Categories: Antiquities

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.

Vigen Avetisyan

Recent Posts

Armenian Orphan Girls in New York (1917): A Forgotten Act of Witness and Relief

In 1917, at the height of global upheaval during World War I, a small but…

5 days ago

The Armenian Genocide: State Crime, Mass Participation, and the Burden of Historical Responsibility

The Armenian Genocide (1915–1921 ...) was not an accident of war, nor a tragic byproduct…

1 week ago

The First Printed Armenian Bible (Amsterdam, 1666–1668)

Introduction The first printed edition of the Bible in the Armenian language stands as one…

2 weeks ago

Armenopolis (Gherla): An Armenian “Ideal City” in the Heart of Europe

Armenopolis (modern-day Gherla, Romania) is a remarkable example of how the Armenian diaspora not only…

2 weeks ago

Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia

Regarding the Remarks of the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group at the Permanent Council…

2 months ago

The Armenian Genetic Code: An 8,000-Year Unbroken Journey

While empires rose and fell and borders shifted across millennia, one remarkable constant has endured:…

3 months ago