions as a mountain spa and health resort.

Manglisi is located on the southern slopes of the Trialeti Range, on the Tbilisi-Tsalka highway, 56 kilometres (35 mi) west of Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, in the Algeti river valley. It is located at about 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) above sea level and enjoys a subtropical climate, with warm summers (average temperature in July, 19 °C) and mild winters (average temperature in January, −2 °C). Annual precipitation is 700 mm. Manglisi also functions as a mountain resort.

The etymology of "Manglisi" may be related to the Old Georgian mangali, "sickle", ultimately derived from the Syrian maggəlā. The modern Georgian scholar Ketevan Kutateladze has conjectured that, the name of the locality, in the sense of "a crescent", may be a reflection of the Moon cult, an effect of which persisted in the system of religious beliefs of Georgians into the era of Christianity.