KARS

IDENTIFICATION AND HISTORY OF KARS
Kars is considered a gateway to Anatolia, located on the border between East and West. Due to its strategic location on the border, it has witnessed constant wars. It has been called Kars since the Urartians, Seljuks, Armenians, and Ottomans periods, as the name means 'gate' in Turkish.
Kars is actually a 'Frontier City.' Due to its strategic location on the border, it has been involved in continuous conflicts. It faced Mongol invasions between 1200 and 1450, attacks from the Iranian-Sasanians between 1600 and 1700, and Russian invasions in the early and mid-1800s. As a result, it has always been a military city and a city of high-ranking military officers.
In fact, Kars became the first city to receive the title of 'Ghazi' and a medal due to all the sufferings and oppressions it endured. Kars has overcome all the wars, earthquakes, fires, and looting, leaving those difficult times behind and succeeded in making its past a part of its culture.
Kars is one of the rare cities where you can see beautiful examples of Ottoman, Russian, and Armenian architecture together. It has managed to embrace different ethnic cultures harmoniously. In other words, we can say that Kars is the most Western city in the East.
Kars is also a city of portraits. Russian writer Pushkin visited Kars in 1829 and was enchanted by the city. He described the memories he left behind and particularly mentioned the bathhouse he was impressed with in his letters to his spouse. Kars is the hometown of Hasan El Harakani, a 11th-century Sufi scholar mentioned as 'Şeyh-i Din' by Mevlana in his work Mesnevi, who made significant contributions to the conquest of Anatolia. Kars has inspired the verses of Namık Kemal and the lines of Orhan Pamuk. Cemal Süreyya describes Kars as 'white, sleepless, and distant.' Kars has also served as an inspiration for many films, from Reha Erdem's Kozmos to Murat Saraçoğlu's 'Deli Deli Olma,' almost playing the leading role.
As Grand Ani Hotel, we are here to provide you with a flawless experience in Kars. As part of this, we make your Kars trip even more unique with 'customized' city tour services organized by our experienced city tour team. We bring together all the beauties that make this city meaningful and introduce them to you.
Here are the main city tour services we can offer to our esteemed guests:

• Private and Shuttle Airport Transfers.
• Eastern Express Experience.
• Private Kars Tours and Guiding Service.
• Concept Kars Tours (Ani Ruins, Çıldır Lake, Sarıkamış, Kars Castle, Cheese Museum, Kanlı Tabya, Susuz Waterfall, Baltic Architecture).
• Caucasian Folk Dance Show.
• Aşıklar Atışması Show (A form of Turkish poetry competition).
• Traditional Cuisine Feast.
• Yellow Fish Feast at Çıldır Lake.
• Winter Garden Activities.