Armenian Monuments in Turkey: History, Memory and the Politics of Preservation.

There are over 1000 Armenian structures located in the Republic of Turkey, constructed between the 5th and 20th centuries.  Most of these buildings were abandoned at the turn of the century, but only a handful of them have been restored and registered as monuments by the Turkish Ministry of Culture.  This talk will address the intellectual, political and practical complications  associated with architectural preservation in Turkey.  And will specifically address the significance of the multi-disicplinary approach to restoration currently being pursued by the World Monuments Fund at Ani, a medieval abandoned city located on the border with Armenia.