Ani, The Ancient Capital Of Armenia

Ani was the capital of Armenia during the Bagratid dynasty. This ancient Armenian city was known as “the city of a thousand and one churches”.

In 2016, Ani was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which implies some benefits related to protection and funding.

Prior to being inscribed as a World Heritage Site, this city just like many other Armenian settlements was being destroyed by the Turks with the aim of wiping out the traces of the Armenian cultural heritage in historic Armenian territories. There also are cases of army exercises in which Armenian churches were used as targets by tanks.

The destruction of the cultural heritage of Armenians takes place at a state level with the direct support and patronage of the government. In essence, this is a continuation of the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey.

Unfortunately, today, many of the architectural structures of the ancient Armenian city of Ani only survive in the faded photographs presented in the film below.