Turkey continues excavations in Ani, targets UNESCO World Heritage ListMarch 3, 2015 - 11:15 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Work is continuing at the ancient ruins of Ani, a 5,000-year-old Armenian city located in present-day Turkey near the Armenian border in the eastern province of Kars, with an eye on including the site on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, according to Asbarez. Located some 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the city of Kars, another historic Armenian city, Ani is today one of major tourist attractions in Turkey. Local Culture and Tourism Director Hakan Doğanay said salvage excavations in Ani will be headed this year by Pamukkale University Classical Archaeology Department Professor Fahriye Bayram. Doğanay said projects regarding the restoration of the ancient city’s walls have now been finished, with the aim of putting Ani on the UNESCO’s heritage list. “[Ani] may enter the UNESCO list during the meeting to be held in Oslo in 2016. We predict that 2015-2016 will be the years of Kars and the ancient ruins of Ani. The Culture and Tourism Ministry has provided us with great support on this issue,” Anadolu Agency quoted him as saying. “We will also bring over 21 new artifacts from various cultures, making the best use of cultural heritage in our region,” Doğanay added. “Ani is a treasure for us that should be included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.” Ani, which occupies 78 hectares of land and is surrounded by 4,500-meter-long ramparts, was once the capital of a medieval Armenian kingdom that covered much of present-day Armenia and eastern Turkey. Ani is protected on its eastern side by a ravine formed by the Akhurian River and on its western side by the Bostanlar or Tzaghkotzadzor Balley. The Akhurian is a branch of the Aras River and forms part of the current border between Turkey and Armenia. Dubbed the “City of 1,001 Churches,” Ani stood on various trade routes, and its many religious buildings, palaces, and fortifications were among the most technically and artistically advanced structures in the world at the time, according to specialists. Top stories Six total incidents have burned 19 old-growth trees. Friday night 8 trees were torched along the beautiful main entrance. The EU does not intend to conduct military exercises with Armenia, Lead Spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano says. Hikmet Hajiyev has said that there is no place for USAID operation in Azerbaijan any longer. A telephone conversation between Putin and Pashinyan before the CSTO summit is not planned, Peskov says. Partner news | Get Started: An educational platform for young startuppers The Get Started program which operates in two phases is an important platform for young startuppers. Byblos Bank Armenia celebrates Students' Day with scholarship recipients YSU students who received scholarships from Byblos Bank Armenia gathered in a casual setting to meet with the Bank's CEO, Hayk Stepanyan. Armenia border residents dissatisfied with delimitation Residents Kirants are dissatisfied with the results of the delimitation of the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan. “Great success”: Pashinyan pleased with new border protocol Pashinyan has described the signing by Armenia and Azerbaijan of a protocol on delimitation in Tavush as “a great success”. |