THE PERMIT FOR VISITING ANI And the process to obtain it Until the regulations were relaxed in 2004, anyone (including Turkish citizens) who wanted to visit Ani had to obtain a permit before travelling to the ruins. This permit was usually obtained without any difficulty and the process took at most 45 minutes. The permit application form, consisting of two copies, was obtained from the tourist information office in Kars and party filled out there. The applicant then took it to the Kars Department of Security where it was validated and the bottom copy retained. Visitors had to take the top copy with them on their journey to Ani. It would be retained at an army checkpoint somewhere en-route to Ani. For most years visitors' passports were also retained at this checkpoint (or at the ticket booth at Ani) and given back on their return journey to Kars. During the years in which photography was banned visitors' bags were searched and any cameras were also retained. The location of the army checkpoint varied over the years. During the 1980s it was at Subatan, some 20km from Ani. During the early 1990s it was at the village of Soylu. From the late 1990s until 2003 it was at a hut beside the road, a couple of miles before reaching Ani. This version of the permit is for 2003. Interestingly it mentions where visitors should not point their cameras, although actually all photography at Ani was forbidden in 2003. The permits for previous years were very similar in appearance to the 2003 version. Those from the 1980s and early 1990s had additional curious restrictions such as not speaking in loud voices or waving to persons on the other side of the border.

Additional numbers
are added by hand.

The date the
permit is applied for.

Signature of a member of the
Kars tourist information office.

The name of the person wishing to travel to Ani.

The applicant's profession.

The applicant's nationality.

The applicant's reason for wanting to visit Ani.

The applicant's passport number.

The registration number of the vehicle going to Ani.

The names of all people going with the applicant to Ani.

The handstamp, datestamp, and signature of
the Kars Department of Security goes here.

The handstamp, and signature of
the Kars tourism office goes here.

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	All text, images, designs, and intellectual materials are © VirtualANI. This page was first published on the 12th August 2004. It was last modified on the 12th August 2004.