Ani Ancient City

About this place

Ani is a ruined medieval city in Kars Province, northeastern Turkey, on the edge of the Akhurian river gorge next to the closed border with Armenia, about 41 km east of Kars in a straight line. Between 961 and 1045 Ani was the capital of the Armenian Bagratid kingdom, which covered much of present-day Armenia and eastern Turkey. It was called the «City of 1,001 Churches», though there were far fewer; so far archaeologists have uncovered 50 churches, 33 cave chapels and 20 other chapels. It lay on important trade routes and stood out for its religious buildings, palaces and sophisticated fortifications. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The red and grey stone ruins are scattered across a wide, open grassy plateau, bounded by long walls with towers and ending at the edge of a deep gorge with the river below. The remains of a great cathedral and ruined religious buildings stand in its midst, with distant mountains on the horizon. Visitors enter through the gate in the walls and walk the paths between the scattered ruins to the edge of the gorge. The site is large and exposed, so bring water and a hat in summer and warm clothes in spring and autumn; it makes a half-day trip from Kars.