Mysterious Stone Structure Near Kars Raises New Questions About an Unstudied Peak

A solitary stone construction perched atop a hill outside Kars is drawing increasing attention, not because anyone understands it, but precisely because no one does. Rising above Bulanık village, the summit known locally as “Ziyaret Tepesi” or “Evliya Tepesi” hosts a five-meter-high structure whose origins remain completely undocumented.

A hill between two mountains — and a structure with no identity

Squeezed between Yahni Mountain and Dumanlı Mountain, the peak holds a soft-stone construction that looks too deliberate to dismiss yet too undocumented to classify. The building technique suggests a planned effort, but there are no inscriptions, no architectural parallels, no local memory to anchor it. For now, the structure simply exists — without a date, a culture, or a name

A 2-meter inscription facing Ani — but the script is unreadable

On the eastern face overlooking the medieval ruins of Ani, a single dressed stone bears an inscription roughly two meters tall. What language it belongs to is anyone’s guess. Villagers speculate about an ancient civilization; scholars, more cautious, note that no systematic survey or epigraphy study has ever been carried out on the site. Until that happens, the carving remains an undeciphered marker on an unexplored hill.

Watchtower? Boundary marker? Ritual monument?

Local interpretations vary wildly. Some believe it served as a watch post controlling approaches to the Ani plateau. Others argue it might be a frontier marker or a ritual installation. The lack of stratigraphic data makes every explanation feel thin — but the ambiguity keeps the interest alive.

A target for treasure hunters — now under protection

Like many unstudied landmarks in Türkiye’s eastern highlands, the site has attracted treasure hunters over the years. Today, local security guards monitor the area and any form of digging is strictly prohibited. Villagers insist that an official archaeological project is the only way to prevent further damage and finally clarify the site’s historical value.

A potential missing piece in Kars’s long chronology

Residents of Bulanık village hope the hilltop structure will eventually be studied as part of Kars’s broader archaeological landscape. Given its line of sight toward Ani and its unusual inscription, the site could prove more than a local curiosity — it might represent an undocumented phase in the region’s cultural history.