Ani

Ani is an abandoned city in Eastern Anatolia, 44 km east of Kars and right on the border with Armenia. It was the chief city of Armenia in the 11th century, but dwindled thereafter, and was abandoned in the 13th century. Its secular buildings have disappeared and what remains are the stout northern walls and an enclosure dotted with the haunting ruins of religious buildings. It's a UNESCO World Heritage site and ranks among eastern Turkey's top sights. == Understand == Ani is first documented in the 400s AD, a fortress on a natural redoubt between the Akhurian river ravine and a deep gully. It became the Armenian capital in 961 and the following 100 years saw its heyday; merchants and rulers vied to construct elegant buildings in the local rose-pink tuff. But the Byzantine Empire seized it in 1046, then in 1064 the Seljuk Turks took the city and massacred the populace. Ani endured, but was now a provincial town at the edge of warring empires. It was devastated again in 1236 by the Mongol Hordes and became a ghost town, though a small monastic community lingered on until 1735. Some masonry was pilfered but the site was too far from any big town for wholescale removal. The first archaeological studies were from 1892, when this region was under Russian control. After the First World War and subsequent treaties, the border between Turkey and Soviet Armenia lay along the river at the foot of the site, and Ani was closed off as a military zone. That border remains closed today, but since 2004 you can visit Ani with no bureaucratic hoops to jump through. Since 2016 it's been a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the Turkish government talks the talk on preservation, but their efforts here have veered between neglect and amateur botching. The site is open year-round but Ani is at an elevation of 1340 m and winters are bitterly cold. Come in early summer when the high steppes are carpeted with wildflowers. Ministry of Culture and Tourism posts further info on Ani. == Get in == For long-distance routes see Kars#Get in. Ani is 44 km east of Kars. It's a good highway as far as the village of Ocaklı then a lane for the last 500 m. A bus leaves from Kars in front of the Gazi Ahmet Muhtar Paşa Museum at 09:00, and sets off back to Kars at 12:45. In 2025 a return ticket costs 100 TL, pay on board, bank cards accepted. For a longer visit, hire a taxi for the day, best organised through your hotel. Hitching is possible but you need to walk 2 km out of Kars to the D965 crossroads. == Get around == The site is open daily 08:00-17:00. The entrance fee in 2025 is €8: make sure to ask for a ticket, otherwise your money will be quietly trousered. Ani covers a small area and is easily explored on foot. The account below follows an anti-clockwise circuit, but go as you please. == See == 1 Lion Gate, named for its roaring lion relief, was historically the main entrance through the city walls and where you enter today. The walls were doubled and extra tall and thick on this north side of the city, as there's no river protecting it here. Their towers are mostly modern reconstruction, in lighter stone than the original. Kars Gate is 200 m west of Lion Gate, and Dvin or Chequerboard Gate another 100 m further as the double section of wall ends, and the single wall trends southwest. It's easier to view these from within. St Stephanos 200 southwest of Lion Gate is undated but had an inscription of 1218. Only a wall now remains. It's also called the "Georgian church" which refers to the Chalcedonian branch of Christianity rather than ethnicity. 2 King Gagik's Church of Saint Gregory was built 1001-05 and is circular. It was modelled on Zvarnots Cathedral near Yerevan, which had collapsed a few years earlier. This church in turn soon fell down and is little more than a foundation course - the circular design is less stable, so later architects quit using it and took up gothic. 3 Seljuk Palace at the northwest corner of the city was built 12th / 13th century as the mansion of a merchant, bishop or prince. It's been rebuilt in modern times. 4 Church of the Holy Apostles was probably built early 11th century and is well ruined. More remains of the gavit or narthex, the entrance hall added later, including a series of inscriptions regulating taxes. 5 Church of Saint Gregory of the Abughamrents was built late 10th century as a private chapel and burial vault for the family of Abughamir Pahlavuni. 6 Ani Cathedral is the most substantial structure in Ani. It was built from 989 AD, taking over a decade as the architect was summoned away to rebuild Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, which had collapsed. It was converted to a mosque after the Seljuk conquest of 1046 but later reverted. The earthquake of 1319 brought down its dome, and the entire city depopulated thereafter. The earthquake of 1988 caused further serious damage. Since 2021 it's been covered in scaffolding with no interior access. 7 Mosque of Minuchir was built circa 1280. It's been restored as an active mosque. Citadel or Inner Fortress (Midjnaberd) stood on the plateau south of the mosque within its own walls. Only scraps of rubble are seen here: Church of Ashot is 100 m southwest of the mosque, then a jumble of church and palace buildings lie near the south edge. 8 Kızkale was a fortification at the south tip, with Church of St Elia within, the river on two sides and a deep gully to the west. The approach path is rough and the site custodians might not let you stray this far. 9 Silk Road Bridge remains only as abutments either side of the river. The name is fanciful but every trade route hereabouts was part of the network of Ipek Yolu. 10 Monastery of the Virgins or Church of Bagarat Arkaun is one of several names given to the structure along the south edge, which may have been a convent. 11 Church of Saint Gregory of Tigran Honents is one of the best preserved buildings of Ani, with extensive frescoes. It was completed in 1215 and named for the wealthy merchant who endowed both this and Monastery of the Virgins, with a verbose dedication to ensure everyone knew of his bounty. 12 Church of the Holy Redeemer was built at 1035 to house a relic of the True Cross. It stood largely intact until 1955 when the eastern half was blasted away by lightning. The west is surrounded by scaffolding and you can't get close. Zoroastrian fire temple lies 200 m north of the cathedral. === Outside the complex === 13 Tomb of Tigran Honents is across the gully from the Seljuk Palace. Cave Village can be seen in the gully west of the citadel. 14 Red Church is 2 km east along the riverbank. Horomos Monastery is a scrappy ruin another 3 km east. == Do == It is worth scrambling up the rocky path to the fortress for excellent views of Ani, the river gorge, and the steppe rolling towards Armenia's mountains. == Buy == "In the name of the Il-khan. By the grace of God, under the government of this city, under the superiority of Dom Sarguis, and under the authority of the melik Phakhradin, I Bishop Mkhithar, originally from Teglier, because of the earthquake that took place these days, we have eliminated the Sunday trade in the street. He who opposes this writing, great or small, is responsible for sins of this city." - inscription in the Church of the Holy Apostles No shops on site, but it didn't prevent later earthquakes. == Eat and drink == Bring your own water and snacks. Batuhan Teran Kafe is by the entrance at Lion Gate, open daily 08:00-17:00. Next to nothing in it. == Sleep == There is no visitor accommodation in Ani or the village of Ocaklı, and camping is not permitted. Stay in Kars and make a day trip. == Connect == As of Dec 2025, Ani and its approach road have no mobile signal once you leave Kars. The Armenian side of the border has no signal either, so there's no risk of your phone latching onto a foreign carrier. == Go next == Back to Kars it must be.