A three-day conference on “Ani - medieval Armenia’s Political and Civilization Center” kicked off at the Armenian National Academy of Sciences November 15 and is dedicated to the 1050th anniversary of the proclamation of Ani as the capital of Bagratuni Kingdom.

The conference brought together scholars from Armenia, Russia, France, Germany, Italy, the United States and Austria.

A website in three languages dedicated to the 1050th anniversary of Ani has been launched (www.ani1050.sci.am) which provides information about the city and depicts the photos of Ani.

In the opening speech chairman of the RA NAS Radik Martirosyan expressed hope that the Armenian people will have more opportunities to visit Ani.

“This conference is another step toward studying the rich historic-cultural heritage of Ani, making it reach the world public,” Martirosyan said.

Once called the “City of 1001 Churches”, and stood on various trade routes Ani now is a ruined and uninhabited site situated in modern-day Turkey’s province of Kars, near the border with the Republic of Armenia.