Kervansaray

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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 and used the building as a caravanserai – hence its name today.

The ruins preserve some decorative carvings, porthole windows, diagonally intersecting arches in the nave, and ceilings sporting geometric patterns of polychromatic stone inlays.

Look also for the various Armenian inscriptions and the khatchkar (cross stone) carved on a rectangular background.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Ani

    Ani

    0.25 MILES

    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…

  • Tigran Honents Church

    Tigran Honents Church

    0.46 MILES

    Appealingly sited overlooking a stretch of river gorge, this 13th-century church appears relatively intact, though the current main door is within what…

  • Kars Castle

    Kars Castle

    26.33 MILES

    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…

  • Ani Cathedral

    Ani Cathedral

    0.2 MILES

    Completed in 1010, the grassy-roofed cathedral is the largest building among the Ani ruins. The building's elegantly finished stone walls are relatively…

  • Manuçehr Camii

    Manuçehr Camii

    0.23 MILES

    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…

  • Marmashen

    Marmashen

    25.06 MILES

    Marmashen’s location deep in a river valley 10km northwest of Gyumri is unusual – medieval monasteries in Armenia were almost always constructed in…

  • Museum of the Aslamazyan Sisters

    Museum of the Aslamazyan Sisters

    23.85 MILES

    Artists Mariam (1907–2006) and Yeranuhi (1910–98) Aslamazyan were born in Bash-Shirak village near Gyumri and two floors of this handsome 19th-century…

  • Harichavank

    Harichavank

    23.57 MILES

    Once the summer residence of the Catholicos of Etchmiadzin, the still-functioning Harichavank is located in the old town of Harich, about 4km from the…

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Nearby attractions

1. Zoroastrian Temple

0.07 MILES

This ruined temple is thought to have been built in the 4th century AD, during a period of Sassanian influence from Persia. It might have been converted…

2. Ebu'l Muammeran Camii

0.08 MILES

The most substantial remnant of this 11th-century mosque is its minaret, now lying on its side with the spiral stairs inside clearly visible. It was…

3. Church of Grigor Pahlavuny

0.15 MILES

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…

4. Church of Gagkashen

0.17 MILES

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…

5. Ani Cathedral

0.2 MILES

Completed in 1010, the grassy-roofed cathedral is the largest building among the Ani ruins. The building's elegantly finished stone walls are relatively…

6. Cave Church

0.22 MILES

Dozens of caves cut into in the cliff-like sides of Ani Plateau were made into chapels and hermit cells. The most easily accessible is this partly…

7. Manuçehr Camii

0.23 MILES

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…

8. Arslan Kapısı

0.25 MILES

Just inside the Ani ruins is the sturdy Arslan Kapısı (or Aslan Kapısı – Lion Gate). Depending on which guide you believe, it was named after Alp Arslan,…