Ani 2004: Surveys on the Underground Settlements

Authors: Roberto Bixio, Vittoria Caloi, Vittorio Castellani and Mauro Traverso.

The 2004 Ani (the ancient Armenian capital on the eastern border of modern Turkey) expedition was devoted to the inspection of the underground structures. The monumental town was built around the 10th century on a platform defined by deep canyons which cut the volcanic rocks of the plateau. The artificial cavities are located all along the walls of the canyons, often in two or more layers. The structures were fir...