Work has been initiated for the ancient ruins of the city of Ani, located in the Turkish province of Kars bordering with Armenia, to receive the status of a UNESCO World Heritage site, Turkish newspaper Hürriyet Daily News reports.

Kars Culture and Tourism Director Hakan Doğanay said in the case of its acceptance, Ani would become Turkey’s 16th world heritage site on the UNESCO list. 

“The ministry has applied to UNESCO on Feb. 15 with a detailed report on the Ani ruins and we are on the temporary list. Work continues to be included on the permanent list,” he said, adding that a team from UNESCO will visit Kars for the final decision.

Ani was the capital of the medieval Armenian Kingdom, whose borders swept across the significant part of modern Armenia and the eastern part of modern Turkey.