Far Northeast
The ruins of Ani, 45km east of Kars, are an absolute must-see. Visitors enter through gigantic fortress walls that look like they fell off a crusader…
Must-see attractions in Northeastern Anatolia
Far Northeast
There are few experiences as magical as watching a blazing sunset from behind this ridgetop stone structure, its dome and minaret silhouetted against a…
Far Northeast
Appealingly sited overlooking a stretch of river gorge, this 13th-century church appears relatively intact, though the current main door is within what…
Far Northeast
Second only to Dörtkilise, Öşkvank is the region's most memorable Georgian church. Large, relatively well preserved and with plenty of very fine relief…
Kars
Dating from at least 1153, Kars Castle' s hefty, dark-stone walls crown the craggy ridge that dominates the city-centre's northern edge, fronted by a…
Far Northeast
Possibly of Urartian origin, this 'Devil's Castle' was for centuries a Georgian stronghold known as Qajis Tsikhe. It remains one of northeast Turkey's…
Far Northeast
Completed in 1010, the grassy-roofed cathedral is the largest building among the Ani ruins. The building's elegantly finished stone walls are relatively…
Erzurum
Erzurum's most iconic medieval landmark features twin fluted minarets with detailing in blue glaze on brick. There's a beautifully carved main portal and…
Northeastern Anatolia
The enchanting ruins of this 10th-century Georgian basilica are domeless and decaying but monumentally large, atmospherically mossy and photogenically…
Erzurum
Dominating Erzurum's central park, this handsome 1310 medrese (seminary) building features a minaret whose superb mosaic tile work wouldn't look out of…
Far Northeast
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…
Far Northeast
Despite a 30m tower-spire, this laboriously restored ancient church is somewhat hidden amongst trees in Upper İşhan (İşhan Köyü), a green oasis village on…
Erzurum
Though it's raised just a few metres above the surrounding city centre, Erzurum's castle site nonetheless offers panoramic views of the mountains and…
Far Northeast
The cliffs and valleys all around the Ani plateau are riddled with hundreds of caves that guides have collectively dubbed Ani's 'Underground City'. Mostly…
Far Northeast
This ruined fortress-citadel is a very dramatic sight, sat impregnably on top of a crag formed by soaring sheer rockfaces that rise from a hilltop on the…
Şavşat
The impressively huge frontage of this shattered 10th-century Georgian church stands at the back of a peaceful highland village accessed by a 10km series…
Kafkaz Cephesi Harp Tarihi Müzesi
Kars
This new museum specialising in early 20th-century history is hosted in the heavy arches of an 1803 bastion, a surviving fragment of vast ramparts that…
Far Northeast
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…
Far Northeast
Small but unusually complete, the castle ruins of Engüzekkapı are dramatically set atop a cylindrical crag that juts abruptly above the main Artvin…
Far Northeast
Sturdy stone ruins of this 9th-century citadel straddle a ridge between two canyons forming a de facto city gate at the western entrance of Tunçkaya, now…
Far Northeast
Walking from the west, Ani's distinctive Church of the Redeemer (1034–36) looks strikingly complete despite the supporting scaffolding. From other angles,…
Far Northeast
Built into the western tip of Ani's defensive walls, this rectilinear palace has been so painstakingly over-restored that it looks quite out of place,…
Far Northeast
The Church of the Holy Apostles (Arak Elots Kilisesi) dates from 1031, but after the Seljuks took the city in 1064 they added a gateway with a fine dome…
Far Northeast
Originally built by Urartians around 1000 BC, this impregnable, extensively preserved fortress rises above the bus stand in the centre of Oltu town. The…
Far Northeast
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…
Erzurum
If you're waiting for an Artvin or Yusufeli bus, it's worth nipping across the road to this elegant if very heavily restored 1864 mansion, home to an art…
Far Northeast
Especially in May when it's at full power, this wide, impressive waterfall is well worth the 600m detour off the D950 for those driving between Yusufeli…
Kars
With an especially attractive north facade, the 16th-century 'Mosque of Saints' was built to commemmorate the 11th-century saint Hasan-i Harakani who…
Far Northeast
Though it's been partially repurposed as a mosque since the 16th century, this late 10th-century church building was once part of a big Georgian monastery…
Far Northeast
Miles from anywhere, the 10th-century Kızıl Kilise is one of eastern Turkey's most complete Armenian village churches. Now used as a barn, the building…
Kars Culture & Art Association
Kars
The address is an unpromising paint shop ('Yeni Akçay Kol. Şir.'). However, if you can find him in, the shop's owner is local historian Vedat Akçayöz who…
Kars
Below Kars Castle, the imposing, basalt Kümbet Camii was built as a church between 932 and 937 when Kars was (briefly) capital of the Bagratuni kingdom of…
Şavşat
Founded by Georgians in the 10th century, this castle ruin retains a fairly well-preserved watch tower and curtain wall guarding a river crossing below…
Far Northeast
The relatively complete ruin of an 11th-century Armenian 'Mother of God' church dominates the small, low-rise Kurdish village of Çengilli creating a very…
Erzurum
This restrained but elegant mosque was built in 1179 by Erzurum's Saltuk Turkish emir. Seven aisles run north–south and six run east–west, resulting in a…
Far Northeast
For a driving excursion en route to Ani, you could head to Bagnair Armenian Monastery ruins. Two church building-shells remain, the larger one (10th…
Far Northeast
Even though the ruins of this once-enormous church are little more than its circular base and a jumble of column sections within, it is enough to grasp…
Erzurum
The name means 'three mausoleums' though in fact there are four, or five if you count another some way south across the park. The biggest is believed by…
Far Northeast
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…
Far Northeast
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…
