St. Gregory Church in Ani Ruins, Kars, Türkiye Dec 29, 2025

St. Gregory Church in Ani Ruins, Kars, Türkiye

On a windswept plateau in eastern Türkiye, along the border with Armenia, the ruins of the ancient city of Ani rise from the landscape with striking clarity. A millennium ago, Ani was a thriving Armenian capital on a major Silk Road route, its fortifications and busy streets shaping trade and culture across the region. Today, the city is quiet, but its outline still carries the weight of its past.

© Kenan Talas/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

The butterfly effect
Dec 29, 2023Oud-West neighbourhood, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Dec 29, 2024Borobudur temple, Java, Indonesia

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Dec 31, 2024New Years Eve in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Jan 22, 2026Karlovy Vary, Bohemia, Czechia
A beach of many colours
Santa slalom
Jul 17, 2025Lavender fields in Plateau de Valensole, France
A view that’s out of this world
Nov 21, 2024Lion cubs, South Africa
Panoramic Penzance
Aug 15, 2025Independence Day
Sep 20, 2023Aqueduct, Arkadia Park, Poland
Oct 4, 2024World Space Week begins
Centuries of time in a Delicate Arch
Aug 4, 2024Friendship Day
Jan 27, 2026Dalmatian pelicans, Lake Kerkini, Greece
Dec 14, 2023Boreal owl
Sep 22, 2023World Rhinoceros Day
Mar 26, 2025Manatee in Crystal River, Florida, United States
May 29, 2024World Otter Day
Apr 11, 2025Tulips, Netherlands
Jul 15, 2025Muchalinda Sarovar, Bodh Gaya, Bihar
There’s more to Pisa than leaning towers
Sep 9, 2025A female Eurasian red squirrel, Switzerland
Jul 4, 2025Orosei, Sardinia, Italy
Sep 10, 2024Vasco da Gama Bridge, Lisbon, Portugal
Solo on the savannah
Apr 26, 2025Indian Head Cove, Bruce Peninsula National Park, Canada
Mar 3, 2024World Wildlife Day
This lake is no mirage
The road less taken?
Urban planning never stops