City,
northeastern Turkey. Kars is situated on a plateau 5,740
feet (1,750 m) 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 Seljuk Turks.
The seat of an independent Armenian
principality during the 9th and 10th centuries, Kars was
captured by the Seljuks in the 11th century. Taken by the
Mongols in the 13th century and by Timur (Tamerlane) in 1387, it
was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire in 1514. After
withstanding a siege by Iranians in 1731 and successfully
resisting the Russians in 1807, it fell to the Russians in 1828
and 1855 and was formally annexed by Russia in 1877-78.
It was returned to Turkey in 1918, though the Soviet Union later
(1945-47) tried unsuccessfully to reclaim it as part of Armenia,
U.S.S.R.
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).
Kars is important as a center for trade in livestock and is
also 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.
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. Pop. (1990) 78,455.
