The astonishing medieval Armenian City of Ani is surely for me one of the major highlights of this adventure....  The city dates from the 5th Century AD and by the 10th C it had become the capital of the Bagratid Armenian Kingdom that covered much of present day Armenia and Eastern Turkey. The City was located on several major trade routes, not least a major branch of the Silk Road, and at its height had a population of about 100,000, renowned for the splendour and magnificence of it palaces, Mosques and fortifications. 

Ani was sacked and looted by the Mongols in 1236 and devastated by an earthquake in 1319  which reduced it to the status of a village. It has been deserted - a ghost city - since the 17th century.  I have documented elsewhere some of the modern political intrigues that have led to the site’s tragic neglect for almost a century despite or perhaps because of its status described by one leading historian as ‘..one of the most visible and tangible symbols of past Armenian greatness and hence a source of pride’ .

The site of the City is a dramatic natural fortress, triangular in shape sitting at an altitude of about 4,400 feet.  It is protected on its eastern side by the deep ravine of the Akhurian River which forms the closed border between Turkey and Armenia and on its western side by the Bostanier Valley.  The remaining side of the triangle is defended by the huge often double skinned walls, towers and battlements. 

During our visit the sensation of walking through past greatness and of a civilisation long abandoned was enhanced by the crystal clear blue skies and the howling 50 miles an hour gale that made climbing to the top of the Inner Fortress an exhilarating and scary experience!!

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