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Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
Aug 26 2014
Ani ruins reveal hidden secrets from below
KARS ` Cihan News Agency
New underground structures have come to light in Ani, one of Turkey's
most breathtaking ancient sites. History researcher Sezai Yazıcı says
the ancient city's structures should be promoted
Secret water channels, undiscovered monk cells, meditation rooms, huge
corridors, intricate tunnels, traps and corners were found under the
ruins of the ancient Armenian town of Ani. AA Photo
The underground secrets of the historic Ani Ruins, an ancient,
5,000-year-old Armenian city located on the Turkish-Armenian border in
the eastern province of Kars, have been revealed.
While speaking at the recent `International Ani-Kars Symposium,'
history researcher Sezai Yazıcı said secret water channels,
undiscovered monk cells, meditation rooms, huge corridors, intricate
tunnels, unbelievable traps and corners that make one lose their sense
of direction were just some of the unknown underground structures
located at the ancient site.
Yazıcı said a number of experts, academics and researchers attended
the Kars Symposium, which was held at Kars' Kafkas University from
Aug. 14 to 16. At the symposium, Yazıcı's presentation titled,
`Underground Secrets of Ani,' drew a lot of attention since no
previous publications on the underground structures had been mentioned
before.
`In 2011 while working on a United Nations project in order to promote
Kars and to reveal its historical and cultural heritage, I came across
some pretty interesting information. One of the most important names
of the first half of the 20th century, George Ivanovic Gurdjieff, who
spent most of his childhood and youth in Kars, had chosen [to stay in]
an isolated place in Ani along with his friend Pogosyan where they
worked for some time together in the 1880s. One day, while digging at
one of the underground tunnels in Ani, Gurdjieff and his friend saw
that the soil became different. They continued digging and discovered
a narrow tunnel. But the end of the tunnel was closed off with stones.
They cleaned the stones and found a room. They saw decayed furniture,
broken pots and pans in the room. They also found a scrap of parchment
in a niche. Although Gurdjieff spoke Armenian very well, he failed to
read Armenian writing in the parchment. Apparently, it was very old
Armenian. After a while, they learned that the parchments were letters
written by a monk to another monk,' Yazıcı said, speaking about how he
became interested in the underground structures.
`Finally, [Gurdjieff and his friend] succeeded in understanding the
letters. Gurdjieff discovered that there was a famous Mesopotamian
esoteric school in the place where they found the letters. The famous
school was active between the sixth and seventh centuries A.D. and
there was a monastery there,' he added.
Prayer room of a monastery
Yazıcı said Gurdjieff was the first person to mention the monastery
that was located under the Ani Ruins.
`Gurdjieff's discovery, nearly 135 years ago, could not have been
confirmed until the excavation works of 1915. Years later, an Italian
excavation team confirmed that it was a monastery. Before Gurdjieff,
many travelers also observed that a significant population had lived
in caves or rock houses in Ani,' he said.
`The tunnels are above 500 meters in Ani. Most of underground
structures and caves were used as houses. The metrical sizes of most
of the underground structures have been measured and maps have been
made for most of them,' the researcher said, confirming that there
were currently 823 underground structures and caves in Ani today.
Yazıcı said among the most important underground structures were the
Giden Gelmez Tunnel, Yeraltı Anisi (Underground Ani) and Gizli Kapılar
(Secret Doors). `On the other hand, Ani also has four complicated
structures. It is very difficult to reach some of them. It is time to
mention these underground structures in the promotion of Ani. The
Culture and Tourism Ministry should put signs showing the places of
underground structures and build walking paths. Underground structures
draw great interest in the world,' Yazıcı said.
August/26/2014
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/ani-ruins-reveal-hidden-secrets-from-below.aspx?pageID=238&nID=70875&NewsCatID=375
From: A. Papazian
Aug 26 2014
Ani ruins reveal hidden secrets from below
KARS ` Cihan News Agency
New underground structures have come to light in Ani, one of Turkey's
most breathtaking ancient sites. History researcher Sezai Yazıcı says
the ancient city's structures should be promoted
Secret water channels, undiscovered monk cells, meditation rooms, huge
corridors, intricate tunnels, traps and corners were found under the
ruins of the ancient Armenian town of Ani. AA Photo
The underground secrets of the historic Ani Ruins, an ancient,
5,000-year-old Armenian city located on the Turkish-Armenian border in
the eastern province of Kars, have been revealed.
While speaking at the recent `International Ani-Kars Symposium,'
history researcher Sezai Yazıcı said secret water channels,
undiscovered monk cells, meditation rooms, huge corridors, intricate
tunnels, unbelievable traps and corners that make one lose their sense
of direction were just some of the unknown underground structures
located at the ancient site.
Yazıcı said a number of experts, academics and researchers attended
the Kars Symposium, which was held at Kars' Kafkas University from
Aug. 14 to 16. At the symposium, Yazıcı's presentation titled,
`Underground Secrets of Ani,' drew a lot of attention since no
previous publications on the underground structures had been mentioned
before.
`In 2011 while working on a United Nations project in order to promote
Kars and to reveal its historical and cultural heritage, I came across
some pretty interesting information. One of the most important names
of the first half of the 20th century, George Ivanovic Gurdjieff, who
spent most of his childhood and youth in Kars, had chosen [to stay in]
an isolated place in Ani along with his friend Pogosyan where they
worked for some time together in the 1880s. One day, while digging at
one of the underground tunnels in Ani, Gurdjieff and his friend saw
that the soil became different. They continued digging and discovered
a narrow tunnel. But the end of the tunnel was closed off with stones.
They cleaned the stones and found a room. They saw decayed furniture,
broken pots and pans in the room. They also found a scrap of parchment
in a niche. Although Gurdjieff spoke Armenian very well, he failed to
read Armenian writing in the parchment. Apparently, it was very old
Armenian. After a while, they learned that the parchments were letters
written by a monk to another monk,' Yazıcı said, speaking about how he
became interested in the underground structures.
`Finally, [Gurdjieff and his friend] succeeded in understanding the
letters. Gurdjieff discovered that there was a famous Mesopotamian
esoteric school in the place where they found the letters. The famous
school was active between the sixth and seventh centuries A.D. and
there was a monastery there,' he added.
Prayer room of a monastery
Yazıcı said Gurdjieff was the first person to mention the monastery
that was located under the Ani Ruins.
`Gurdjieff's discovery, nearly 135 years ago, could not have been
confirmed until the excavation works of 1915. Years later, an Italian
excavation team confirmed that it was a monastery. Before Gurdjieff,
many travelers also observed that a significant population had lived
in caves or rock houses in Ani,' he said.
`The tunnels are above 500 meters in Ani. Most of underground
structures and caves were used as houses. The metrical sizes of most
of the underground structures have been measured and maps have been
made for most of them,' the researcher said, confirming that there
were currently 823 underground structures and caves in Ani today.
Yazıcı said among the most important underground structures were the
Giden Gelmez Tunnel, Yeraltı Anisi (Underground Ani) and Gizli Kapılar
(Secret Doors). `On the other hand, Ani also has four complicated
structures. It is very difficult to reach some of them. It is time to
mention these underground structures in the promotion of Ani. The
Culture and Tourism Ministry should put signs showing the places of
underground structures and build walking paths. Underground structures
draw great interest in the world,' Yazıcı said.
August/26/2014
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/ani-ruins-reveal-hidden-secrets-from-below.aspx?pageID=238&nID=70875&NewsCatID=375
From: A. Papazian