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Revision as of 05:05, 14 September 2006 by 66.214.133.177 (talk) (→History)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Kars (Armenian: Ղարս or Կարս, Kurdish: Qers) is a city in northeast Turkey and the capital of the Kars Province, formerly at the head of a sanjak in the Turkish vilayet of Erzurum. It is situated in 40°37′N 43°6′E / 40.617°N 43.100°E / 40.617; 43.100. Population: 8,672 (1878); 20,891 (1897); 54,000 (1970); 142,145 (1990); 130,361 (2000).
Kars Citadel
As a city at the juncture of Armenian, Caucasian, Russian, and Turkish cultures, the buildings of Kars come in a variety of architectures. Kars Castle (Kars Kalesi) also known as the Kars citadel) sits atop a rocky hill overlooking Kars. Its walls date back to the Bagratid Armenian period (there is surviving masonry on the north side of the castle) but it probably took on its present form during the 13th century when Kars was ruled by the Zakarid dynasty. The walls bear crosses in several places, including a khachkar with a building inscription in Armenian on the easternmost tower, so the much repeated mantra that Kars kastle was built by Ottoman Sultan Murad III during the war with Persia, at the close of the 16th century is false. However, Sultan Murad probably did reconstruct much of the city walls (they are similar to those that the Ottoman army constructed at Ardahan). At the foot of the plateau is St. Arak'elos Cathedral, or the Church of the Apostles. Built in the 10th century, it constitutes a domed tetraconch atop a square base with four apses. The drum of the dome features bas relief depictions of The Twelve Apostles and the dome itself is covered by a conical roof. It housed a small museum in the 1960s and 1970s, then stood derelict for about two decades until its conversion into a mosque in 1998.
Kars in popular culture
- Kars is the setting of the novel 'Kar' ('Snow') by famous Turkish novelist Orhan Pamuk.
- The Armenian poet Yeghishe Charents was born in Kars.
- The philosopher and mystic G. I. Gurdjieff grew up in Kars.
- Famous Turkish actress Hulya Avsar has a familial relation with Kars.
- Famous Turkish actor Tamer Karadagli was born in Kars.
External links
- Kars Governor's Office
- Kars Guide and Photo Album by Luc Wouters
- Kars Weather Forecast Information
- Treaty of Kars
- Atlas of Conflicts: The Treaty of Kars and Its Geopolitical Implications on Armenia by Dr. Andrew Andersen, Ph.D.
- VirtualANI - A history and description of the city of Kars
- Pictures of the city and the nearby city of Ani
- Armenian History and Presence in Kars
References
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty|title=(help)
