Come spring she tosses it off, bathing in the rain and adorning herself with gaily-colored flowers. So lovely is she in all her moods that everyone has had their eye on her down the ages. Time and again she has been invaded, destroyed by natural disaster, yet each time she has managed to get back on her feet again. Kars Citadel, one of Anatolia's most beautiful fortresses, is the city's crowning glory. Built in 1152 by the Saltuk vezir Firuz Aka, it was left in ruins during the Mongol invasion. After being largely restored in the Ottoman period during the reign of Murad III in the second half of the 16th century, it was levelled again, this time by the Russians. The Ottoman Empire finally had the fortress rebuilt in the 19th century. Accessible either on foot or by car, the citadel, which has three gates and is divided into an inner and an outer section, affords an impressive view of the city. Looking out from its vantage point, you can see the Kars River, which flows through the center of the city, and the Tasköprü or stone bridge built entirely of hewn basalt. The bridge, which was built by Murad III in the 16th century, was repaired in the 18th century after being partially destroyed by an earthquake.