![\"The](\"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/turkiye-kars-ani-ruins-historic-city-walls-1024x683.jpg\")
Ani\u2019s story is too layered to be confined to a single founder or a single era. Although archaeological findings date life on this plateau to the Early Iron Age, Ani\u2019s emergence as a \u201cworld city\u201d dates to the 10th century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Its true rise began in 961, when it was declared the capital of the Bagratid Armenian Kingdom. Under Kings Ashot III and Smbat II, the city was transformed into an impregnable stronghold, encircled by massive double walls spanning nearly 4.5 kilometers. As Silk Road trade shifted to this region, Ani accumulated extraordinary wealth. With the relocation of the Catholicosate in 992, the city became an architectural showcase and came to be known as the \u201cCity of 1001 Churches.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ani\u2019s golden age was shaken in 1045, when the Byzantine Empire annexed it. Yet the most decisive turning point in Anatolian history came in 1064, when the Seljuk army under Sultan Alparslan captured the city. After this conquest, some of the earliest and finest examples of Islamic architecture were built here. From 1072 onward, the city was ruled by the Shaddadid emirs under Seljuk authority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The city later came under the rule of the Georgian Kingdom, and remarkable works such as the Tigran Honents Church, built in 1215, were constructed during this period. However, the devastating Mongol invasions of the 13th century, the great earthquake of 1319 that left the city in ruins, and shifting trade routes ultimately led to Ani\u2019s decline. By the 18th century, the city had been almost completely abandoned, settling into the profound silence it retains today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/blog.turkishairlines.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/turkiye-kars-ani-ruins-tigran-honents-church-painted-church-1024x683.jpg\")
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