Ani, situated between two deep gorges of the Arpaçay River, which forms the Türkiye-Armenia border, was ruled by the Bagratid dynasty from 884 to 1045 and by the Byzantines from 1045 to 1064. On August 16, 1064, it was conquered by Sultan Alparslan, becoming the gateway for the Turks into Anatolia.
The Ebu'l Menuçehr Mosque (Ani Grand Mosque), built between 1072 and 1092 by Ebu'l Menuçehr under the command of Sultan Melikshah, has been defying time for centuries.
Following restoration work in 2022, the call to prayer began to be heard from the mosque. Associate Professor Muhammet Arslan, Head of the Ani Archaeological Site Excavations, stated that the Ebu'l Menuçehr Mosque was the first mosque built by Turks in Anatolia.
Arslan said that after Sultan Alparslan passed away in 1072, the mosque was built by his son, Sultan Melikshah. "The inscription that should have been on the western facade was destroyed, but we know for certain from an old photograph that it was built during the reign of Sultan Melikshah. The inscription clearly records that the mosque was built by the order of Sultan Melikshah," he said.
