Kars

In 928, Kars became the capital of Bagratid Armenia; in 968, when the capital moved to nearby Ani, the city remained seat of the Vanand principality. By the turn of the 20th century, nearly half of Kars was Armenian, with Christians forming a substantial population. Today there are no Christians and no Armenians—only the UNESCO-listed ruins of Ani, the 'City of 1001 Churches,' stand as architectural testimony to what was erased.

The province's modern identity emerged from an unlikely cultural transmission. After the 1877-78 Russo-Turkish War, Tsarist officials recognized the highlands' potential for cheesemaking. They encouraged Swiss and German settlers to colonize this new border, and in 1878, David Moser established a gruyère factory in the village of Boğatepe. The settlers brought not just technique but their cows and, crucially, the propionibacteria essential for fermentation. Kars gravyer—yellow, holed, aged 10 months—became Turkey's most celebrated cheese.

Today, 85% of the province's workforce farms or herds. The economy centers on livestock trade, coarse woolens, carpets, and cheese. But industrial production has largely displaced artisanal methods; authentic highland gravyer made from raw milk in mountain pastures survives only among a handful of traditionalists.

The Church of the Holy Apostles, converted to a mosque, physically embodies Kars's layered identity—Armenian foundations, Ottoman transformation, modern Turkish administration. For 2026, the province faces a question of which heritage to capitalize on: the growing tourism interest in Armenian Ani, or the dairy industry that replaced what Ani represented.