Archaeological Site of Ani | World Heritage Explorer

World Heritage Identification Number: 1518

World Heritage since: 2016

Category: Cultural Heritage

Transboundary Heritage: No

Endangered Heritage: No

Country: 🇹🇷 Türkiye

Continent: Asia

UNESCO World Region: Europe and North America

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Ani: A Medieval City of Architectural Innovation

The Archaeological Site of Ani, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2016, offers a captivating glimpse into the rich history and architectural evolution of the Middle Ages. Situated on a secluded plateau in northeastern Turkey, this ancient city overlooks a ravine that serves as a natural border with Armenia.

More to come…

UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site

This site is located on a secluded plateau of northeast Turkey overlooking a ravine that forms a natural border with Armenia. This medieval city combines residential, religious and military structures, characteristic of a medieval urbanism built up over the centuries by Christian and then Muslim dynasties. The city flourished in the 10th and 11th centuries CE when it became the capital of the medieval Armenian kingdom of the Bagratides and profited from control of one branch of the Silk Road. Later, under Byzantine, Seljuk and Georgian sovereignty, it maintained its status as an important crossroads for merchant caravans. The Mongol invasion and a devastating earthquake in 1319 marked the beginning of the city’s decline. The site presents a comprehensive overview of the evolution of medieval architecture through examples of almost all the different architectural innovations of the region between the 7th and 13th centuries CE.

Encyclopedia Record: Ani

Ani is a ruined medieval Armenian city now situated in Turkey's province of Kars, next to the closed border with Armenia.

Additional Site Details

Area: 250.7 hectares

UNESCO Criteria: (ii) — Significant interchange of human values
(iii) — Unique or exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition
(iv) — Outstanding example of a type of building or landscape

Coordinates: 40.5 , 43.5666666667

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Nearby World Heritage Sites

Cathedral and Churches of Echmiatsin and the Archaeological Site of Zvartnots
72 km — Armenia

Monastery of Geghard and the Upper Azat Valley
113 km — Armenia

Monasteries of Haghpat and Sanahin
117 km — Armenia

Historical Monuments of Mtskheta
178 km — Georgia

Colchic Rainforests and Wetlands
190 km — Georgia

Country Information: Türkiye

Official Name: Republic of Turkey

Capital: Ankara

Continent: Asia

Population (2024): 85,518,661

Population (2023): 85,325,965

Population (2022): 84,979,913

Land Area: 769,630 sq km

Currency: Turkish lira (TRY)

Country Data Sources

Links

UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Archaeological Site of Ani
Wikipedia: Ani

Portions of the page Archaeological Site of Ani are based on data from UNESCO — World Heritage List Dataset and on text from the Wikipedia article Ani, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes made. Additional original content by World Heritage Explorer (WHE), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. WHE is not affiliated with UNESCO or the World Heritage Committee. Legal Notice. Privacy Policy.