Turkey: Ani
Ani lies right at the border with Armenia – the ruined ancient capital of the medieval Armenian Kingdom between 961-1045 and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. At its height, Ani was know as “the city of 1001 churches” and several ancient this was a massive city with some of the most architecturally stunning and elaborate buildings on the world at the time – cathedrals, churches, palaces. Mongols sacked and destroyed most of Ani in 1236 and a total devastation of an earthquake in 1319 finished the job – the city never recovered. There are several spectacular ruins remaining – all made from the volcanic tufa-like stone that is layered of diverse color combinations from dark yellow to red to dark brown to black. The most massive is the Cathedral of Ani aka Church of the Holy Mother of God, while the most elaborate and elegant are Church of the Redeemer or the Church of St. Gregory. Inscriptions and engravings as well as stunning masonry are absolutely surreal! After the defeat of Turkey in WWI, Ani became a part of the Republic of Armenia, just to be brutally recaptured by Turkey – many remaining ruins were looted and destroyed while some were evacuated to Yerevan. The USSR tried to return Ani to Armenia over the years in various land swap schemes but they never worked. Today, Ani lies right next to a completely shut border – border posts and towers are visible pretty much from anywhere as you explore the historic city.
