2 weekends ago i visited Kars and from there an abandoned Armenian city named Ani. Ani has been built and occupied by Uratians, early Arabs, Armenians, Byzantines, Seljuk Turks, Kurds, Georgians, and Mongols. it has been captured, modified, respiritualized, subject to enormous building projects, and ultimately left in a state of decay. up until 2006, the site was difficult to visit and photographs were forbidden, mainly because of its proximity to the Armenian border.
the first buildings in this area were built sometime before the 5th century by the Uruatians and include what most believe to be a Zoroastrian Fire Temple. by the 11th century, there were over 100,000 people in the Armenian city, and it rivaled Cairo, Baghdad, and Constantinople in population and influence as a major trading route.
the ride from Kars takes about 45 minutes. four americans and an australian resembling dwight from the office packed into a small taxi. it was cloudy and after 2 hours it poured, but the trip was worth it and the weather added to the atmosphere of this mysterious city. we explored, climbed, and took a ton of pictures.
overhead view of Ani from the Armenian side of the border. the open square of land surrounded by walls at the bottom of the picture is Ani. to the right is a small Turkish town outside the walls of the ancient city:
above pic from the internet. below, my own.
looking up at the main dome in the church of Saint Gregory, 1215 AD:
church of the Redeemer, 1035 AD:
king Gagik's church of St. Gregory and surrounding rubble, 1001 AD:
the cathedral of Ani and the church of the Redeemer as seen from atop the minaret at minuchihir mosque (it was forbidden to climb up the minaret, making it irresistible to do so):
church of the Redeemer as seen from a second story window inside Ani cathedral.
Ani from tüpbebek on Vimeo.
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