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Ancient Armenian City Reveals New Secrets
August 25, 2014
An engraving from 1842 by Charles Texier depicting the walls of Ani
Turkish archaeologists have recently published discoveries made
underneath the ancient Armenian capital city of Ani. Receding water
has revealed an opening to a comprehensive network of tunnels dug
beneath the ancient city located in present day Turkish province of
Kars. Once a powerful city the capital of the Armenian kingdom of the
Bagratuni dynasty, Ani today stand abandoned and desolate. At its
zenith Ani rivaled the likes of Constantinople, Baghdad and Cairo in
size and influence. By the 11th Century Ani had grown to over
one-hundred-thousand people. Renowned for its splendor and
magnificence, Ani was known as `the city of 40 gates' and `the city of
1001 churches.' It would later become the battleground for various
contending Empires, leading to its destruction and abandonment. Today
Ani largely remains a forgotten ancient ghost town in modern day
Turkey.
During the international symposium titled `Underground Secrets of Ani'
organized by the Caucasus University of Kars, the researcher Sezai
Yazıcı stated to the press that (among other finds) they have
discovered hidden water channels, monks' chambers, meditation rooms,
huge corridors, branching passageways and trapped tunnels. `One can
easily lose the sense of direction.' ` he remarked. Over 823
underground structures have been found with a length of over 500
meters. Most of these structures were used as residences, other
structures included churches, water channels, dovecotes, etc. The
researchers have mapped the underground structures and passageways.
According to Yazıcı these discoveries have been inspired by George
Gurdjieff`s writings who in 1886, with his companion Pogossian, has
visited the ruins of Ani and discovered some passageways with rotten
furniture, pottery and a pile of parchments in monks chambers.
Although Gurjieff was fluent in Armenian (being born in Armenia
himself), he could not comprehend the words on these scrolls as they
were written in the Old Armenian (commonly known as Grabar). Gurdjieff
remained intrigued by these parchments which upon deciphering revealed
a mentioning of an ancient esoteric brotherhood that sparked his
imagination. Read his accounts -> HERE
August 25, 2014
An engraving from 1842 by Charles Texier depicting the walls of Ani
Turkish archaeologists have recently published discoveries made
underneath the ancient Armenian capital city of Ani. Receding water
has revealed an opening to a comprehensive network of tunnels dug
beneath the ancient city located in present day Turkish province of
Kars. Once a powerful city the capital of the Armenian kingdom of the
Bagratuni dynasty, Ani today stand abandoned and desolate. At its
zenith Ani rivaled the likes of Constantinople, Baghdad and Cairo in
size and influence. By the 11th Century Ani had grown to over
one-hundred-thousand people. Renowned for its splendor and
magnificence, Ani was known as `the city of 40 gates' and `the city of
1001 churches.' It would later become the battleground for various
contending Empires, leading to its destruction and abandonment. Today
Ani largely remains a forgotten ancient ghost town in modern day
Turkey.
During the international symposium titled `Underground Secrets of Ani'
organized by the Caucasus University of Kars, the researcher Sezai
Yazıcı stated to the press that (among other finds) they have
discovered hidden water channels, monks' chambers, meditation rooms,
huge corridors, branching passageways and trapped tunnels. `One can
easily lose the sense of direction.' ` he remarked. Over 823
underground structures have been found with a length of over 500
meters. Most of these structures were used as residences, other
structures included churches, water channels, dovecotes, etc. The
researchers have mapped the underground structures and passageways.
According to Yazıcı these discoveries have been inspired by George
Gurdjieff`s writings who in 1886, with his companion Pogossian, has
visited the ruins of Ani and discovered some passageways with rotten
furniture, pottery and a pile of parchments in monks chambers.
Although Gurjieff was fluent in Armenian (being born in Armenia
himself), he could not comprehend the words on these scrolls as they
were written in the Old Armenian (commonly known as Grabar). Gurdjieff
remained intrigued by these parchments which upon deciphering revealed
a mentioning of an ancient esoteric brotherhood that sparked his
imagination. Read his accounts -> HERE
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