Most of the visitors come to Kars because they are on their way to the ancient Armenian capital of Ani. Admittedly there are not many things inside the town of Kars itself which are of interest to the ordinary tourists, but there is always the imposing Kars Castle perching on the top of the hill overlooking the entire plateau, where on a clear sunny day, one could take really good photos of the town.
The view of the whole centre of Kars from the Kars Castle.
The walls of the castle are in very good conditions; during the day, many local teenagers would walk up the castle and spend hours there chatting with their friends.
The view of the valley behind the castle.
In addition to the castle, there are also several medieval monuments in the town centre, such as the St. Arak'elots, an 10th-century Armenian church otherwise known as the Church of the Apostles. After being left to rot in the harsh elements for more than two decades, the former church has once more been converted into a mosque in the late 1990s.
Another sight worth looking at is the 18th century stone bridge and some traditional Ottoman hamams near the bridge.
Copyrights@2010. All Rights Reserved. All text and photos by YC Cheng.
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