The medieval Armenian kingdom of Ani | Turkey

Postcard

Situated on the eastern border of Turkey, across the Akhurian River from Armenia, lies the empty, crumbling site of the once-great metropolis of Ani, known as "the city of a thousand and one churches". The postcard shows the ruins of the Church of Saint Gregory of Tigran Honents. 

Founded more than 1,600 years ago, Ani was situated on several trade routes, and grew to become a walled city of more than 100,000 residents by the 11th century. But in following centuries conquered hundreds of times. And by the 1300s, Ani was in steep decline. It was completely abandoned by the 1700s. Since the Armenian Genocide early 1900s the region is an empty, militarized no-man's land.