Ani, The City of Churches and Ghosts is located in the northeast of Turkey, 42 km from the city of Kars, on a secluded triangular plateau overlooking a ravine that forms the natural border with Armenia. This is the deserted, crumbling site of Ani, the once-great metropolis renowned as the city of a 1001 churches. Ani, which was founded more than 1,600 years ago, was located on multiple trade routes and expanded to become a walled city with over 100,000 citizens by the 11th century. The discoveries of explorers such as Ker Porter and Wilbraham laid the groundwork for Russian interest in this site for eastern Christianity. Russia supported a team led by Nikolay Yakovlevich Marr, a Georgian-born professor, to excavate the city in the 1890s. Marr's research, which lasted until 1917, succeeded in unearthing at least some of the city's glorious past. The collection of buildings was added to UNESCO's list of World Heritage sites in 2016.