Saturday, 7 September 2019

Ancient kingdom of Ani & Mt. Ararat


Ani, the fortified ancient kingdom of Armenia founded more than 1,600 years ago is a UNESCO site.  It was an important trade route along the Silk Road and conquered by Byzantines, Ottomans Turks, nomadic Kurds, Georgians, and Russians.   Today it is in Turkey’s Kars province.

2 walls protected the kingdom. 
Akhurian River separating Ani in Eastern Turkey from Armenia


We could see the border control in Armenia from Ani

 Remains of the bridge over the Akhurian River used by the Silk Road merchants


 Ani was known as the land of 1,000 churches 

Zoomed in photo of the ruins of a  church on the Armenian side 

Church in the process of restoration

Ruins of merchant shops on each side of a road in Ani


Mount Ararat where Noah’s ark supposedly landed,
We were very close to the Iran border when we saw Mt. Ararat 





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