If visiting Kars, a day trip to the ancient city of Ani is a must. Ani is a ruined Armenian city, which is just on the Turkish side of the current day Turkish-Armenian boarder. A trip from Kars is very easy as you can just meet the local bus, which goes out twice per day (once per day in the low season, I believe). The bus will wait for a few hours whilst you go and visit the ruins. I found that it was a good amount of the time. I was capable of walking the entire area and not feel rushed.
Between 961 and 1045, it was the capital of the Bagratid Armenian kingdom that covered much of present-day Armenia and eastern Türkiye. At its height, Ani was one of the world’s largest cities, with a population of well over 100,000, rivaling Constantinople in power and glory.
The city served as an east-west trade route of the silk road and is protected well by natural defenses of a deep ravine and it over looks valleys just as deep on other fronts. This location was selected to replace Kars as the Bagratuni capital. The various rulers of the region found use for the city until the Mongols came in 1239; being nomadic, they had no need for cities, and as such, this one fell into disrepair.
Some sites include:
1. Just inside the main entrance is the lion gate.
2. The St Gregory of Tigran Honents, named St. Gregory the Illuminator, is covered in colorful frescoes depicting scenes of the Bible and Armenian Church history. This was the highlight of my visit and it was still very well intact. Make sure to walk inside and all around to admire the beauty of the church.
3. Only half of the church of the Holy Redeemer remains, destroyed by lightning in 1957. It was originally built around 1035. Supposedly this church was built to house (a piece of) the True Cross, brought here from Constantinople.
4. The Cathedral, also known as Surp Asdvadzadzin (the Church of the Holy Mother of God), with its construction started in the year 989, under King Smbat II, now sports huge Turkish Flags that face directly into Armenia. The Cathedral was under heavy renovation when I visited, so I was not able to go inside passed the threshold.
5. The mosque of Manuchihr is said to have been the first mosque built by the Seljuk Turks in Anatolia (1072). The oldest part of the mosque is the surviving minaret.
6. The church of St Gregory of the Abughamrents probably dates from the late 10th century. The dome is still in good condition, along with its twelve-sided exterior.
7. Finally, the Church of the Holy Apostles now only partially remains with supports holding it up. There is still great detail in the writings on the walls that remain.
When visiting, take your time and don’t stray too far off of the path. Since you are right on the tense boarder or Armenia and Türkiye, there is a military presence on both sides. There is nothing to fear, however. Do imagine what “City of 1,001 Churches” would have been like in its height when it would have been one of the world’s largest cities with possibly over 100,000 people.
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Or see a summary of my whole time in eastern/southern Türkiye
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