Kars

Kars, city, northeastern Turkey. Kars is situated on a plateau 5,740 feet (1,750 metres) above sea level on the Kars River, a tributary of the Aras River, near the border with Armenia. The city, divided into an older upper section and a newer part to the south, stretches out on either side of the Kars River; the two sections of the city are linked by an ancient bridge built by the Seljuq Turks.

Kars is important as a centre for trade in livestock and is noted for its cheese. It also produces coarse woolens, carpets, and felts. An important military station, it is linked by rail and road with the principal Turkish cities. Kars’s historical buildings include Kümbet Camii (“Church of the Apostles”), an Armenian church that was converted into a mosque; a bath dating from the Ottoman period; and an old citadel overhanging the river that was once a strong military post (probably late 16th century). The region around Kars was part of the Armenian kingdom in antiquity and contains a number of sites dating from that period. Ani, east of Kars city and near the Armenian frontier, was the Bagratid capital in the 10th century.