Visiting Kars and Ani: our experience in January 2024
Eastern Turkey 2023-2024 part 5
The ancient city of Ani is a highlight of Eastern Turkey. This was once the capital of the Armenian Kingdom, and an important city in the Middle Ages. It was abandoned centuries ago, though there is still a lot to see. To get there you need to travel to the city of Kars first. Nicole and I went here in January 2024. It turns out both Kars and Ani are great destinations in winter.
Kars
Kars is different to other cities in the region. In the late 19th and early 20th century it was part of the Russian empire, and this is still visible in the architecture of the city. It’s also less conservative than other parts of Eastern Turkey. This is the only city in the region where we saw beer and wine in regular shops. Elsewhere, like in Erzurum, this is only sold in very few, well-hidden liquor stores. Kars draws visitors throughout the year. In January many of them domestic touristic coming here to experience winter or heading for Ani. Kars is also at the end of the ‘’Dogu Express’’. This famous overland train-journey is especially popular in winter for its route through the mountains. Kars itself has some interesting sights to, mostly the citadel and right next to it the 10th century, formerly Armenian, cathedral. Not surprisingly, Kars caters well to tourists. We had two great nights out at restaurants (more on this below under ‘’practical advice on traveling here’’) with live music and good food. Goose is the local dish here, and the city is famous for its cheese.
Kars Cathedral
View from Kars Citadel
(First) Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator, Ani
Ani
Ani was once an important city on the Silk Road, housing over a 100,000 people in the Middle Ages. It’s right at the border with Armenia, a 50 kilometre drive from Kars. Its massive walls still stand after many centuries and can be seen from afar. A river cuts through a gorge separating Ani from Armenia. Turkey and Armenia both put a huge flag up on each side, and guard towers on both sides across the gorge are clearly visible. The archaeological site is big, and visiting only the major sights takes a five to six kilometre walk. We recommend at least two hours here. There are numerous ancient churches, some more than a thousand years old. A beautiful one is the 13th century Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator. This well preserved church is at a spectacular location at the gorge, and the frescoes inside are still visible. There are many more landmarks like the Manuçehr mosque and Ani cathedral, both from the 11th century. Another highlight is climbing up to the citadel, with parts over 1400 years old, for a view of the whole of Ani. From here you can see how river takes a few bends to the south, and the gorge gets deeper. This is what makes Ani special: the combination of ancient heritage and spectacular landscapes.
(Second) Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator, Ani
Inside the (first) Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator, Ani
View from Ani’s citadel
Practical advice on traveling here
Getting to Kars and Ani
Kars can be reached by bus, train or plane. Note that some buses leave from a bus station in the outskirts of town, and our bus company ‘’Turgut Reis’’ had a free shuttle service from its office in the centre to the bus station. From Kars we travelled to Ani by taxi, where the driver waited two hours before taking us back. We booked the taxi through our guesthouse. Unfortunately I can’t confirm whether the bus to Ani runs in winter, but there are plenty of taxis in town and your hotel or guesthouse can probably advise you on this. For more tips on travelling around the region, read ‘’How to travel around Eastern Turkey in winter’’.
Eating out in Kars
We got recommendations for two restaurants, and both liked them. Alihan restaurant has good local food, offers live performances (music and traditional dance when we were there) and is a more family friendly: no smoking inside, no alcohol being served. Labris is more trendy, has good food and serves beer and wine too. When we were there a live band played here, and we ended up dancing with other guests.
Walking around Ani
We and a fellow traveller both got a useful map of and guidebook to Ani while visiting the Kars Müzesi. We also navigated with ‘’maps.me’’, which shows the major sights of Ani. The route we took was clockwise from the entrance in the north to the south and back: entrance at the city walls - Church of St. Gregory the illuminator – Cathedral of Ani – Manuçehr Mosque – the citadel – second (west) Church of St. Gregory – Church of Holy Apostles – fire temple – the Seljuk palace.