The ancient city of Ani, which is both one of the first settlements and the first Armenian settlement in Anatolia, is one of the unknowns despite being home to a century of history.. Ani, which was established as the capital of the kingdom next to the Arpaçay river, which formed the border of Armenia, by the order of Ashot, the king of Bagratlı, in the 10th century, spreads over a vast area in the Arpacay valley.. Being on the Silk Road, the city of Ani, one of the most powerful states in the history of Anatolia, was even home to a population of over 100,000 for a while.. Ani, which hosted other civilizations of Anatolia after the Bagratids, however, becomes a city that has been abandoned and forgotten over the years.
To be honest, even we, as people who love to travel and see in our own country, did not include Ani in our plans so much that we would not have met Ani if the Eastern Express had not been a big trend and we had not been surrounded by Kars travel photos. maybe it would take many more years. When we went, we saw it with our own eyes; You should definitely not return from Kars without visiting this magnificent city, which is only 40 km away from the city center of Kars.. A trip to Kars without a city in Ani is incomplete, it cannot be completed in any way.
SUGGESTIONS BEFORE VISIT TO ANI Ruins
#1 Tour the Ruins of Ani with Piri Guide: Unfortunately, there are not many signposts and information boards inside Ani. The ones that are too old are too damaged to be read anymore.. If you wander around Ani without knowing what the ruins are, you will not understand anything you see and you will not reach the purpose of the trip.. Therefore, do not forget to listen to the relevant sections in the Kars guide of Piri Guide before you come here or while you are wandering around.. Apart from this, it is an alternative to visiting Ani with a guide.. You can get information about guided tours from the agencies in the center of Kars or from the hotel where you are staying.
#2 Start Your Trip to the Ani Ruins from the Right Road: Ani ruins One of our suggestions about the trip is about your tour route.. After entering the city walls, the road splits into two.. Fethiye Mosque section will be very crowded as tour groups usually start by following the left road.. Youwalk to the right; because it’s definitely much quieter here.
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THINGS TO VISIT AT ANI RAINS
The ruins of the ancient city of Ani are in the Arpacay valley, in the wide spreading over an area. Among the places you will see in Ani, where you will meet the ruins of a temple every step of the way, in the vast valley landscape; Fethiye Mosque, Tigran Honents Church, Young Girls Church, Nuns Monastery, St. Prkitch Church, Gagik Church, Seljuk Palace, Seljuk Caravanserai, Abughamrents Church, Manuçehr Mosque, there is the Silk Road Bridge and the Citadel. Since there is a lack of orientation, we wanted to elaborate a little below, so you can navigate more easily.
#1 Ani City Walls:
You start your tour of Ani Ruins by passing through the city walls of Anti city. The city walls, which are approximately 5 km long, are made of basalt stones with an interlocking system and are still quite solid.
Ani Ancient City Walls, Ani Ruins
#2 Tigran Honents Church:
Anili merchant Tigran The church, which was completed in 1215 at the request of Honents, is dedicated to St. Gregory the Illuminator, who brought Christianity to the Armenians and is also known as Krikor in some places.. That’s why in some places you can see its name as Surp Gregory the Illuminator Church.. If you have the chance to visit Krikor and Hz.. Don’t forget to examine the murals with descriptions of Jesus.. In particular, the blue details are striking.
#3 Young Girls’ Church:
Surp Hrispime Monastery, better known as Virgins Monastery and Young Girls Church, is one of the structures that can be seen from the Arpaçay valley, also below the Tigran Honents Church.. 13. The monastery, which was built at the beginning of the trade route reaching Ani in the 16th century and on the edge of the Arpaçay river, is located on steep rocks, and has survived to the present day.
Young Girls’ Church, Ani Ruins
#4 Nuns’ Convent:
Another structure built on steep rocks, just like the Young Girls Church, is the Maiden’s Castle, known as the Nuns’ Monastery.. We couldn’t see it because it was in a hard-to-reach place; However, it is also pleasing that it has preserved its integrity and survived until today..
#5 St. Prkitch Church:
The Felted Church Also known as St. Prkitch Church, it is located a little ahead of Tigran Honents Church.. King III in 1036. The church built by Sembat was later restored by the Atabeks.. Inside the church there are murals representing the authors of the Last Supper and the Bible, but unfortunately not very visible today.. St. Prkitch Church is one of the most different architectures of Ani; because in 1930, as a result of a lightning strike, half of the church was destroyed and took its present half appearance.
#6 Gagik Church:
The architecture of Gagik Church, also known as Surp Krikor Church, and Fethiye Mosque, which we will explain shortly, are the same person.. The name of the church, which was built in the 1000s, comes from King Gagik, who was the ruler of Ani at that time.. However, since it was not very solid in its first construction, it was destroyed in a short time and only its ruins can be seen now.
Gagik Church, Ani Ruins
#7 Seljuk Palace:
Ani city of palace Seljuks It is said that it was built by Ebu’l Manuçehr, who was appointed to manage this place after it was conquered by. The Seljuk Palace, which was originally built with 3 floors, was built with the stonework of the period, and its architectural details fully bear the characteristics of the Seljuks.
#8 Seljuk Caravanserai:
One of the Ani values with only remnants remaining is 12. Seljuk Caravanserai built at the beginning of the century. Another name of the caravanserai, whose red and black stone details can still be seen, but unfortunately only a small part of it, is Surp Arak’elots Church.
Seljuk Caravanserai, Ani Ruins
#9 Ebul Muammeran Mosque:
It was built by Ebul Manuçehr’s son, Ebul Muammeran, upon his father’s death, in the same Manuçehr Mosque architecture.. The peculiarity of Ebul Muammeran Mosque is that its minaret is taller than Manuçehr Mosque and it has an inscription on Ani trade.. However, the mosque was completely destroyed in 1917.. Currently, you can only see a small remnant of its minaret and the area where the mosque is located.
Abughamrents Church, Ani Ruins
#10 Church of Abughamrents:
Church of Abughamrents, symbol of Ani, cylindrical church in our country and one of the examples of Armenian architecture. The church built by Prince Pahlavuni in 980 overlooks the Arpacay valley with its window details.. Abughamrents Church, which has the typical features of the period in its architecture, was built as a private chapel of the Pahlavuni family, and in the excavations carried out in the past years, cemetery remains and skeletons were found around it.. The Pahlavuni family played an important role in the history of Ani with its opposition to Ani, which was independent at that time, to join Byzantium.. The name of the church comes from Abughamir, son of Vahram Pahlavuni, who pioneered this resistance.. You can also find it as St. Gregory Church and Polatoğlu Church in the sources.
#11 Manuçehr Mosque:
The first Turkish mosque of Anatolia, Ebul Manuçehr Mosque, is the oldest building that has survived from the Seljuk period.. The mosque, which was built by Emir Manuçehr Bey from Şedad after the sudden conquest of Alparslan, is located on the slope overlooking the Arpacay valley.. The lower part of the two-storey architecture was used as a madrasa, while the upper part was designed as a prayer area.. The 99-stepped minaret of the mosque is original, the other has been restored many times over the years and has changed over time.. When you look at the Arpacay valley from the windows of Manuçehr Mosque, Armenia is on your right.
Manuçehr Mosque, Ani Ruins
#12 Silk Road Bridge:
When you look at Arpaçay from the windows of Manuçehr Mosque, you can see its ruins. The Silk Road Bridge, which you can see, was actually a kind of entrance gate to Anatolia.. The bridge, which was originally built with two floors, collapsed after a while, and now only its feet on both sides of the river can be seen.
#13 Citadel:
The inner castle beyond the Manuçehr Mosque is formed by the walls on the hill and the remains of the church and palace inside these walls. It is written that this region was built by the Karsak tribe, who migrated from the Caucasus and gave Kars its current name.. Unfortunately, it is impossible to see the old version of these structures today.. The inner castle is also important as it once hosted the first Christian architecture of Ani.
Arpaçay and İpekyolu Bridge, Ani Ruins
#14 Mosque of Fethiye:
King of Bagrat II. Although it was started to be built during the Sembat period, the cathedral was completed by his wife, Queen Katrandine, after his death, and is one of the most special structures of Ani.. The name of the cathedral, which was converted into a mosque after the conquest of Ani by Alparslan in 1064, comes from the conquest prayer performed here.. The dome of the cathedral has not survived until today, but you can visit the structure itself.. It was under restoration last year, although every corner is covered with iron, it is truly magnificent.
Fethiye Mosque, Ani Ruins, Kars
#15 Caves:
The city of Ani is over 100,000 at its peak time was home to a population. While walking among the ruins, if you observe the formations in the valley, you will see cave structures made of tuff rocks.. These caves have been used for centuries by being partitioned for purposes such as houses, warehouses and chapels.. Although the cave life continued until the 1950s, these places were evacuated by the decision of the state and taken under protection.
Sudden Ruins Caves
ANI Ruins ENTRANCE FEE 2019
Ani ruins entrance fee 12 TL per person, free for those with Müzekart. Those arriving by car can use the parking area on the left side of the entrance free of charge.
Ani Ruins Entrance Fee
VISIT HOURS TO ANI RAINS
Ani ruins in summer time08:00-19:00 , you can visit between 08:00-17:00 in the winter period. The best time to visit is morning hours, whoever we talked to in Kars said that we should see Ani in the morning.. Since the ancient city is located in the Arpacay valley, it is very windy in the afternoon.. If you’re going during the winter, don’t forget to dress tight.
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ACCESS TO Ani Ruins
Take a car to Ani Ruins or take tours in the center You can join by. You can get information about guided tours from the agencies in Kars center or from the hotel you are staying at.
To reach Ani ruins from Kars center by car, you should follow the Ani Ruins signs on the Ardahan-Erzurum highway.. After passing Subatan on the road, the signs will direct you.. Even if the weather is snowy, there is no problem on the road as long as your car has chains.. The road is always open.
Those who go by car can leave their cars in the car park at the entrance of Ani, the parking lot is free.
Ani Ruins Ani Ruins with transportation issue Places to Visit and Sudden City Trip We have come to the end of our article. You can reach all our photos and travel notes about Kars and Ani on Instagram with the hashtag #journavelkars. Follow us, let’s travel together!
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Ani Ruins
