The archaeological site of Ani, which has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, attracts the attention of both the society and the professionals.
As Asbarez news reports, the number of tourists visiting ancient Armenian city of Ani has doubled after the city was placed on the UNESCO World Heritage list.
The experts claim that Ani is a genuine world heritage, playing an important role for Kars and its surroundings. Therefore, plans have been laid out to restore the site within one-two years.
Medieval Armenian capital of Ani was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List upon the decision made at the 40th session of the World Heritage Committee in 2016.
Located on the border of present-day Turkey and Armenia, Ani a medieval Armenian city. Armenian chroniclers such as Yeghishe and Ghazar Parpetsi first mentioned Ani in the 5th century. They described it as a strong fortress built on a hilltop and a possession of the Armenian Kamsarakan dynasty.
Between 961 and 1045, it was the capital of the Bagratid Armenian kingdom that covered much of present-day Armenia and eastern Turkey. Called the "City of 1001 Churches", Ani stood on various trade routes and its many religious buildings, palaces, and fortifications were amongst the most technically and artistically advanced structures in the world. At its height, the population of Ani probably was on the order of 100,000.
Long ago renowned for its splendor and magnificence, Ani was sacked by the Mongols in 1236 and devastated in a 1319 earthquake, after which it was reduced to a village and gradually abandoned and largely forgotten by the seventeenth century.
In 1878, Ani went under the control of Russia and in 1920 the region was passed to Turkish control by the Treaty of Alexandropol.
Ani is a widely recognized cultural, religious, and national heritage symbol for Armenians.