Kars, Turkey
Ottoman Heritage in Eastern Turkey
An ancient Ottoman Hamam (bath house) at Kars.
The ancient city of Kars, controlled in turn by Urartians, Persians, Armenians, Byzantines, Seljuk Turks, the Ottoman Empire, Imperial Russia and the Turkish Republic, lies in the heart of the southern Caucasus region, a strategic location in northeastern Turkey just 60 kilometers from the borders with Armenia and Georgia. Although the area is struggling with a depressed, largely agrarian, economy and a high level of out-migration, Kars has significant potential for economic, social, and cultural development.
GHF has focused its project leadership, planning and conservation efforts on the Ancient City of Kars. The Ancient City lies at the heart of the Caucus region at the intersection of the borders of Turkey with Russia and the former Soviet Union, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Iran, and has significant potential for tourism. GHF’s objective is the preservation of Kars’ existing Ottoman and Armenian heritage and revitalization of living cultures, art, music, nature and bio-industries in the Caucus region around Kars to create a new magnet for trade, international and Turkish tourism, and for long-term, sustainable economic and cultural development in Eastern Anatolia, Turkey.
