THE BEGINNING

A couple of months ago, I was (graciously and generously) invited -- by the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage -- to participate in a workshop entitled "Ani in context."  As stated in the invitation, "the purpose of the workshop is to convene experts that can do a preliminary estimation of a series of important monuments that are historically and functionally linked to the walled city of Ani. These are the buildings whose preservation is of significance for the full appreciation of Ani."

This trip/workshop will take place in late September, early October.

I've created this blog for you -- my students at Lafayette College --  so that you can follow this trip, learn a bit about what it means to be a historian and get a glimpse into the significance of structures in the study of history and the complications associated with conservation and preservation of said structures.

Ani is an abandoned, medieval city located in modern Turkey, just on the eastern border with Armenia.  

In the 12th century, Ani had a population of about 100,000, about four times the city of Easton.  While it was considered an Armenian capital city and is home to a plethora of Armenian medieval architecture, it was also heavily linked to Georgia and was home to a significant Muslim population and has buildings and structures that echo this diversity. 

One of the best comprehensive guides to the city is the following website: virtualani.org.

I have been to Ani several times in my life.  The first time I saw it was from the Armenian border, with a telescope, in 1997.  I then visited it with a group of Armenian and Turkish friends in 2005.  And, in 2011, I visited the city a total of three times -- once with my parents and one of my brothers, once with a group of fellow scholars from Koc University's RCAC, and a third time with a joint Armenian and Turkish group of scholars.  Ani has never ceased to amaze me.  It is one of the few medieval cities in the world that was completely abandoned.  And it offers real insights into the ways that medieval cities worked.

This trip, however, will not focus on the actual city of Ani, but rather on the structures around the city that were linked to it, in one way or another.

As noted in the letter of invitation, "Ani is a fantastic site, but single-minded focus on it distracts us from the rich architectural heritage around it, one that has scarcely been documented, let alone studied or preserved. Many of the monuments in question are of high cultural value, but in desperate need of remedial action. This heritage lies on both sides of the Armenian-Turkish border... The idea is to use this workshop to call attention to these monuments, which desperately need documentation, registration, and study, and to use the expertise of an international group of scholars and restoration architects to do so."

In following this trip, you will learn a lot about a range of things, including:

-- the complications of studying medieval history

-- the medieval history of Anatolia (Asia Minor)

-- Armenian-Turkish relations

-- the politics and practices of preservation and conservation

I hope you will enjoy this experience.  And I will look forward to your reactions, responses and ideas.