The Destruction of Ani

The Turkish Ministry of Culture has been working towards planning and restoring Ani since 1991.  Unfortunately, restoration and excavation work is not always coordinated with Prof. Dr. Beyhan Karamagarali who has been the government appointed director of the excavation project in Ani since 1998.  Also these restoration processes were not always carried out by experts, which led to unsatisfactory results, and sometimes to severe criticism by the international academia, as in the case of the city walls of Ani.

After two years of painstaking efforts on the part of the HHP Foundation this faulty restoration of the fortification was terminated.  This was only achieved after a legal investigation was completed against the contractor who was not solely responsible for the damage. Unfortunately, the damage done seems to be irrevocable. 

It is expected that the preservation and restoration work in Ani will be predominantly carried out by Turkish contractors.  As preparation towards these restoration efforts the foundation is planning to support the official establishment of an education center where the training of local craftsmen, under close supervision of experts, will be carried out.