Ani :  Revisiting the ruins

by Recep Peker Tanitkan

Until recently, the ruins of Ani, one of Turkey’s most astonishing archaeological sites, mainly attracted tourists with a special ethnic or religious concern. Located in the far Northeastern province of Kars, they remain remote from the itinerary of the typical holiday-maker. For those who have more time in the country, however, the fact that the ruins can now be reached more freely will make a journey to Kars all the more worthwhile.

Cracked by ice, its naves and arches huddle together in the shelter of dark red walls pierced sparingly by tall forbidding windows, yet still attractive in their grey stone ornament. This windswept cathedral is one of many structures - churches, towers, mosques and tombs - which litter the deeply-scored, rock-strewn landscape of Ani, on Turkey's mountainous Eastern border. They stand, in various states of ruin, like so many pieces from a huge medieval game of chess, played out for centuries on a triangular board, then suddenly abandoned!

The ruins are what remains of an ancient town that grew into a major Silk Road city in the ninth to thirteenth centuries AD. Ani achieved prosperity and splendour under Armenian administration during the ninth to tenth centuries and went on to change hands among Byzantians, Seljuks and Georgians. In those days, we are told, the city already had drains, street lighting and an underground fresh water supply. But exhausted by successive wars and the conquests of the Mongols, the "city of a thousand churches" never fully recovered from the earthquake of 1319, and by Ottoman times it plunged into disuse.

Separated from Armenia only by the valley of the Arpaçay (Arpessus) brook, the ruins have suffered from more than the ravages of time and climate. The stonework castles, bishops and pawns have at times been used as border outposts or places of storage. Quarrying has gone on nearby. And access has been restricted due to tensions with the neighbouring Soviet Union and more recently Armenia.

Back on the map

All visitors to the province of Kars are familiar with the provincial centre: the “old town” with its landmark castle, its characteristic stone bridge, its 1,000-year old “Church of the Apostles” and sixteenth century Evliya Mosque; and the “new town”, developed under Russian rule between 1878 and 1917, with its massive stone buildings and broad right-angled streets. The battle-site, forests and ski-centre of Sarikamış to the West of the provincial centre are another popular destination. Now, at last, restrictions have been reduced, and Ani, a slow 45 kilometres East of Kars city, is becoming an equally normal point of call for local and international guests.

The first scientific explorations are understood to have been carried out during the period of Russia rule. Since then, excavation and restoration work has been criticized on more than one occasion, and historical interpretations of the buildings have varied. According to one guide, the first settlements in the region dates back to 5000 BCE. The prehistoric settlers made their homes in volcanic caves in the area now known as Bostanlar Deresi. Many centuries and civilizations later, Ani was to become the home of the Armenian ‘Bagratid’ dynasty.

Waves of walls

The phantom settlement is surrounded by fortifications on all sides, except where protected by the brook. One of the oldest structures is the central citadel, with walls dated back to the fourth century BCE. There is also a simple basilica thought to have been built in 622. A further ring of walls was commenced in the reign of King Ashot in the tenth century and completed under his successors. Several churches and chapels are believed to date back to around this time. The Seljuk sultan Alparslan, who captured the city from the Byzantines in 1064, is credited with ordering Ebul Menucehr, who became head of the Ani Principality to build the third ring of walls.

Five metres high in places, the walls are marked with crosses, lion and snake reliefs and tiling here and there. In order to be able to withstand a long siege, they were strengthened with additional towers that could also be used for storing food. There are seven entrance gates, the most important being the Lion’s Gate and the Kars Gate, marking the northern entrance to the site. On a turret close to the Lion’s Gate is a four-line inscription documenting the conquest of Alparslan.

Churches and mosques

The eleventh century cathedral, which served as a mosque after 1064, appears in the form in which it was restored after the earthquake. Not far away is the church of the Saviour (Aziz Pirkitch), believed to have been built in the first half of the tenth century and repeatedly restored and added to before finally being struck by lightning. Most of the ruined churches have a basilica form and central domes, polygonal inside. The Church of St Gregory, dated to 1215, a brief period of Georgian ascendancy, is notable for the decorative work inside its dome. Another church or convent, known by various names, stands outside the walls, on a rock on the very bank of the Arpaçay.

Two mosques, a palace and a caravanserai constitute the major Seljuk monuments, and while not in good condition, they still exhibit clearly the tastes and talents of the period. The Mosque of Menucehr is said to be the first mosque built by the Seljuks in Anatolia. Several wells, a sundial, an oil press and a ‘hamam’ may also be mentioned among the surprises awaiting visitors to the site.

( DIPLOMAT  -  February 2006  -  Ankara )