Ruins of the port city of Ayas

The photographs show the present-day ruins of the ancient Armenian port city of Ayas on the Mediterranean coast. A stone tower, remains of walls and boats moored at the quay can be seen.

In the Middle Ages Ayas was known as the “Golden Port of Armenia”. It flourished under the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia (12th–14th centuries), becoming a major centre of trade between West and East. Merchants from Venice, Genoa and other countries traded here. On 25 May 1347, after a long siege, the city was captured and destroyed by the troops of the Mamluk sultan an-Nasir Muhammad.

In 1921, after Cilicia was surrendered, the last 120 thousand Armenians left these places.