Post by Vizier of Oz on Apr 17, 2009 6:06:54 GMT -5
Turkey Calls on Armenia to Cooperate on Restoration of Ani
BalkanTravellers.com
15 April 2009 | Turkey’s Culture Minister recently called on Armenia to cooperate on the restoration of the ancient town of Ani, which is located on the Turkish side of border between the two countries and has lied in ruins for the last seven centuries.
Cooperation efforts would also require a resolution of the problems between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Turkey’s Culture Minister Ertugrul Gunay told the Hürriyet Daily News publication on Monday.
The ministry’s plans for cooperation between the two countries are not limited to restoration work, Gunay explained, adding that he hoped to undertake many joint cultural projects with both Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Regarding Ani, Gunay said restoration efforts will focus on the town’s cathedral and will be supported by the World Monuments Fund. He added that Armenian experts had recently attended a meeting on the project.
The town of Ani, which is situated in the Arpacay region of the north-eastern province of Kars on Turkey’s border with Armenia, was the capital of the Kingdom of Armenia between 961 and 1045. In its heyday, at the end of the ninth century, Ani outshined Constantinople, Cairo, and Baghdad with its splendour.
Ani, which was known as the “City of 1,001 Churches,” has been in ruins for the last seven centuries. After the First World War, the ancient city’s remains fell into a zone of considerable political tension. Three conflicts of Kemal Atatürk's Turkey – with the Soviet Union, Armenia, and the Kurdish separatists, led to severe travel restrictions being imposed in the course of decades. The Soviets enforced a 700-meter “security zone” into Turkish territory, where nobody – including journalists, was allowed.
After the disintegration of the USSR things took a more liberal turn, and the pass permits and photography ban were finally repealed in 2004. Nowadays, only a few tumbledown churches, some sections of a castle and Marco Polo's bridge remain from what used to be a magnificent city.
Another point of tension in recent years has been the stone quarry on the Armenian side of the border across from Ani. Turkey has blamed the explosions at the quarry for accelerating the destruction of the ancient town. According to the publication, its complaints to the International Council on Monuments and Sites, a sub-department of UNESCO, resulted in Armenia’s halt of the blasting activities.
www.balkantravellers.com/en/read/article/1159
BalkanTravellers.com
15 April 2009 | Turkey’s Culture Minister recently called on Armenia to cooperate on the restoration of the ancient town of Ani, which is located on the Turkish side of border between the two countries and has lied in ruins for the last seven centuries.
Cooperation efforts would also require a resolution of the problems between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Turkey’s Culture Minister Ertugrul Gunay told the Hürriyet Daily News publication on Monday.
The ministry’s plans for cooperation between the two countries are not limited to restoration work, Gunay explained, adding that he hoped to undertake many joint cultural projects with both Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Regarding Ani, Gunay said restoration efforts will focus on the town’s cathedral and will be supported by the World Monuments Fund. He added that Armenian experts had recently attended a meeting on the project.
The town of Ani, which is situated in the Arpacay region of the north-eastern province of Kars on Turkey’s border with Armenia, was the capital of the Kingdom of Armenia between 961 and 1045. In its heyday, at the end of the ninth century, Ani outshined Constantinople, Cairo, and Baghdad with its splendour.
Ani, which was known as the “City of 1,001 Churches,” has been in ruins for the last seven centuries. After the First World War, the ancient city’s remains fell into a zone of considerable political tension. Three conflicts of Kemal Atatürk's Turkey – with the Soviet Union, Armenia, and the Kurdish separatists, led to severe travel restrictions being imposed in the course of decades. The Soviets enforced a 700-meter “security zone” into Turkish territory, where nobody – including journalists, was allowed.
After the disintegration of the USSR things took a more liberal turn, and the pass permits and photography ban were finally repealed in 2004. Nowadays, only a few tumbledown churches, some sections of a castle and Marco Polo's bridge remain from what used to be a magnificent city.
Another point of tension in recent years has been the stone quarry on the Armenian side of the border across from Ani. Turkey has blamed the explosions at the quarry for accelerating the destruction of the ancient town. According to the publication, its complaints to the International Council on Monuments and Sites, a sub-department of UNESCO, resulted in Armenia’s halt of the blasting activities.
www.balkantravellers.com/en/read/article/1159