The ruined city of Ani
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The ruined city of Ani |
| The night before |
| The ruined city of Ani is so
close to the Armenian border that you need a permit from the Turkish
authorities in Kars to visit it. (1. Obtain the form from the Tourist
Office, 2. Get the form signed by the Kars police, 3. Buy your tickets at
the Museum !). All of this is quite straightforward tough. The city of Ani
is some 40 km from Kars so we decided to sleep just outside Kars next to a
petrol station on the way to Ani. We were in for a small surprise : next
morning everything was covered with snow ! We switched on the car and
quickly got dressed to have breakfast a little further down the road. As
we left a shepherd and his sheep came out of nowhere through the mist.
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| The ruined city of Ani |
| The medieval ghost city of
Ani, although not very old is quite striking. It is surrounded by a wall
over a km in length. In a grassy field lie a dozen or so crumbling
structures mostly churches, mosques and caravanserai. We were alone that
morning to visit the site ! The weather didn't get much better although it
stopped raining.
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A deep gorge cut by the Arpa Cayi stream forms the boundary between the Turkish and Armenian Republics. Across this stream are the remains of the Marco Polo bridge !
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Kathleen & Christian on the Silk Road. Notice the mirador on the Armenian side (right picture)
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We are doing well !
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| Eastern Turkey | Back to Trip page | Km 145,417 |
