Sights in Kars
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A
Kars Castle
Don't even consider missing the prominent Kars Castle, north of the river in the older part of the city. It's worth the knee-jarring climb, if only for the smashing views over the town and the steppe in fine weather. Records show that Saltuk Turks built a fortress here in 1153. It was torn down by the Mongol conqueror, Tamerlane, in 1386 and rebuilt for the Ottoman sultan Murat III by his grand vizier Lala Mustafa Paşa in 1579. The entire complex was rebuilt yet again in 1855.
The castle was the scene of bitter fighting during and after WWI. When the Russian armies withdrew in 1920, control of Kars was left in the hands of the Armenian forces, until the republican armies…
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Church of the Apostles
On the way to Kars Castle, assorted crumbling reminders of Kars' ancient past huddle along the riverbanks, including the Church of the Apostles. Built between 932 and 937 for the Bagratid King Abas, it was repaired extensively and turned into a mosque in 1579 when the Ottomans rebuilt much of the city; the Russians added the porches in the 19th century. The 12 relief carvings on the drum are of the apostles.
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Kars Museum
The Kars Museum, inconveniently located in the eastern fringes of the town, has exhibits from the Old Bronze Age, the Urartian, Roman and Greek periods, and the Seljuk and Ottoman times. Photographs show excavations at Ani and the ruins of some of the Armenian churches in Kars province.
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C
Taş Köprü
One of the more attractive - and intact - structures in Kars is the 15th-century Taş Köprü (Stone Bridge), ruined by an earthquake and rebuilt in 1725.
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Beylerbeyi Sarayı
The ruins of the Beylerbeyi Sarayı (Beylerbeyi Palace) nestle beneath Kars Castle.
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Kızılay Hamam
The cleanest hamam (bathhouse) in Kars is the modern Kızılay Hamam.
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Ulu Cami
Near the Church of the Apostles you'll see the ruins of the Ulu Cami.
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