Ancient City of Ani

Ani was once a great Armenian city and capital of the Bagratid kingdom in the 10th and 11th centuries. Its ruins stand in Turkey’s Kars Province beside the closed Armenian border, on a triangular plateau between the Akhurian River and Bostanlar valley. The city revived under the Zakarid dynasty in the 12th century but declined after the earthquake of 1319. Massive walls, towers, the cathedral, the Church of Saint Gregory, bridge ruins and remains of a Zoroastrian temple preserve its layered history and its role on the Silk Road. Ani is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Beneath Ani lay a network of catacombs containing homes, churches and shops. The cathedral is sometimes described as an early forerunner of Gothic architecture. Medieval chronicles greatly exaggerated the population, but they reflect the city’s reputation as one of the largest and most splendid centres of its age.