Ani, Church of Saint Gregory and Citadel

Ani, known to Romans as Abnicum, is a ruined capital of medieval Armenia, now situated in the Turkish province of Kars, immediately south of the Turko-Armenian frontier, at an altitude of 4390 ft.. It is located near the Arpaçay Brook (a branch of the Araks River ("Aras" in Turkish) that constitutes the border between Armenia and Turkey, but is within Turkish borders. Download high resolution version (1752x1192, 489 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (1752x1192, 489 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... The Roman Empire is the term conventionally used to describe the Ancient Roman polity in the centuries following its reorganization under the leadership of Octavian (better known as Augustus). ... Kars is a city in northeast Turkey and the capital of the Kars Province, formerly at the head of a sanjak in the Turkish vilayet of Erzurum. ... Aras, Araks, Arax, Araxes, or Araz (Persian: ارس, Armenian: Araks, Azerbaijani: Araz), is a river rising in Anatolia in Turkey, flowing along the Turkey-Armenia border, then along the Azerbaijan-Iran border, entering Azerbaijan, and falling into Kura river as a right tributary. ...

History

In the tenth century the town of Ani was expanded into a major city by Ashot III, who made it the capital of Armenia under the Bagratid Dynasty in 961. When it was handed over to the Byzantine Empire in 1045, it was a populous city, known traditionally as the "city with the 1001 churches". It was then occupied by the Seljuk Turks in 1064, coming under Turkmen sovereignty later. It was then taken five times by the Georgians between 1125 and 1209, by the Mongols in 1239, and its ruin was completed by an earthquake in 1319. It was slowly abandoned after the 14th century, becoming dominated by the Ottoman Empire and Turkey after 1534. The neutrality and factual accuracy of this article are disputed. ... Events Byzantine Empire recaptures Crete from Muslim control Ani made the capital of Armenia by the Bagratid dynasty Haakon I of Norway squashed the rebelling forces of Eric Bloodaxes sons but was killed in the Battle of Fitje. ... Byzantine Empire (Greek: Βασιλεία Ῥωμαίων) is the term conventionally used since the 19th century to describe the Greek-speaking Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered at its capital in Constantinople. ... Events Emperor Go-Reizei ascends the throne of Japan. ... The Seljuk Turks (also Seldjuk, Seldjuq, Seljuq;in Turkish Selçuklu, in Persian سلجوقيان SaljÅ«qiyān ; in Arabic سلجوق SaljÅ«q, or السلاجقة al-Salājiqa;) were a major branch of the Oghuz Turkics and a dynasty that ruled parts of Central Asia and the Middle East from the 11th to 14th... Events May 23 - Lothair of Saxony becomes Holy Roman Emperor on the death of Henry V. War ends between Toulouse and Provence. ... Events Albigensian Crusade against Cathars (1209-1218) the Franciscans are founded. ... // Events Births June 17 - King Edward I of England (died 1307) December 17 - Kujo Yoritsugu, Japanese shogun (died 1256) Peter III of Aragon (died 1285) John II, Duke of Brittany (died 1305) Ippen, Japanese monk (died 1289) Deaths March 3 - Vladimir III Rurikovich, Grand Prince of Kiev (born 1187) March... Global earthquake epicenters, 1963–1998 An earthquake is a sudden and sometimes catastrophic movement of a part of the Earths surface. ... Events Magnus VII ascends the throne of Norway and unites the country with Sweden. ... This 14th-century statue from south India depicts the gods Shiva (on the left) and Uma (on the right). ... Imperial motto (Ottoman Turkish) Devlet-i Ebed-müddet (the Eternal State) The Ottoman Empire at the height of its power (1683) Official language Ottoman Turkish Capital Bursa (1335-1365), Edirne (1365-1453), Ä°stanbul (1453-1922) Imperial anthem Ottoman imperial anthem Sovereigns Padishah of the Osmanli Dynasty Population ca 40... Events February 27 - Group of Anabaptists of Jan Matthys seize Münster and declare it The New Jerusalem - they begin to exile dissenters and forcible baptize all others May 10 - Jacques Cartier explores Newfoundland while searching for the Northwest Passage. ...

Archaeology

It was during a brief period of Russian domination (from 1878 to 1917) that scientific investigation of the site was made possible. The first excavations were conducted by the celebrated Georgian historian Nikolai Marr. 1878 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ... Nikolay Yakovlevich Marr (1864-1934) was a controversial Soviet scholar whose monogenetic theory of language constituted the officially approved ideology of Soviet linguists until 1950, when Joseph Stalin personally slammed it as anti-scientific. ...

The city is renowned for its well-preserved ruins of medieval Armenian architecture, although the ruins are threatened by Turkish efforts to "rebuild" them, which are largely ignorant of the architectural continuity of the ruins. It is still surrounded by a double wall partly in ruins, and amongst the remains are a "patriarchal" church (or Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator) finished in 1010, two other churches (St.Patrick's Church, constructed 1034-1036 and The Arak'elto Church, built in 1031), both from the 11th century, a fourth, the Virgin Mary Cathedral, built in 1215, and a large Seljuk palace, probably built in 11th century. Saint Gregory the Illuminator (in Armenian Gregor Lusarovitch, in Greek Gregarios Phoster or Photistes), the founder and patron saint of the Armenian Orthodox Church, was born about 257 AD. He belonged to the royal race of the Arsacides, being the son of a certain Prince Anak, who assassinated Chosroes of... Events The Ly Dynasty in Vietnam is established (or 1009). ... Events April 11 - Empress Zoe of Byzantium marries her chamberlain and elevates him to the throne of the Eastern Roman Empire as Michael IV. Franche-Comté becomes subject to the Holy Roman Empire. ... Events Emperor Go-Suzaku ascends the throne of Japan. ... Events Collapse of the Moorish Caliphate of Córdoba. ... As a means of recording the passage of time, the 11th century was that century which lasted from 1001 to 1100. ... // Events A certified copy of the Magna Carta June 15 - King John of England forced to put his seal to the Magna Carta, outlining the rights of landowning men (nobles and knights) and restricting the kings power. ... Seljuk (in Arabic SaljÅ«q; in Turkish Selçuk; also Seldjuk, Seldjuq, Seljuq) was the bey (chieftain) of a branch of Oghuz Turks known as the Seljuk Turks. ...

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Ani

• List of Kings of Ani

Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... The Wikimedia Commons (also called Commons or Wikicommons) is a repository of free content images, sound and other multimedia files. ... Abas I first king 928/929-953, son of Sembat I Nahadak (see Bagratid dynasty) and father of Mouchel, first king of Kars Achot III Olomurdz (son) 953-977 Sembat II Tiezerakal (son) 977-989 Gagik I of Ani (brother) 989-1020 Hovhannes I of Ani (son) 1020-1040/1041...

References

• Virtual Ani