Over the centuries, this city was ruled by a huge number of monarchs. But what has happened since then and why has it turned into an eerie and abandoned ghost town?
Abandoned ghost towns
The city of Ani, which at one time was the place of residence of many thousands of people, has now become just a ghost. It was ruled by many kings, from the Byzantines to the Ottomans, and there was a time when Ani was the cultural and regional center of Armenia - during the medieval Bagratid dynasty. It is now an eerie, abandoned place that stands alone on a plateau in the remote mountainous regions of northeastern Turkey, 45 kilometers from the Turkish border of Karks. As you wander among the many ruins that have deteriorated over the past 90 years, the only sound you will hear is the wind. He howls in the ravine that marks the border between Armenia and Turkey.
The loss of many rulers
Visitors who walk through the walls of Ani enjoy panoramic views of ruins spanning five empires and three centuries, including the Bagratids (Armenians), Seljuks, Byzantines, Ottomans and Georgians. Ani plateau was transferred to Russia after the Ottoman Empire lost in the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-78. After the outbreak of the First World War, the Turks tried to return Anatolia, which is located to the northeast. And although they recaptured Ani and its surroundings, the region was given to the newly formed Republic of Armenia. The area last changed hands after being seized by the Republic of Turkey in 1920 during the War of Independence.
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Hotly contested territory
The ruins of a bridge, once thrown across the Akhuryan River, which winds at the bottom of the ravine, creating a natural border, seem to symbolize the state of Turkish-Armenian relations. Both countries have long-standing disagreements over the massacre of Armenians that took place during World War I, when the Ottoman Empire still existed. Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 in response to the conflict between Armenia and its ally Azerbaijan.
How can the ruins be preserved?
Although the tense Turkish-Armenian relations harm the city, archaeologists and activists are working hard to preserve the ruins, as they are a site of historical antiquities anyway. Historians have long debated the importance of Ani in medieval history. As a result, this abandoned city is currently on the tentative list for recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Careful restoration, which began in 2011, will help prevent the influence of centuries.
City of 1001 churches
In the 11th century, when the city flourished, the population of Ani, as calculated by scientists, reached 100 thousand people. Archaeological finds in the area suggest that Ani was a bustling medieval center filled with countless houses, workshops employing artisans and churches scattered throughout the area.
Ani was spoken of as a city of 1001 churches. The rulers and city merchants financed the construction of many places of worship. Although this name is undoubtedly exaggerated, archaeologists have discovered 40 churches, chapels and mausoleums.
Imposing cathedral
Ani Cathedral, built of rust-colored bricks, looms over the now abandoned city. Its dome collapsed in an earthquake back in 1319, and a century later another earthquake destroyed its northwest corner. Nevertheless, it still amazes with its size. The construction was completed in 1001, during the reign of Gagik I, the Armenian king. Under him, the wealth and population of Ani reached its peak. Trdat, the famous Armenian architect who designed it, also served the Byzantines, helping them to restore the dome of Hagia Sophia.
Half of the church
There is also half of the Church of the Redeemer left - this is a monument to the artistic skill of the Armenian dynasty Bagratids. Today, the church is preserved thanks to the many scaffolding that supports it. But once completed, the church was an impressive architectural masterpiece. It had 19 arches and domes made of local reddish-brown volcanic basalt.
A fragment of the True Cross was also housed in this church. The patron saint of the church received this relic during a visit to the Byzantine court in Constantinople.