Ancient Armenian city Ani is on the list of the 'candidates' to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
According to TRT, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism sent a brigade of 5,000 specialists to make an advertising film and photos of the ancient city to submit them to UNESCO. The latter will make public its decision on Ani this August.
Ani is a ruined medieval Armenian city situated in the Turkish province of Kars near the closed border with Armenia.
Between 961 and 1045, it was the capital of the Bagratid Armeniankingdom that covered much of present-day Armenia and eastern Turkey. Called the "City of 1001 Churches", Ani stood on various trade routes and its many religious buildings, palaces, and fortifications were amongst the most technically and artistically advanced structures in the world. At its height, the population of Ani probably was on the order of 100,000.
In the estimation of the Landmarks Foundation (a non-profit organization established for the protection of sacred sites) this ancient city "needs to be protected regardless of whose jurisdiction it falls under. In an October 2010 report titled Saving Our Vanishing Heritage, Global Heritage Fund identified Ani as one of 12 worldwide sites most "On the Verge" of irreparable loss and destruction, citing insufficient management and looting as primary causes.
The World Monuments Fund (WMF) placed Ani on its 1996, 1998, and 2000 Watch Lists of 100 Most Endangered Sites. In May 2011, WMF announced it was beginning conservation work on the cathedral and Church of the Holy Redeemer in partnership with the Turkish Ministry of Culture. In March 2015, it was reported that Turkey will nominate Ani to be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2016.