Today I went to an exhibition which is in Erimtan Museum. You can see the post about Erimtan Museum by clicking here.
This exhibition was about an important town in history which is Ani. Ani was a wealthy commercial town for centuries. It had came into existence at the crossroads of countries cultures, from the Sassanids to the Shaddadids, the Americans to Byzantines, and the Georgians to the Ottomans. Ani has been on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list since 2016.
Archaeological findings prove Ani to have been an area of settlement since very early ages. Yet the main architectural development of the city coincides with the reign of the Bagratid dynasty in the 10th century. Bagratids turned the city into an important political and economic hub in the region. There were many monuments that they constructed such as churches, monasteries, city walls, bridges and caravanserais.
One of the important architects of his time, Trdat is the signature name behind the innovative structures constructed during the Bagratid era. The Cathedral of Ani and Gagkashen Church are Trdat’s most valuable works.
The remains of Gagkashen, built by architect Trdat , were excavated by Marr in 1905-1906. During the excavations, a sculpture of King Gagik holding a model of the church was found. To date, only the foundations of the monument have survived.
Cathedral of Ani is the largest standing building in Ani and it was completed in the early 11th century by the architect Trdat. The cathedral is considered the largest and most impressive structure of Ani. It is a domed basilica with a rectangular plan, though the dome and most of its supporting drum are now missing. Its use of pointed arches and cluster piers has been widely cited by scholars to have possibly influenced, or at least preceded, Gothic architecture.
This mosque rises as a structure that reveals the affinity between local Islamic and Armenian architectural traditions. It consist of a central hall and high minaret. The central hall has an impressive ceiling decorated with polychromic slabs.
This church is located 305 meters to the east of the Cathedral of Ani. The church has an eight-apse interior plan and nineteen facades enlivened by blind arcades.
All About My Architectural Education 