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

Clowns of War: The Strange Battlefield Legacy of Medieval Armenian Theater

Long before "clown" became a synonym for children's birthday parties, the word described a hardened…

1 day ago

Dura-Europos and Ancient Armenia: A Crossroads of Priests, Inscriptions, and the Cult of Mithra

Introduction The fresco reproduced above — three white-robed priests, one wearing a tall conical hat,…

6 days ago

From Lake Van to Yerevan: The Bronze Helmet of Urartu, the First Armenia

The crested bronze helmet on the left of this comparison was not made by a…

2 weeks ago

A Tower Crowned by a Lion-Rider: Reading a Bronze Age Cult Vessel Through the Lens of the Armenian Highlands

A small, weathered piece of fired clay — barely 31 centimeters tall — sits today…

2 weeks ago

A Hand Reaching Through Three Millennia: The Bronze Pendant from Yeghvard

Pendant (Amulet) in the Shape of a Human Hand | 7th–6th centuries BC | Yeghvard…

3 weeks ago

Duduk (Tsiranapogh): The Ancient Voice of Armenia from the Bronze Age to UNESCO Heritage

Introduction The duduk (Armenian: դուդուկ)—traditionally known as tsiranapogh (ծիրանափող, “apricot-wood pipe”)—is one of the most…

4 weeks ago