Guide
The building at Ani called the Seljuk Caravanserai is in fact a church, known as Surp Arak'elots, and the double name needs explaining. It stands in the western part of the city, southeast of the Georgian church. Neither its date nor its founder is known; the oldest inscription on it is dated 1031. It is now largely destroyed. Built of regular cut stone in red, black and brownish tones, it is rectangular on the outside, running east to west, and tetraconch — four-lobed — within, with two entrances set on the axes of the north and south fronts.
What makes Surp Arak'elots unique among buildings of its kind is the way the corner spaces are each arranged like a chapel, so that with the dome over the square central space the building carries five domes in all, and the effect that gives its exterior. The gavit added on the south side is in better condition. It is rectangular on an east-west axis, and its eastern front is arranged in the Seljuk manner — which is why the building has also been described as a caravanserai. The decoration of the portal at its centre carries the features of traditional Seljuk architecture. Buses run to Ani twice a day from central Kars, with private cars, taxis and tour operators as alternatives.
