poiuytrewq0987
07-02-2012, 10:39 AM
Ani (Armenian: Անի)[1][2] is a ruined and uninhabited medieval Armenian city-site situated in the Turkish province of Kars, near the border with Armenia. It was once the capital of a medieval Armenian kingdom that covered much of present day Armenia and eastern Turkey. The city is located on a triangular site, visually dramatic and naturally defensive, protected on its eastern side by the ravine of the Akhurian River and on its western side by the Bostanlar or Tzaghkotzadzor valley. The Akhurian is a branch of the Araks River and forms part of the current border between Turkey and Armenia. Called the "City of 1001 Churches",[3] Ani stood on various trade routes and its many religious buildings, palaces, and fortifications were amongst the most technically and artistically advanced structures in the world.[4][5]
At its height, Ani had a population of 100,000–200,000 people and was the rival of Constantinople, Baghdad and Cairo.[6] Long ago renowned for its splendor and magnificence, Ani has been abandoned and largely forgotten for centuries.[2][7]
In 1064 a large Seljuk Turkish army, headed by Sultan Alp Arslan, with the help of the Caucasian Georgians headed by King Bagrat, attacked Ani and after a siege of 25 days they captured the city and slaughtered its population. An account of the sack and massacres in Ani is given by the Arab historian Sibt ibn al-Jawzi, who quotes an eyewitness saying:
The army entered the city, massacred its inhabitants, pillaged and burned it, leaving it in ruins and taking prisoner all those who remained alive...The dead bodies were so many that they blocked the streets; one could not go anywhere without stepping over them. And the number of prisoners was not less than 50,000 souls. I was determined to enter city and see the destruction with my own eyes. I tried to find a street in which I would not have to walk over the corpses; but that was impossible.[12]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ani
https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=Ani&fb=1&gl=us&hq=Ani&cid=0,0,12055743036236508873&ei=HHvxT4aiKJGJ2AXUxZCgCg&ved=0CJgBEPwSMAM
http://www.virtualani.org/
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/52/Ani_from_Armenia.jpg/800px-Ani_from_Armenia.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a7/Ani_Inside_Cathedral.JPG/799px-Ani_Inside_Cathedral.JPG
At its height, Ani had a population of 100,000–200,000 people and was the rival of Constantinople, Baghdad and Cairo.[6] Long ago renowned for its splendor and magnificence, Ani has been abandoned and largely forgotten for centuries.[2][7]
In 1064 a large Seljuk Turkish army, headed by Sultan Alp Arslan, with the help of the Caucasian Georgians headed by King Bagrat, attacked Ani and after a siege of 25 days they captured the city and slaughtered its population. An account of the sack and massacres in Ani is given by the Arab historian Sibt ibn al-Jawzi, who quotes an eyewitness saying:
The army entered the city, massacred its inhabitants, pillaged and burned it, leaving it in ruins and taking prisoner all those who remained alive...The dead bodies were so many that they blocked the streets; one could not go anywhere without stepping over them. And the number of prisoners was not less than 50,000 souls. I was determined to enter city and see the destruction with my own eyes. I tried to find a street in which I would not have to walk over the corpses; but that was impossible.[12]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ani
https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=Ani&fb=1&gl=us&hq=Ani&cid=0,0,12055743036236508873&ei=HHvxT4aiKJGJ2AXUxZCgCg&ved=0CJgBEPwSMAM
http://www.virtualani.org/
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/52/Ani_from_Armenia.jpg/800px-Ani_from_Armenia.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a7/Ani_Inside_Cathedral.JPG/799px-Ani_Inside_Cathedral.JPG