The Church of the Holy Apostles in Kars, early 20th century

The Armenian cathedral of Kars, the Church of the Holy Apostles, was built in the 10th century, when Kars was the capital of the Armenian Bagratid kingdom. Today the city is under Turkish rule.

When the city passed to the Ottoman Empire, the cathedral was turned into a mosque. After the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878, during the 40 years of Russian rule, it was used as an Orthodox cathedral. Today the building is again a mosque, known as the Kümbet Mosque.

The photograph was taken in the early 20th century. It shows the church with its conical dome, with a minaret and a bell tower attached to it, traces of different periods of its history. In the foreground are stone walls and a few passers-by, in the background the houses of the city.