Hürriyet, Turkey
Nov 21 2008
Historic Ani Ruins get a new face-lift
ISTANBUL – Ministry of Culture and Tourism has begun the renovations
of the Ani Ruins. It has plans to showcase the area to the world more
efficiently. The Tigran Honents church and The Ebul Menucehr Mosque
will have a face lift
The Ministry of Culture and Tourism has started renovation work on
the Ani Ruins in the Eastern Anatolian city of Kars, while trying to
figure out a quick solution for the quarries on the Armenian side of
the border that threaten the historic ruins.
The Tigran Honents church in the area will have drainage dug around
its walls and its surroundings will be cleaned. The original floor of
the entrance will be surfaced.
The Ebul Menucehr Mosque will have its roof cleaned in order to make
the original overlay visible. Maintenance to its minaret has already
been carried out and earth in the ground floor rooms was removed. The
mosque’s floor is also being renovated after the detachment of the
cement laid earlier.
Also, work is in progress for the structural fortification of Seljuk
Palace’s as well as surveying, restitution and renovation of the
churches of Ebulhamrent and Prikitch.
The ministry has new plans to publicize the area to the world more
efficiently. A nearby village, Ocaklı, will be undergirding for
cultural and socio-economic development. Besides that, training
programs will be arranged for the local community with aims of better
preservation of historical buildings.
International symposiums, photography exhibitions, increasing the
number of publicity brochures and billboards, manufacturing souvenirs
and producing written and visual media products are being planned on
for the upcoming years to attract more tourists to the ruins.
Open air museum
The ministry will form a center for research, documentation and
publicity and create a data bank for research. The team from the
Global Heritage Fund is working on some of the monumental buildings’
and the rampart’s three dimensional modeling. The west and northwest
fronts of the cathedral are being reinforced in collaboration with the
Sorbonne University of Paris and the World Monuments Fund has joined
the project.
Quarries in Armenia
Orhan Düzgün, director general of cultural assets, said a board of
project coordination and consultancy was formed for Ani and it has
prepared a report and a plan of action on the subject.
Düzgün said the matter of the Armenian quarries’ negative effects on
historical artifacts is among the short term subjects.
The report said the quarries enlarge day by day, splitting the
topography and also damaging the spectacular natural landscape.
It is demanded by the report that the matter will be carried to
international arenas and the quarries must be stopped.