Ani and Kars Guide: Stone Cities of Eastern Türkiye

Ani served as the capital of Bagratuni Armenia from 961 to 1045, when King Ashot III moved his court to the fortified plateau above the Akhurian gorge. At its tenth-century height it may have held tens of thousands of residents, and the poetic 'city of 1,001 churches' still frames its skyline, even if archaeologists have documented roughly fifty churches along with chapels and cave sanctuaries. Trade shifts and a 1319 earthquake hastened its decline. (Source: Wikipedia, Wikivoyage)

The Cathedral of Ani, or Surp Asdvadzadzin, was begun in 989 under the Bagratuni kings and finished in the early eleventh century. Its architect, Trdat, gave it pointed arches that echo forms later seen in European Gothic. Nearby, the Church of the Holy Redeemer, completed shortly after 1035, is famous for its unusual nineteen-sided plan, now dramatically half-collapsed. The Church of Tigran Honents, dated 1215, keeps the site's best-preserved frescoes. (Source: Wikipedia, Wikivoyage)

Kars sits on a high plateau at about 1,768 metres, and its citadel crowns a rocky bluff above the Kars River, with masonry reworked over several medieval centuries. Between 1878 and 1918 the city lay under Russian rule, which laid out a grid of stone civic buildings whose Baltic-influenced facades still recall sister streets in Gyumri, Armenia. The tenth-century Church of the Holy Apostles, known locally as Kümbet Camii, shows a compact tetraconch plan. (Source: Wikipedia, Wikivoyage)

Many travellers arrive on the Doğu Ekspresi, the Eastern Express, which runs from Ankara across the Anatolian plateau to Kars over roughly a full day, with a scenic tourist version in the winter months. Ani lies about 45 kilometres east of Kars near the sealed Armenian frontier, usually visited as a day trip since overnight stays at the ruins are not allowed. (Source: Wikipedia, Wikivoyage)

Kars is known for its gruyère-style cheese, a tradition often linked to Swiss settlers, alongside regional honey and hearty goose dishes eaten in the coldest months. The plateau winters are severe, with deep snow and temperatures that have historically plunged far below freezing, which is why the nearby Sarıkamış highlands draw skiers. Summers are short and mild, making them easier for exploring the open ruins of Ani. (Source: Wikipedia, Wikivoyage)