3: Ani
Once upon a time, Ani was the capital of the medieval Kingdom of Armenia, a big city, grown rich through trade. When the Kingdom of Armenia eventually fell, after being invaded by the Byzantine empire, the Mongols and the Seljuk Turks, Ani lost in significance. Eventually the city’s population declined, until the entire region in the southern Caucasus was so strongly depopulated in the 18th century, that the former grand city was eventually abandoned completely.
Today what’s left of Ani is a field of ruins in a very remote part of Turkey, right next to the Turkish-Armenian border. Ani eventually became a trading hub, so any number of legendary items could have been lost in the ruins of what in the 10th century was known as the City of a thousand churches. Right next to the city is the river Akhourian, which has carved deep gorges into the landscape. In general, the area surrounding Ani is rich with ancient Armenian monasteries – in varying states of ruin – so any plot dealing with ancient Christian artifacts would be perfectly at home in these ancient hills.