Kız Kalesi


Despite its name, 'Maiden's Castle', almost all that remains of Kız Kalesi is a red-stone church, probably dating from the late 10th century. It's off limits to visitors, but the view from İç Kale, some 700m further north, makes the site's impenetrable defensive position clear, situated as it is on a cliff-sided peninsula high above a tight curl in the Arpaçay Canyon.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Kız Kalesi Viewpoint

0.37 MILES

One of the best places from which to admire the impregnable Kız Kalesi site is from this viewpoint near the southern end of the İç Kale citadel ruins.

2. İç Kale

0.42 MILES

Covering the large rocky eminence at the southern point of the Ani plateau, İç Kale is a jumble of tumbled stone, with faint vestiges of ancient palaces…

3. Silk Road Bridge Supports

0.62 MILES

Two unconnected brick towers are all that remain of a once important 9th-century bridge that formerly straddled the Arpaçay, the river that now forms the…

4. Manuçehr Camii

0.63 MILES

Ani's 1072 Manuçehr Camii was built by the Seljuk Turks, using Armenian architects and artisans, creating a stylistic blend in what is considered to have…

5. Convent of the Virgins

0.69 MILES

Out of bounds just above Arpaçay gorge, this complex of ruins is most notable for the dainty, serrated-domed chapel (probably 11th-century) enclosed by a…

6. Ani Cathedral

0.73 MILES

Completed in 1010, the grassy-roofed cathedral is the largest building among the Ani ruins. The building's elegantly finished stone walls are relatively…

7. Church of Grigor Pahlavuny

0.76 MILES

A well-preserved central landmark in the heart of the Ani plateau, this rotunda-shaped church with a conical roof was built in about 980 for the wealthy…

8. Ebu'l Muammeran Camii

0.81 MILES

The most substantial remnant of this 11th-century mosque is its minaret, now lying on its side with the spiral stairs inside clearly visible. It was…