Many tourists claim that when they first arrived in the city of Kars in Turkey, they were struck by the unusually wide streets for this country, the architecture of which remained from the Russian presence in this city. Kars has no access to the sea, and therefore tourists come here only for the purpose of exploring local attractions.
Today, Kars in Turkey is a real open-air museum that preserves the features of Turkish and Armenian cultures. Unlike other regions of the country, the spirit of the past in its original form has been preserved here.
Location
Kars is a city located in eastern Turkey, 200 km from Erzurum, on the banks of the eponymous river and very close to the border with Armenia. This is the administrative center of the homonymous region, with a total area of 2347 sq.km. with a population of 80 thousand people.
From the history of the city
Kars appeared on this earth in the 4th century, although written references to it date back to the 9th century. In the years 928-961, Kars was the capital of Armenia. In 1065, it became part of Byzantium, and a little later was conquered by the Seljuks. Kars was part of Georgia for some time, but in the 16th century it passed to Turkey. During the Russo-Turkish War, Kars was under siege for a long time. Russia managed to conquer it, but a year later, according to the Adrianople Treaty, the city was returned to Turkey. And after half a century, he became part of the Russian Empire until 1918. It was this year that he was returned to Turkey under the Brest Treaty.
During the Russian presence in the city, many buildings were built in the neoclassical style. The status of Kars in Turkey (we posted a photo in this article) was finally fixed on May 30, 1953. The Soviet Union officially refused any territorial claims against it.
Kars in Turkey: attractions. Kars Fortress
From ancient times, Kars was considered a key point to the conquest of Asia Minor. Initially, it was called Kars-kalak, which translates as “city of doors”. His fortress became an impregnable stronghold. She was surrounded by five rows of powerful walls and it consisted of an external and internal fortress. During the construction of the citadel, warehouses for food and ammunition, barracks were located inside the fortress walls, but there were no civilian objects.
However, in the XVII century, many shops, 3 thousand houses and 47 mosques were built inside. Today, for viewing on the territory of the Kars fortress in Turkey, the tomb of Jalal Baba, who died after the invasion of the Mongols in the XII century, barracks, one mosque and ammunition depot is available.
Surb Khach Church
Called the pearl of Armenian architecture, the temple was built during the heyday of the Waspurakan kingdom. The church was built for the king Gagik Artsruni. Inside it is decorated with frescoes that are not characteristic of classical Armenian temples. The building has only two corner limits on the east side. As a rule, there are four chapels in the Armenian church, which gives the cross-domed structure a rectangular shape.
Monastery Aparank
Aparank is the name by which the monastery in the city of Kars (Turkey) is known today, comes from the Armenian word, which means "palace". The history of the monastery is not exactly known, but documentary evidence has been preserved that in the 19th century it was the episcopal center of the Terkan district. Most of the buildings of the complex that have been preserved to date belong to this historical period.
The territory of the monastery is surrounded by high walls. They were built not as protective, but to give the complex integrity, completeness: they have no towers and high impregnable parapets. There is a gate in the north wall - this is the entrance to the monastery. There was probably another one in the western wall, but it did not survive.
Church of SurbOvanes
The temple has the shape of a cross with four columns that support the dome with a low drum. This design was common in the churches of Armenia, built in the middle of the XVII century and due to the powerful influence of post-Byzantine churches.
The interior of the church is made of rough stone, covered with plaster. The floor was paved with well-crafted large stone slabs. There is a small extension on the south side of the church, which is part of the interior of the temple. She has no external input. The purpose of this building is unknown, but such extensions were often used in other Armenian churches of the 19th century.
Mush City
This settlement in the city of Kars in Turkey is located in the plain of the same name. Mush already existed during the Hittites. Initially, it was considered a fortress village, and in the IX-X centuries it was called a city. Mush was divided into Armenian and Turkish parts, and it consisted of twelve districts. The city had a market with numerous establishments, two hotels, 7 schools, 5 Armenian churches and a stone bathhouse.
This city was famous for the sad events that occurred in the era of the Ottoman Empire. Penetrated nomadic Kurdish tribes began to show violence, as a result of which the bulk of the surviving Armenian population left the city.
SurbKarapet Cathedral
To the north of ancient Mush, on the hill stands the village of Chengeli, built on the ruins of the once-holy place for Armenians - the Surb Karapet monastery. With the advent of Christianity, the pagan temple was destroyed, and instead of it, Gregory the Illuminator built the Surb Karapet monastery. The powerful walls of this building were more like a fortress. In the Middle Ages, the monastery complex was not only the most revered among the Armenians, but also famous for its huge library, and was a popular educational center.
Today, from this cathedral in the city of Kars in Turkey there are ruins and a pile of carved stones, which the locals used to build houses.