Ani
The ruins of a medieval Armenian city on a plateau above a river gorge in Kars province. Once called the city of a thousand and one churches, it still holds a cathedral, churches and long walls standing alone on the grassland.
- Where
- Kars, Kars, Türkiye
- Grade
- UNESCO heritage
- Worth
- 10 points collected on site, plus 8 for its grade
- Coordinates
- 40.5075, 43.5728
Get the Ani stamp
Open LOQAH when you are at Ani. It checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp is yours: confirmed on site in gold and struck with the date. It goes into your Kars volume with your photos and a note.
Near Ani
Vardzia 100 km
A cave monastery cut into the cliffs of Erusheti mountain above the Kura, mostly in the second half of the 12th century under Queen Tamar. The caves run for some 500 metres along the rock face in up to nineteen tiers, with a frescoed church at their heart.
Dmanisi 106 km
A small town in the Mashavera river valley, about 93 km southwest of Tbilisi. It gives its name to the archaeological site nearby, where some of the oldest human fossils found outside Africa, about 1.8 million years old, were dug up.
Mount Ararat 109 km
A snow-capped dormant volcano in easternmost Turkey with two cones, Greater Ararat at 5,137 metres and Little Ararat at 3,896 metres. It is the highest peak in Turkey, and its base is about 35 km wide.
Khertvisi Fortress 111 km
One of the oldest fortresses in Georgia, on a rocky spur where the Paravani river meets the Kura. Its church dates from 985 and its walls from 1354, and a local legend says Alexander the Great once destroyed it.
Ishak Pasha Palace 120 km
A semi-ruined Ottoman palace and administrative complex on a rocky ledge above Doğubayazıt. It mixes Ottoman, Persian and Seljuk styles in carved stone, with a mosque, a harem and courtyards looking out over the plain.
Bolnisi Sioni Cathedral 126 km
A stone basilica built between 478 and 493, the oldest church building still standing in Georgia. Inscriptions on its walls are among the oldest dated examples of Georgian writing.
Sapara Monastery 130 km
A Georgian Orthodox monastery on a wooded mountainside a few kilometres from Akhaltsikhe. Its stone churches look out over the valley and are reached by a winding road up through the forest.
Rabati Castle 136 km
A fortress first built in the 9th century as Lomsia Castle, in the town of Akhaltsikhe, and heavily reconstructed in recent years. Within its walls are a church, a mosque with a gilded dome, towers and a museum, and it is the region's main sight after Vardzia.
Questions
Where is Ani?
Ani is in Kars, Kars, Türkiye. The nearest other LOQAH stamps are Vardzia (100 km), Dmanisi (106 km), Mount Ararat (109 km).
How do I get the Ani stamp?
Open LOQAH when you are at Ani and get its stamp. The app checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp goes into your Kars volume, confirmed on site, with the date.
I have been to Ani before. Can I still have the stamp?
Yes. Add it from Earlier trips in your Kars volume, with the date if you know it, or import your Google Timeline and LOQAH matches the places you were.
Collect your first stamp.
LOQAH is free on iPhone and Android, in India and 20 more countries, with more countries on the way. Stand at a place, collect its stamp, and keep every trip in a passport that grows.