Fodor's Expert Review Ruins of Ani
Scarcely a half dozen churches remain of the medieval Armenian capital of Ani, all in various states of disrepair, but even so the sprawling site is breathtaking—crumbling majesty amid stark, sweeping countryside, tiny Kurdish settlements, and fields of wildflowers. There is a haunted, yet strangely meditative, feeling here, as well as an open-air museum holding what are considered some of the finest examples of religious architecture of its period. You enter through the Aslan Kapısı (Lion's Gate), one of three principal portals. Highlights include the circular Church of the Redeemer, built 1035 but hit by lightning in the 1950s, slicing it neatly in half, leaving a surrealistic representation of an Armenian church with the rubble of its former half in the foreground. In the gorge is the striking Kusanatz (Convent of the Three Virgins), on a rocky outcrop. At the center of the site is the former cathedral, built in 1001 by the architect Trdat. Already staggering in size, it was once... READ MORE
Scarcely a half dozen churches remain of the medieval Armenian capital of Ani, all in various states of disrepair, but even so the sprawling site is breathtaking—crumbling majesty amid stark, sweeping countryside, tiny Kurdish settlements, and fields of wildflowers. There is a haunted, yet strangely meditative, feeling here, as well as an open-air museum holding what are considered some of the finest examples of religious architecture of its period. You enter through the Aslan Kapısı (Lion's Gate), one of three principal portals. Highlights include the circular Church of the Redeemer, built 1035 but hit by lightning in the 1950s, slicing it neatly in half, leaving a surrealistic representation of an Armenian church with the rubble of its former half in the foreground. In the gorge is the striking Kusanatz (Convent of the Three Virgins), on a rocky outcrop. At the center of the site is the former cathedral, built in 1001 by the architect Trdat. Already staggering in size, it was once topped by a large dome that fell in an earthquake in 1319. A short distance away is the Menüçehir Camii, which clings to the heights overlooking the Arpaçay River. The walls offer sweeping views out over the rock-cut village which dates back thousands of years. You will then pass the foundations of the massive round Church of King Gagik, another of Trdat's designs. Finally, the over-restored Seljuk Palace is an imposing reminder of when the city was conquered by the Seljuks in 1064.
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