Aluminum nitride nanobelts with hexagonal structure were successfully synthesized by evaporating aluminum powder in ammonia/nitrogen atmosphere at 1200 degreesC. The as-prepared AIN nanobelts have a rectangular cross section with a width of 30-500 nm and length of about 100 mum. The optical characterization indicates that the vibration modes of the AIN nanobelt agree well with those of AIN film despite its nanobelt geometry. This nanobelt geometry of AIN could be important for the construction of GaN-based nanheterostructures in future nanoelectronics.