The town is surrounded by imposing double ramparts with round towers. Inside the walls what remains today are several Armenian churches with amazing frescos, a Cathedral, a Georgian church, the Horomos Monastery, a ruined Seljuk palace, a couple of mosques and caravanserays. Ani is still under Turkish military control. Though the site is advertised as a tourist attraction, visitors have to obtain permits from the tourism office, police and museum in nearby Kars. On arrival visitors are briefed by an armed soldier on where they may go.
Troops patrol the site and use the ruins of a mosque as a look-out post.
A ban on cameras was lifted recently, but photographers are not allowed to point their cameras in the direction of Armenia. The monastery served as burial ground for the Kings of Ani and functioned as an important religious centre until the 18th century. The snow conditions are at their best from November till April. Southwest of the main mountain, the Little Ararat reaches up to 3896 meters. In the summer, the weather in the area and on Mount Ararat itself is sunny, warm and dry.