ANNI, a ruined city in the Kars district
of Turkish-Armenia, is situated on the right
bank of the Arpa, a feeder of the Arases, in 40°
25' N. lat., 43° 34' E. long., at a distance of
about 65 miles N.W. from Erivan. It was founded
in the 6th century, and became the residence of
the Armenian kings from the 8th century till the
year 1064, when it was taken and ravaged by Alp
Arslan. The Armenian patriarchs also resided in
Anni from 993 to 1064. The town stood upon an
area terminating on two sides in abrupt and rocky
declivities ; on the south is a deep ravine, in
the bottom of which the Arpa flows : the area is
open towards the north, on which side it is
defended by a massive wall flanked with numerous
towers. The towers are remarkable for the
gigantic crosses formed by huge blocks of red
sandstone let into the masonry. The walls,
towers, and churches are in good preservation ;
so much so, that at a distance the city does not
seem deserted. Besides the buildings named there
are several baths, a mosque, and a palace. All
the public buildings display much splendour and
architectural beauty, and the fretwork of the
arches is very rich. Some of the churches are
decorated with rude wall-paintings representing
scriptural and legendary subjects. There are
inscriptions on most of the buildings chiefly in
Armenian, but some are Turkish. The private
houses of Anni are supposed to have been of an
humble description, as none of them are left
standing, and the whole area on which they stood
is covered merely with mounds of loose stones.
The city continued to be inhabited till A.d. 1319,
when its ruin was completed by an earthquake.
(Wilbraham's Travels in the Tram-Caucasian
Provinces of Rustía.)
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