ARMENIAN HERITAGE SITES IN TURKEY AND IRAN

THECHURCHOFTHEREDEEMER
This church was completed shortly after the year
1035. It had a unique design: 19-sided externally, 8-
apsed internally, with a huge central dome set upon
a tall drum. It was built by Prince Ablgharib
PahlavidtohouseafragmentoftheTrueCross.The
churchwaslargelyintactuntil1955,whentheentire
easternhalfcollapsedduringastorm
THECHURCHOFSTGREGORY
OFTHEABUGHAMRENTS
Thissmallbuildingprobablydatesfromthelate10 th
century. It was built as a private chapel for the
Pahlavuni family. Their mausoleum, built in 1040
andnowreducedtoitsfoundations,wasconstructed
against the northern side of the church. The church
hasacentralizedplan,withadomeoveradrum,and
theinteriorhassixexedras.
KINGGAGIK'S
CHURCHOFSTGREGORY
Also known as the Gagikashen, this church was
constructed between the years 1001 and 1005 and
intended to be a recreation of the celebrated
cathedral of Zvartnots at Vagharshapat. Nikolai
Marr uncovered the foundations of this remarkable
building in 1905 and 1906. Before that, all that was
visible on the site was a huge earthen mound. The
designer of the church was the architect Trdat. The
church is known to have collapsed a relatively short
time after its construction and houses were later
constructedontopofitsruins.Trdat'sdesignclosely
followsthatofZvartnotzinitssizeandinitsplan(a
quatrefoil core surrounded by a circular
ambulatory).
THECHURCHOFTHE
HOLYAPOSTLES
The date of its construction is not known, but the
earliestdatedinscriptiononitswallsisfrom1031.It
was founded by the Pahlavuni family and was used
by the archbishops of Ani (many of whom belonged
tothatdynasty).Ithasaplanofatypecalledan
inscribed quatrefoil with corner chambers. Only
fragments remain of the church, but a narthex with
spectacularstonework,builtagainstthesouthsideof
the church, is still partially intact. It dates from the
early 13 th century. A number of other halls, chapels,
and shrines once surrounded this church: Nicholas
Marr excavated their foundations in 1909, but they
arenowmostlydestroyed.
THEMOSQUEOFMANUCHIHR
The mosque is named after its presumed founder,
Manuchihr, the first member of the Shaddadid
dynasty that ruled Ani after 1072. The oldest
surviving part of the mosque is its still intact
minaret. It has the Arabic word Bismillah ("In the
nameofGod")inKuficletteringhighonitsnorthern
face. The prayer hall, half of which survives, dates
fromalaterperiod(the12 th or13 th century).In1906
the mosque was partially repaired in order for it to
house a public museum containing objects found
duringNicholasMarr'sexcavations.
THECITADEL
At the southern end of Ani is a flat-topped hill once
knownasMidjnaberd(theInnerFortress). Ithasits
own defensive walls that date back to the period
whentheKamsarakandynastyruledAni(7 th century
AD).NicholasMarrexcavatedthecitadelhillin1908
and 1909. He uncovered the extensive ruins of the
palaceoftheBagratidkingsofAnithatoccupiedthe
highestpartofthehill.Alsoinsidethecitadelarethe
visible ruins of three churches and several
unidentified buildings. One of the churches, the
"churchofthepalace"istheoldestsurvivingchurch
in Ani, dating from the 6th or 7th century. Marr
undertook emergency repairs to this church, but
most of it has now collapsed – probably during an
earthquakein1966 .
THECITYWALLS
Alineofwallsthatencircledtheentirecitydefended
Ani. The most powerful defences were along the
northernsideofthecity,theonlypartofthesitenot
protected by rivers or ravines. Here the city was
protectedbyadoublelineofwalls,themuchtaller
inner wall studded by numerous large and closely
spaced semicircular towers. Contemporary
chroniclers wrote that King Smbat (977–989) built
these walls. Later rulers strengthened Smbat's walls
bymakingthemsubstantiallyhigherandthicker,and
byaddingmoretowers.Armenianinscriptionsfrom
the 12 th and 13 th century show that private
individualspaidforsomeofthesenewertowers.The
northern walls had three gateways, known as the
LionGate,theKarsGate,andtheDvinGate(also
knownastheChequer-BoardGatebecauseofapanel
ofredandblackstonesquaresoveritsentrance)
OTHERMONUMENTS
There are many other minor monuments at Ani.
These include a convent known as the Virgins'
chapel; a church used by Chalcedonian Armenians;
the remains of a single-arched bridge over the Arpa
river; the ruins of numerous oil-presses and several
bath houses; the remains of a second mosque with a
collapsedminaret;apalacethatprobablydatesfrom
the 13 th century; the foundations of several other
palaces and smaller residences; the recently
excavatedremainsofseveralstreetslinedwithshops;
etc.
CAVEVILLAGE
Directly outside of Ani, there was a settlement-zone
carved into the cliffs. It may have served as "urban
sprawl" when Ani grew too large for its city walls.
Today, goats and sheep take advantage of the caves'
cool interiors. One highlight of this part of Ani is a
cave church with frescos on its surviving walls and
ceiling.
AniislistedinUNESCO’sWorldHeritageSites.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ani