Incredible Ruins

AP photo

 As someone who loves ancient and medieval history, I often have to remind myself about the ruins of the recent past. Within the past century there have been incredible events of history and it's easy to focus on the major ones like the World Wars or our nation's engagement in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Vietnam, Korea, etc. I admit to a bit of solipsism in this regard. A January article from the "Atlantic" jolted me out of my stupor. Featuring haunting photos of the ancient city of Ani, the photo journal shows how ancient history invades our world today, how recent atrocities leave scars on the landscape, and provides a haunting glimpse into a past that not many of us study in our elementary and high school years.

CC BY SA Scott Dexter

Digging a little deeper I found wonderful information on Ani. Apparently it was originally founded over 1600 years ago and was a bustling center of enterprise and trade. As the "Atlantic" article states, it was known as the "city of one thousand and one churches". For a city of 100,000 residents, that is a very high concentration of houses of worship. I highly recommend taking a look at the article and browsing through the photos. Maybe encourage your children and/or students to do some research on this time-forgotten place. Using some of the photos for a presentation would be fantastic!

And, how amazing would it be to visit Ani? If any of you have had the privilege, please share about your experience below! And if you find other interesting facts on Ani or its history, chime in. What event in history has held a particular fascination for you?

We would love to hear what you think! Chime in below in the comments section and share your thoughts. Don't forget to check out our Facebook and Pinterest pages.  To learn more about Beautiful Feet Books, click here.

And if you've enjoyed this, please feel free to share using the buttons below!