Kümbet Mosque (12 Havariler Church)

Kümbet Mosque (12 Havariler Church), located south of Kars Castle and north of Evliya Mosque, was originally built as an Armenian church between CE 932-937 during the Bagratid Kingdom period. It is also known as the Church of the Apostles or the Church of the Twelve Apostles. After the Seljuks conquered Kars in 1064, it was converted into a mosque. In the 19th century, when the region came under Russian control, the mosque was used as a Russian Orthodox church. With the re-establishment of Turkish rule in 1918, it was reconverted into a mosque, and between 1964 and 1981, it served as the Kars Museum. Today, it functions as a mosque. The structure has a central cross-shaped plan, and on the drum of its dome, twelve human figures are carved to represent the apostles of Jesus. The interior also features captivating details, with keystones on the corner arches bearing carvings of a bull, eagle, human, and other animal figures.