From here I can see Armenia

 I'd liked nothing more than to be able to walk down to the ravine below and to the river below and if I could wade in the water, I'd be in Armenia. But as you can see there's a fence and I can't walk any further. This was the closest I could get.

Beyond the river and on the other side is Armenia. In fact some Armenians call this part of Turkey, Western Armenia. Ani was part of Armenia, the capital was in Kars but was moved to Ani at a later date. Until a few years ago, visitors needed a special pass from the tourism office in Kars in order to visit Ani but today we don't, we can go and visit freely but some parts that are too close to Armenia is still off limits. It is a very nostalgic place and a lot of Armenians can't visit because they don't want their hearts broken again. The whole area is so empty except for the few visitors that come to visit. So close and yet so far ....

Church of the Holy Redeemer

As soon as you enter the main gate you would be confronted by this half church. It was only broken by lightning in 1967 so visitors before then would have seen it intact. Any picture or all pictures of Ani would have this as their main focus. It is like being a poster child for Ani. It is a showcase of Armenian architecture in those days. When the dome of the Haghia Sophia in Istanbul was broken, they hired an Armenian architect from these parts to redesign and fix the dome that we still see today. This church has come to epitomize Ani. It is still so hauntingly beautiful. There are ghosts here (we didn't encounter any) these monuments testify to their presence.

Will they like Ani?

They loved Ani. Do you have children? I don't have children but once in a while I borrow someone else's children like in this case. This way I don't miss out on motherhood or aunthood. They were curious, peering into the grass to look closer at the tiny hummingbird that was flitting around the flowers. Growing up poor I didn't have any benevolent relatives who took me under their tutelage. The only exposure I had were in books, in history books. I remember as a thirteen year old, devouring thick history books on European history, Napoleon, Bismarck and also on Asian history, Genghis Khan, Kublai Khan, these were larger than life people and they formed the basis for my developmental years. Today's thirteen year old are only interested in preening themselves and are mostly empty in their heads. My head was filled with strong hero types that till today I act like a 'hero' type person in my work and in my family. Could it be this love of history that is leading me to exotic places in the world? Ani? Who would even visit Ani, its very inaccessible. Not just that a friend warned me about the PKK (Kurdish rebels). I want to go to South Eastern Turkey next year, this is the Kurdish area of Turkey and where the PKK is known to reside. I just read that the PKK killed a few Turkish soldiers. I don't live to be afraid, I can't live like that. PKK or not, I'm going there.
I pray that the memory of this trip will stay with them forever and they will want to organise their own adventures.

ANI

Present day Ani is desolate, deserted and a huge field of ruined churches amid, in June, a field of wild flowers of every color. It reached its zenith in the 5th century when the capital of Armenia was transferred from Kars to Ani and for hundreds of years it rivalled Constantinople in importance and beauty. It showcased the incredible work of Armenian architects and stone carvers. In the mid 11th century the Byzantine Empire controlled it and weakened it for an attack by the Seljuk's. After the fall of the Seljuk's, the Mongols came and did their part in the 13th century. A devastating earthquake in 1319 finished off Ani and the city and its surrounding area became abandoned and forgotten.
The vast boundary walls dates back to the late 10th century, with numerous towers and it is where we enter through a ticket kiosk. It's 5TL per person to enter, there are no guides unless you bring one with you. You just wander along marked trails, with your own map, try to identify each ruin. There are no shops either, so you have to bring your own food and water. You can take as long as you want inside the enclosed area. It was a beautiful June morning and the whole place was just blanketed with wild flowers. It is so beautiful. The taxis and buses are parked just outside the gate and the driver of the vehicle who brought you sits and wait for you and your group.

On our way to Ani

There are more livestock than people in the wide open plains on our way from Kars to Ani. It's about a 45 minute drive. The taxi gets you there, waits for you and brings you back. This guy was very cheap, 60TL, it's usually about 100TL. They usually wait for 3-4 hours, it took us 2 hours to see the place. It's right next to Armenia. This area was fought over between the Turks and Russia for a long time until after the first world war, Armenia was divided into half, this half at Ani became Turkey and the other half was part of the USSR before the break up of the USSR. Now that half is the independent Republic of Armenia with its capital at Yerevan just across the border. Kars was under Russian rule for some time and Russian influence is still evident in the architecture of some of the buildings. In its hey day, Ani rivalled Constantinople in importance. It had as many people living in it as in Constantinople. It had a lot of churches, it rivals another place in being called the place of 'thousand and one churches.' An earthquake decimated it in the 13th century and it became abandoned ever since. Since a few years ago, a special permit to visit had to be obtained from the tourism office. Now that permit is not necessary. However there are still some sensitive areas that are off limits to visitors.
The only reason to be in Kars is because of its close proximity to Ani. Ani is the only reason to be in Kars at all.

Dinner in Kars

 Turkish bread is the most wonderful, they make one like a French loaf, in wood burning ovens and it is better than the French bread. Other than that they make all kinds of flat breads which are all wonderful.

 For the most part we ate at restaurants recommended by Lonely Planet and the prices were reasonable and the food is good. We love the grilled meats. We opted for Bulgur wheat instead of rice or potatoes.

 

Ari complained that the both ends of the eggplant weren't stuffed but this is a tasty dish. It's amazing to see the differences in the two boys, Zac would read and learn the Turkish numbers while Ari would read the food section. So Ari knows his food.
I noticed that they do cheat visitors, we walked into a restaurant one Sunday evening, thought we'd have a quick and cheap meal by ordering from the food that has been sitting in the Bain Marie the whole day long. It ended costing us more than if we had eaten in a fancier grill place with an a la carte menu. We were shocked. This meal costs us 38TL, the fast food place costs us 51TL! Well, we had our Lonely Planet guide in front of us when we sat down at this restaurant. They know if they treated us badly, all the readers of Lonely Planet would hear about it. We stayed in a new Riad in Marrakesh a few years ago. I promised the owner I'd give them a good write up in Tripadvisor which I did. Subsequently I started to read a lot more great comments for the same Riad. I remember for this trip I avoided going to a certain hotel bcause they had one write up and it was a bad one... it said 'avoid this hotel.'
While we were eating at this restaurant we received a visitor. He came over and chatted and I realised he was the guide in Kars recommended by Lonely Planet. I asked, 'are you Celil?' He said, 'yes.' It seems he goes to all the hotels mentioned in Lonely Planet looking for new arrivals to offer his services. He can drive to all the sites mentioned in the Lonely Planet guidebook. He went to our hotel and found out about us, then he tracked us down by going to all the restaurants recommended by Lonely Planet and found us. But he already knew we have our transportation to Ani because when we checking in, our taxi driver came in with us and reminded us that he's coming the next day to pick us up. So the hotel clerk gave this information to Celil but we had another day we could have used Celil's service but I didn't because he doesn't come cheap.