Archaeological Site of Ani
The site is located on a secluded plateau in northeastern Turkey, overlooking a ravine that forms a natural border with Armenia. The medieval city is a mix of residential, religious and military buildings typical of medieval urbanism built up over the centuries by Christian and Muslim dynasties. The city flourished in the 10th and 11th centuries AD, when it became the capital of the medieval Armenian Bagratid Kingdom and benefited from its control over a branch of the Silk Road. Later, under Byzantine, Seljuk and Georgian rule, it maintained its status as an important crossroads for caravans. The Mongol invasion and a devastating earthquake in 1319 marked the beginning of the city's decline. The site provides a comprehensive overview of the evolution of medieval architecture through examples of nearly all the different architectural innovations in the region between the 7th and 13th centuries AD.