The mobile application, prepared by Anadolu Kültür to promote the Ani Archaeological Site in all its dimensions, went live as of May 2023.
Ani Mobile Application is a virtual guide and provides easy access to this unique cultural treasure from wherever you are and whenever you want. Anadolu Kültür designed and implemented the project in order to promote the Ani Archaeological Site, which was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2016, and its immediate surroundings on a wider scale, and to facilitate access to scientific information about the area with modern communication technologies.
The work, which emerged over a four-year time frame, was supported by the Portugal-based Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and the US-based World Monuments Fund. Many experts, archaeologists, art historians, architects and photographers from Turkey, Armenia, Europe and the USA came together at workshops held in Yerevan, Kars and Istanbul to produce the Ani Mobile Application with a participatory and inclusive method.
Three languages, four routes
The application, which is prepared in three languages, presents information about Ani and its surroundings to the user under the titles of "History", "Architecture", "History of Art" and "Conservation Studies". The 4 main routes, based on the locations of different structures in Ani, provide the opportunity to visit and experience the Ani Archaeological Site through certain themes. Users can also create their own itineraries by choosing the structures they prefer.
A glossary containing the meanings of architectural terms for a better understanding of historical and architectural texts, a bibliography that will shed light on more comprehensive research, and a mini-test section prepared for users who want to measure their knowledge on Ani are among the contents offered. The virtual guide also includes practical information such as visiting hours, transportation and accessibility.
The voice-overs, on the other hand, add another dimension to the travel experience and can be listened to in three languages, Turkish, Armenian and English. Ani's multi-layered history is covered by Mahir Günşiray, Şenay Gürler, Tilbe Saran and Görkem Yeltan in Turkish, and Dr. Elmon Hançer, in English, Dr. Performed by Christina Maranci, Veronica Kalas and Robert Dulgarian.
Ani: The Poem of the Stone
Ani is located on a triangular plateau on the right bank of Arpacay, which today separates Turkey and Armenia. The story of this legendary city goes back centuries, to the caravan routes connecting the East with the West. After the Armenian kingdom became the capital of the Bagratunis in the 11th century, it reached the peak of its wealth and splendor. Ani represents the transition to an "urban culture" centered on trade and crafts in Anatolia, which until then consisted of a rural population based on agricultural production. The monumental structures of the city of Ani, known for its famous double walls, one of the most important monuments in the history of medieval architecture, have been witnessing various cultures and a turbulent history, from the Byzantines to the Armenian kingdoms, from the Sassanids to the Shaddadi. Ani Archaeological Site and its surroundings, also known as the "city with a thousand and one churches", "the city with 40 gates", were included in the World Heritage Tentative List by UNESCO in 2012 and registered as a World Heritage Site in 2016.