Far off the beaten path, the Armenian ruins of Ani are well worth the trip.
The ruins of the ancient Silk Road city of Ani are located in the far east of Turkey, right on the Armenian border. In fact, you can see the Armenian guards peering over the river gorge from their guard shacks.
Before the Mongols came through eastern Turkey and leveled it, Ani was an extremely prosperous town of over 100,000 people. Today, you can see how large the city was, as the ruins are scattered over quite a large area.
After driving about an hour out of Kars, known for its cheese and honey, it definitely seems that you are out in the middle of nowhere. There are only a few villages, and the site has a small parking lot.
First you walk through the Lion gate to find a large expanse. There is not much near the wall, but the view is pretty amazing and the wall is also quite long.
Walking down the hill, you eventually come to what remains of the Church of the Redeemer. Half of the dome still stands tall and leaves a distinct impression on the visitor.
There are a number of churches, cathedrals, and even a convent left over. Inside these there are still vibrant frescoes. The least damaged building is the citadel, and even it has a gaping hole right in the middle of the ceiling.
Hiking through tall grass you can see remnants of all sorts of buildings. There is an olive press, churches, roads, and many fallen columns and walls.
Being an old Armenian capital and prosperous for over 500 years, the ruins have been through some controversy. For many years, the Turkish government required archaeologists and visitors to obtain special permission to visit, but today these regulations have been relaxed and we had no problem visiting the site.
Have you been to Turkey? Are you willing to get off the beaten path and head East? If you’ve been to Ani, please leave your impressions in our comment section.
Author Bio: Corinne Vail is a travel photographer, food lover, and a perpetual traveler who has been travel writing for over 14 years. For many years she lived overseas in Germany, Japan, Turkey, South Korea, and the Netherlands teaching the children of the US. military. She’s visited over 90 countries, and she’s not stopping anytime soon.
Josh
Wednesday 6th of February 2019
such an amazing looking place, I'm hoping to get there in a month or two!
Jim Vail
Wednesday 6th of February 2019
It is beautiful in the spring, enjoy!
Bram
Wednesday 12th of March 2014
The Silk Route is one of those places/regions I am dying to go to. I want to see Samarkand sooo badly! Great post, definitely inspiring and encouraging to go there too!
Corinne Vail
Wednesday 12th of March 2014
Bram, too right! I really want to do more of it...past Turkey, especially Samarkand! Someday!
Natalie
Tuesday 29th of October 2013
I wish they would receive more funding so they can do more excavations. Imagine what is still hidden!!
Corinne Vail
Tuesday 29th of October 2013
Exactly Natalie. Have you been to Ani? It is well worth the trip! Thanks, Corinne
Muza-chan
Monday 21st of October 2013
Great photos :)
Corinne Vail
Monday 21st of October 2013
Thanks Muza-chan! I love your Japan photos as well!
Lani
Wednesday 16th of October 2013
I agree w/ Lisa. Wonderful pics. Love the feeling, you can feel the warmth. And you're soooo lucky. I wish I could be there.
Corinne Vail
Friday 18th of October 2013
Yes Lani, but living in Thailand also sounds wonderful to me. If only I could order up one of those Thai foot massages...hmmm. Thanks for your comment.