Where to Visit

Anitkabir

The mausoleum of the Republic's founder and leader, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, called Anitkabir was built on the hill of Rasattepe and has an impressive entrance. It was designed by architects Prof. Emin Onat and Doc. Orhan Arda, and completed in 1953. Ataturk was removed from the temporary burial site at the Ethnographic Museum and brought here with great ceremony on the same year.

Within the Anitkabir complex there are the Tower of Independence, the Tower of Liberty, The Road of Lions, Mudafaa-i Hukuk Tower, the Soldier's Tower, the Tower of Victory, the Tower of Peace, the April 23 Tower, the Misak-i Milli Tower, the Reform Tower and the Victory Reliefs. The hallowed Mausoleum hall itself is a colonnaded temple with huge bronze doors but little in the way of decoration. Opposite is the tomb of Ismet Inonu, the first prime minister of the Turkish republic and president after Ataturk's death.

The Anitkabir museum is located between the Tower of the National Pact and the Tower of the Revolution. A number of Ataturk's personal belongings are exhibited, including clothes that he wore, and gifts presented to him by visiting foreign dignitaries.

Anatolian Civilisations Museum

Located on the south side of Ankara Castle in the Atpazari area, the Museum consists of the old Ottoman Mahmut Pasa bazaar storage building, and the Kursunlu Han. Because of Ataturk's desire to establish a Hittite museum, the buildings were bought upon the suggestion of Hamit Zubeyir Kosay, who was then Culture Minister, to the National Education Minister, Saffet Arikan. After the remodelling and repairs were completed (1938 -1968), the building was opened to the public as the Ankara Archaeological Museum.

Today Kursunlu Han, used as an administrative building, houses the work rooms, library, conference hall, laboratory and workshop. The old bazaar building houses the exhibits. Within this Ottoman building, the museum has a number of exhibits of Anatolian archeology. They start with the Paleolithic era, and continue chronologically through the Neolithic, Early Bronze, Assyrian Trading Colonies, Hittite, Phrygian and Urartu periods. There is also an extensive collection of artifacts from the excavations at Karain, Catalhoyuk, Hacilar, Canhasan, Beyce Sultan, Alacahoyuk, Alacahoyuk, Kultepe, Acemhoyuk, Bogazkoy Gordion, Pazarli, Altintepe, Adilcevaz and Patnos as well as examples of several periods. The exhibits of gold, silver, glass, marble and bronze works date back as far as the second half of the first millennium BC. The coin collections, with examples ranging from the first minted money to modern times, represent the museum's rare cultural treasures.

Gordion

The capital city of the Phrygian empire, the remains of the renowned city of Gordion are near the Ankara-Eskisehir highway at the confluence of the Sakarya and Porsuk rivers, 21 km northwest of Polatli, and 90 km from Ankara, in the village of Yassihoyuk.

The history of Gordion goes back to 3000 BC (Early Bronze Age). It was an important settlement during the Assyrian and Hittite periods (1950 BC - 1180 BC) and, of course, the Phrygian era (900 BC - 620 BC), during which it was the capital city. It was named after King Gordios, the king who made it the capital. The famous knot made by King Gordios was cut in two by Alexander the Great in 333 BC, when he wintered in Gordion.

The period of Alexander the Great (300 BC -100 BC) began in Gordion with his conquest. Following that, the area came under the control of the Romans (1st century BC to 4th century AD) and then the Selcuks (11th - 13th century AD). All of this occurred in the short space of 4000 years.

Roman Baths

Located on Cankiri Street between Ulus Square and Yildirim Bayazit Square, the baths sit on a platform about 2.5m above the street.

The baths dated back to Caracalla (212-217 AD). The Cankiri Street entrance to the Caracalla baths leads to a wrestling arena, which was covered with a portico surrounded with columns. On the one side of this courtyard are 32 columns with a total of 128 over the whole area. The actual baths are located immediately behind the wrestling arena. Besides the unusually large size of the structure, the baths have a very typical layout consisting of the Apoditerium (dressing area), the Frigidarium (cold-section), the Tepidarium (warm section) and the Caldarium (hot section).

Ankara Castle

The castle, which has guarded the city for centuries, is now a symbol of Ankara and its history is as old as the city itself. Although it is not exactly known when the castle was built, it is commonly believed to have been built by the Romans, then repaired and expanded by the Selcuks. It towers 110 meters above Bentdere Creek (Hatip Creek) which runs along its base.

There are two parts, an inner and an outer castle, with over 20 towers. The outer castle encloses the old city of Ankara within its heart-shaped walls. The four-level inner castle is made partly of Ankara stone and partly of stones gathered from other structures. The two large gates of the inner castle are called the Outer Gate and the Castle Gate. The towers within the castle vary between 14-16 metres in height. Today within the castle walls there are a number of Ottoman-style houses dating as far back as the 17th century.

 

Geography

Ankara is surrounded by the provinces of Kirsehir and Kirikkale on the east, Eskisehir on the west, Cankiri on the north, Bolu on the northwest and Konya and Aksaray on the south. The province of Ankara is an area covered with the plains that have been formed by the Kizilirmak and Sakarya rivers located in the northwestern part of Central Anatolia. This area is made up of both forests and arid plains.

Vegetation is limited to that normally found in the steppes, and trees are practically non-existent. Thorny plants are the most commonly seen but there are Russian olives, willows and poplar trees growing wherever there is water, and these trees are an important part of steppe vegetation. The plateau surrounding Ankara is characterized by isolated mountains and as one moves north, with the increase in annual rainfall, the barrenness of the steppe starts to give way to more lush vegetation.

The climate varies within this larger province. While the southern part of the province has a climate characteristic of the steppe, in the north the temperate and rainy conditions of the Black Sea make themselves felt. In this area where the hot summers and cold winters characteristic of a continental climate prevail, the hottest months are July-August and the coldest month is January.

History

The capital city of the Turkish Republic Ankara, was founded almost in the middle of Central Anatolia. Due to its central location, the export of cloth made from the hair of the famous Angora goats turned Ankara into a major stop on the caravan route, and an important business centre especially during the Selcuk and Ottoman eras, in the city once named Angyra. The Galatians were the first used it as a capital city. Although it is known to have been a small settlement during the Hittite period, no artifacts belonging to this period have been found. Excavations conducted in many of the local burial mounds have turned up Phrygian artifacts. After the Phyrgians, the city was occupied respectively by the Persians, Alexander the Great, and the Galatians.

In 25 BC, the Emperor Augustus annexed the city and its Galatians kingdom. In the 4th century AD, there was a surge in Christianity in this region, where Saint Paul is said to have started the church. The 7th and 8th centuries saw the rise of Islam, and the city suffered many raids by the Persians and Arabs.

The outer walls of the castle were built during this time. Between 871-893, Turks and Crusaders took turns occupying the city but in 1127 AD the city was brought under the domination of the Turks and given the name Enguriye. In 1402 as a result of the battle between Yildirim Beyazit and Tamerlane, the city was briefly in the hands of the Mongols. In 1414, however, it came under the rule of the Ottomans. During the war of independence in 1920, Ankara was chosen as a military base and in 1923 was declared the capital by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, due to geographic, strategic and political considerations as well its role in the War of Independence. The foundations of the modern city were then laid, by bringing in city planners from Europe.

What to Buy

Ankara's shopping centres are clustered around Ulus, Kizilay and Kavaklidere. One popular place for visitors is the Cikrikcilar Yokusu and its shops, near Ulus. Around the castle in Ulus, in the area of Cikrikcilar Yokusu and Samanpazari, there are shops which sell traditional handicrafts such as textiles, copper, ceramics, wickerwork and leather, as well as a variety of jewellery, decorations, gift items and all types of antiques.

In the Bakircilar Market, there is a wide selection of goods on offer like souvenirs, antiques and clothes as well as copperware and jewellery. At the end of the ascent to the castle is a small bazaar with stands selling spices, dried fruit and nuts and other products.

Most of the modern shopping centres are in Kizilay, Tunali Hilmi Street and at Atakule in Cankaya. The 125m Atakule dominates the city landscape and from the revolving restaurant there is a breathtaking view of Ankara. The most elite department stores and restaurants in Turkey are in the Karum Mall in Kavaklidere.