Mount Ararat is a powerful symbol and a beautiful mountain, which currently lies in Turkish territory but is firmly claimed by Armenians as their homeland. The biggest town in the vicinity is called Dogubayazit and that is where most travelers sleep when visiting the region. I was not an exception and stayed in that dusty border town for a couple of days enjoying the uniqueness of its setting.The first thing I visited was the Ishak Pasha complex of palaces and mosques, situated at the top of a hill near town. It was a great day trip with very easy access and considerable architectural rewards. This palace is a rare example of Ottoman Turkish architecture and its state of preservation is exceptional, with a big effort done by the authorities to keep the remains safe from further degradation. This picture was taken inside the main courtyard and contains the dome of a tomb plus some fine stone carving details.

On the following day, I went by motorbike to some natural hot springs located less than an hour to the west. Therefore, when I returned east in the late afternoon, the sun was setting and Ararat started to glow in the warm dusk light. I stopped on the way to have an ice-cream and the shop owner invited to Turkish tea, so we basically spent half an hour watching the sunset and taking pictures of the mythical mountain: a permanently glaciated 5000m volcano where Noah landed after the Flood, according to Biblical tales. We did not see the Ark, though.

Next stop was Kars, whose main attraction is the nearby ruined ancient city of Ani. And this is high time for me to introduce Natalia, a Chilean girl I met in Cappadocia, met again in Sanliurfa and met yet again in Van. After our third meeting, we decided to travel together in Eastern Turkey and Georgia and that lasted for over a month... however, since the blog is behind current events, we have already taken different routes (I'm in Armenia and she went to Russia). This is her during our visit to Ani, a very desolate but incredibly magical place.

We both agreed that Ani is absolutely impressive, filled with ruins of churches, cathedrals, living quarters, bridges, fortresses, etc. You can spend a whole day walking around the site and not getting bored, maybe just thirsty if you did not bring enough water to this arid and sunny location. The best preserved church still had frescoes, most of the dome and many Armenian inscriptions on the walls.

Overall, Ani was a great finale for traveling in Turkey. It is the Machu Picchu of the Armenian highlands and it feels quite weird that it is not part of modern Armenia, which starts just at the other side of the river. The whole area is heavily militarized and corresponds to the border that resulted from the Turkish-Armenian war in 1920. That is more or less where Armenians resisted extermination and managed to stop the advance of the Ottoman Empire...

I cannot resist writing that I found no mention of Armenia in the whole archaeological site, which is actually the remains of one of the most powerful cities in ancient times, a junction in the Silk Road and, as a matter of fact, former capital of the Armenian Empire.

People can be kicked out from their land but history cannot be erased.