36 · City guide
Kars
City of Ani, Baltic architecture and kaşar cheese
Kars is a highland city at an elevation of about 1,750 meters, founded in the valley of the Kars Stream. Kars Castle rises above the city, which served as a capital under the Bagratid Kingdom; at the foot of the castle, the 10th-century Kümbet Mosque (Church of the Holy Apostles), the Taş Köprü (Stone Bridge) and the hammams form the core of the old city. During the Russian administration between 1878 and 1918, grid-plan streets and Baltic-style stone buildings were constructed; this fabric gives the city center a distinctive look today. Ani, 45 kilometers to the east on the banks of the Arpaçay, contains the cathedral, churches, mosques and walls of one of the important cities of the Middle Ages and was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2016. Sarıkamış is visited for its ski slopes amid Scots pine forests and its martyrs' memorials commemorating the soldiers lost in the 1914–15 Sarıkamış Operation. Kuyucuk Lake in Arpaçay is a stop for birdwatchers, while Kars kaşar and gruyère cheeses draw food lovers.
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Where shall we explore?
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Canyon
Akyaka Canyon
Akyaka, Kars
A canyon along the Kars Stream, cleaned up and opened to visitors in 2021 with walking paths and picnic areas.
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Ani Archaeological Site
Merkez, Kars
One of the most impressive medieval cities of the Silk Road, on the edge of the Arpaçay valley, with walled churches, mosques, a palace and a caravanserai; a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2016.
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Lake Aygır
Susuz, Kars
A freshwater lake in the Susuz district, formed by a lava barrier on volcanic rocks, its shores covered with reeds and rushes, used as a recreation spot in summer.
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Baltic Architecture Streets (Yusufpaşa–Ortakapı)
Merkez, Kars
The streets of the Yusufpaşa, Ortakapı and Cumhuriyet neighborhoods, laid out on a grid plan during Russian rule in 1878–1918, full of stone-fronted Baltic-style buildings.
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Beşkilise (Khtzkonk Monastery)
Digor, Kars
The remains of an Armenian monastic complex near Digor, built on three rocky outcrops in a deep valley carved by the Digor Stream.
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Museum
Boğatepe Cheese Museum
Merkez, Kars
A village museum founded in 2010 in an old dairy building in the village of Boğatepe, known for gruyère cheesemaking, presenting local cheese production.
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Archaeological site
Borluk Valley Rock Paintings (Azat)
Merkez, Kars
Prehistoric rock paintings showing hunting scenes carved on the cliffs of the Borluk Valley, near the village of Azat about 5–6 km from Kars.
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Çala Church
Arpaçay, Kars
A medieval Georgian church dedicated to the Virgin Mary in the middle of the village of Doğruyol (Çala) in Arpaçay, notable for its stone decoration and largely intact.
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Archaeological site
Camuşlu Rock Paintings
Kağızman, Kars
An archaeological site around the village of Camuşlu in Kağızman, known for settlement traces going back to the Lower Paleolithic and paintings carved on the rocks.
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Church
Çengilli Church
Kağızman, Kars
A cross-plan medieval church of black volcanic stone with Georgian inscriptions, rising among the village houses in the middle of the village of Çengilli in Kağızman.
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Dikenli Tabya Martyrs' Memorial
Sarıkamış, Kars
One of the martyrs' memorials within the national park around Kızılçubuk, where the Sarıkamış Operation took place; a commemorative site at Kızılçubuk.
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Evliya Mosque (Tomb of Ebu'l-Hasan Harakânî)
Merkez, Kars
One of the most visited mosques in Kars, in the Kağızmankapısı quarter at the foot of the castle, known for its commemorative tomb dedicated to the mystic Ebu'l-Hasan Harakânî.
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Fethiye Mosque
Merkez, Kars
A Baltic-style tuff-stone building constructed at the end of the 19th century, during Russian rule, as the Alexander Nevsky Church; a mosque since the 1980s.
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Caucasian Front War History Museum (Kanlı Tabya)
Merkez, Kars
An interactive museum in Kanlı Tabya, built in the 19th century to defend Kars, telling the story of the Caucasian Front and the Sarıkamış Operation through re-creations.
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Kars Railway Station
Merkez, Kars
A historic station built in 1899 in the Russian period for the Transcaucasian Railway, now the last stop of the Doğu Ekspresi and the Turistik Doğu Ekspresi.
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Kars Castle
Merkez, Kars
A basalt castle, the symbol of the city, built in the Saltukid period in 1152–1153 on a rocky hill dominating the Kars Stream valley.
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Kars Museum
Merkez, Kars
A regional museum displaying archaeological artifacts from the Paleolithic to the Ottoman period collected from the region, especially the Ani excavations, as well as Caucasian ethnography.
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Kars Ulu Mosque (Grand Mosque)
Merkez, Kars
An Ottoman mosque in the Kaleiçi neighborhood, built in 1643 by Dilaver Paşa, beylerbeyi of Kars, renewed after being damaged by war and earthquakes.
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Castle
Keçivan Castle
Kağızman, Kars
A castle in the middle of the village of Tunçkaya (formerly Keçivan) in Kağızman, which has hosted one of the region's administrative centers since antiquity.
Machine translated — This content was machine-translated and may differ from the original Turkish text.Mosque
Kümbet Mosque (Church of the Holy Apostles)
Merkez, Kars
A basalt building with a conical dome, built in the 10th century in the reign of the Bagratid king Abas I as the Church of the Holy Apostles and converted into a mosque in the 11th century.
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Birdwatching site
Lake Kuyucuk
Arpaçay, Kars
A shallow steppe lake, Türkiye's 13th Ramsar site, where more than 200 bird species have been recorded thanks to its position on the migration route.
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Sarıkamış Ski Center (Cıbıltepe)
Sarıkamış, Kars
A ski center on the slopes of Cıbıltepe, known for its runs descending through Scots pine forests and its dry snow known as 'crystal snow'.
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Sarıkamış-Allahuekber Mountains National Park
Sarıkamış, Kars
A national park on the Kars–Erzurum border, declared in 2004, with pure Scots pine forests and the martyrs' memorials of the First World War Sarıkamış Operation.
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Soğuksu Nature Park
Sarıkamış, Kars
A small nature park declared in 2011, 3 km from Sarıkamış, above 2,100 meters, surrounded by Scots pines and aspens.
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Susuz Waterfall
Susuz, Kars
A waterfall right beside the Kars–Ardahan highway, dropping from a height of about 75 meters, also known as 'uçan su' (flying water).
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Taşköprü (Stone Bridge)
Merkez, Kars
A three-arched basalt bridge in the narrow gorge of the Kars Stream, just below the castle, built in 1579 and renewed in the early 18th century.
Practical information
Machine translated — This content was machine-translated and may differ from the original Turkish text.- Note
- Ani is on the Armenian border; do not leave the marked paths at the archaeological site and do not approach the border. Check muze.gov.tr for museum and site hours
- Climate
- One of Turkey's coldest provinces; winters are long and very cold, summers cool
- Best time
- December–March for skiing and snowy scenery; May–October for Ani, the lakes and bird migration
- Getting there
- Kars Harakani Airport is close to the city center; the Ankara–Kars Doğu Express and the seasonal Touristic Doğu Express terminate in Kars
- Getting around
- The castle, Kümbet Mosque, Taş Köprü and Russian-era buildings can be explored on foot in the center; a car or tour is needed for Ani, Sarıkamış and Kuyucuk Lake