Difference between revisions of "Ankara" - New World Encyclopedia
| Line 71: | Line 71: | ||
[[Image:Roman_Baths_of_Ankara.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Another view of the Roman Bath]] | [[Image:Roman_Baths_of_Ankara.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Another view of the Roman Bath]] | ||
[[Image:Roman_Amphitheater_in_Ankara.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Ruins of the Roman amphitheater]] | [[Image:Roman_Amphitheater_in_Ankara.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Ruins of the Roman amphitheater]] | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Archeological sites== | ||
At the heart of modern Ankara is Atatürk's mausoleum, [[Anıtkabir]]. It is located on an imposing hill in the ''Anittepe'' quarter of the city stands and is a place of pilgrimage for all Turks. Completed in 1953, it is an impressive fusion of ancient and modern architecture. An adjacent museum houses a wax statue of Atatürk, his writings, letters and personal items, as well as an exhibition of photographs recording important moments in his life and in the establishment of the Republic. | At the heart of modern Ankara is Atatürk's mausoleum, [[Anıtkabir]]. It is located on an imposing hill in the ''Anittepe'' quarter of the city stands and is a place of pilgrimage for all Turks. Completed in 1953, it is an impressive fusion of ancient and modern architecture. An adjacent museum houses a wax statue of Atatürk, his writings, letters and personal items, as well as an exhibition of photographs recording important moments in his life and in the establishment of the Republic. | ||
Revision as of 19:36, 29 August 2007
 Ankara
| |
|---|---|
| Ankara City Center | |
Coat of Arms of Ankara Municipality | |
| Location in Turkey | |
 | |
| Overview | |
| Province | Ankara Province |
| Population | 4,319,167 (2005)
[] |
| Elevation | 850 m |
| Coordinates | |
| Postal code | 06x xx |
| Area code | 0312 |
| Licence plate code | 06 |
| Mayor | İ. Melih Gökçek (Justice and Development Party) |
| Website | http://www.ankara.bel.tr/ |
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after İstanbul. The city is located in the northwestern part of the country, and has a population (as of 2005) of 4,319,167 (Province 5,153,000), and a mean elevation of 850 m (2800 ft). It was formerly known as Angora. The Hittites gave it the name Ankuwash [1], the Galatians and Romans called it Ancyra, and in the classical, Hellenistic, and Byzantine periods it was known as Ἄγκυρα Ánkyra. Ankara also serves as the capital of the Province of Ankara.
Centrally located in Anatolia, Ankara is an important commercial and industrial city. It is the center of the Turkish Government, and houses all foreign embassies. It is an important crossroads of trade, strategically located at the center of Turkey's highway and rail network, and serves as the marketing center for the surrounding agricultural area. Some of Turkey’s largest construction companies are based in Ankara, as are important defense industries such as the joint Turkish-American venture TUSAŞ Aerospace Industries, Incorporated. The city was famous for its long-haired Angora goat and its prized wool (mohair), a unique breed of cat (Angora cat), white rabbits and their prized wool (Angora wool), pears, honey, and the region's muscat grapes.
Ankara is situated upon a steep and rocky hill, which rises 500 ft. above the plain on the left bank of the Enguri Su, a tributary of the Sakarya (Sangarius) river. The city is located at 39°52'30" North, 32°52' East () and lies about 125 miles (200 km) south of the Black Sea. The city is one of the driest places in Turkey and is surrounded by a barren featureless steppe vegetation, with various Hittite, Phrygian, Greek, Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman archaeological sites. It has a harsh, dry continental climate with cold, snowy winters and hot, dry summers. Rainfall occurs mostly during spring and autumn.
The hill is crowned by the ruins of the old castle, which adds to the picturesqueness of the view; little else is preserved of the old town, which was not well built. Many of its houses were constructed of sun-dried mud bricks along narrow streets. [citation needed] There are, however, many finely preserved remains of Greek, Roman and Byzantine architecture, the most remarkable being the Temple of Augustus (20 B.C.E.) also known as the Monumentum Ancyranum[1]
History
The region's vibrant history can be traced back to the Bronze Age Hatti civilization, which was succeeded in the 2nd millennium B.C.E. by the Hittites, in the 10th century B.C.E. by the Phrygians, then by the Lydians and Persians.
Historically viewed, the city was expanded and took the form of a known city mainly by the Greeks of Pontos who came there and developed the city as a trading center for commerce of goods between the Black Sea ports, Crimea, Armenia, Georgia on the north; Assyria, Cyprus, and Lebanon to the south and Persia to the east. By that period the city took also its name "Áγκυρα"-"Àngyra" that it is used until today by the Turks. It is said that a part of population came from "Γόρδιον"-"Gòrdio(n)" after an earthquake which took place in antiquity.
Persian sovereignty lasted until the Persians' defeat at the hands of the Macedonian king Alexander the Great. In 333 B.C.E., Alexander came from Gordium to Ankara and stayed in the city for a period of time. After his death at Babylon in 323 B.C.E. and the subsequent division of his empire amongst his generals, Ankara and its environs fell into the share of Antigonus. In 278 B.C.E., Ankara was occupied by the Gaulish race of Galatians, who were the first to make Ankara their capital. It was then known as Ancyra, meaning "anchor" in Greek. Ankara's organized and written history starts with the Galatians.
The city subsequently fell to the Roman Empire in 189 B.C.E. and became the capital of the Roman province of Galatia. Under Roman rule, Ankara became a gate to the east for Rome, and as such was well developed, achieving the status of "city-state" or polis. The city's military as well as logistical significance lasted well into the long Byzantine reign, even after its capital was moved to Constantinople. Although Ankara fell into the hands of several Arab armies numerous times after the 6th century, it remained an important crossroads polis within the Byzantine Empire until the late 11th century.
In 1071 Seljuk Sultan Alparslan threw open the door to Anatolia for the Turks by his victory at Malazgirt. He then annexed Ankara, an important location for military transportation and natural resources, to Turkish territory in 1073. Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos recaptured the city from the Turks during the First Crusade; the city was held by the Byzantines until the end of the twelfth century, when it passed out of Byzantine control forever. Orhan I, second "bey" of the Ottoman Empire captured the city in 1356. Another Turkic leader, Timur Lenk besieged Ankara as part of his campaign in Anatolia, but in 1403 Ankara was again under Ottoman control. Ankara was the center of an Ankara Province in the later years of the empire.
At the close of World War I, Turkey was under the control of the Ottoman sultan and having lost the war, was being shared by Greeks, French, British, and Italians. The leader of the Turkish nationalists, Kemal Atatürk established the headquarters of his resistance movement in Ankara in 1919 (See Treaty of Sèvres and Turkish War of Independence). After the War of Independence was won and the Ottoman Empire was dissolved, Turkey was declared a republic on October 29, 1923, Ankara having replaced İstanbul (formerly Constantinople) as the capital of the new Republic of Turkey on October 13, 1923.
After Ankara became the capital of the newly founded Republic of Turkey, new developments divided the city into an old section, called Ulus, and a new section, called Yenişehir. Ancient buildings reflecting Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman history and narrow winding streets mark the old section. The new section, now centered around Kızılay, has the trappings of a more modern city: wide streets, hotels, theaters, shopping malls, and high-rises. Government offices and foreign embassies are also located in the new section.
Modern Ankara
While Istanbul is steeped in centuries of history, and remains the country's business and financial center, Ankara today is the showcase of modern Turkey. Modern Ankara is a planned city. When the Republic's founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk declared it the new nation's capital, it was a dusty Anatolian backwater of 30,000 people. He brought urban planners from Europe who created a city of broad avenues, green parks, and an artificial lake, all surrounded by modern residential and diplomatic residences.
Archeological sites
At the heart of modern Ankara is Atatürk's mausoleum, Anıtkabir. It is located on an imposing hill in the Anittepe quarter of the city stands and is a place of pilgrimage for all Turks. Completed in 1953, it is an impressive fusion of ancient and modern architecture. An adjacent museum houses a wax statue of Atatürk, his writings, letters and personal items, as well as an exhibition of photographs recording important moments in his life and in the establishment of the Republic.
Ankara's premier museum is the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations (Anadolu Medeniyetleri Müzesi). It is housed in a restored Ottoman covered market. It houses a unique collection of Paleolithic, Neolithic, Hatti, Hittite, Phrygian, Urartian, and Roman works and showpiece Lydian treasures.
The War of Independence Museum (Kurtuluş Savaşı Müzesi): In Ulus Square, is what was originally the first parliament building of the Republic of Turkey. The War of Independence was planned and directed here as recorded in various photographs and items presently on exhibition. In another display, wax figures of former presidents of the Republic of Turkey are on exhibit.
The Ankara Citadel (Ankara Kalesi)is the oldest part of the city, and rises on a hill 978 meters high. It has hosted several civilizations at various periods of history. The foundations of the citadel were laid by the Galatians on a prominent lava outcrop. During the Galatian period the castle was enlarged and city walls added and brought to a position completely overlooking the town, and the rest was completed by the Romans. The Byzantines and Seljuk Turks made further restorations and additions.
Roman Ankara was a city of some importance, and several significant Roman structures remain, including a Roman Theater, Temple of Augustus, Roman Bath and the Column of Julian. This column, in Ulus, was erected in 362, to commemorate a visit by the Roman Emperor Julian, nephew of Constantine the Great and Rome's last pagan emperor. It stands fifteen meters high and has a typical leaf decoration on the capital.
Haci Bayram Mosque [2]: This mosque, in Ulus quarter next to the Temple of Augustus, was built in the early 15th century in Seljuk style by an unknown architect. It was subsequently restored by architect Sinan in the 16th century, with Kütahya tiles being added in the 18th century. The mosque was built in honor of Haci Bayram Veli, whose tomb is next to the mosque, two years before his death (1427-28). Open space of this mosque is 437 square meter at first floor and 263 square meter at second floor.
Parks
Ankara has many parks and open spaces mainly established in the early years of the Republic and well maintained and expanded thereafter. The most important of these parks are: Gençlik Park (houses an amusement park with a large pond for rowing), the Botanical Garden, Seğmenler Park, Anayasa Park, Kuğulu Park (famous for the swans received as a gift from the Chinese government), Abdi Ipekci Park, Güven Park (see above for the monument), Kurtuluş Park (has an ice-skating rink), Altın Park (also a prominent exposition/fair area), Harikalar Diyari (claimed to be Biggest Park of Europe inside city borders) and Göksu Park.
- Atatürk Farm and Zoo (Atatürk Orman Çiftliği, AOÇ): an expansive recreational farming area housing a zoo, several small agricultural farms, greenhouses, restaurants, a dairy farm and a brewery. It is a pleasant place to spend a day with family, be it for having picnics, hiking, biking or simply enjoying good food and nature. There is also an exact replica of the house where Atatürk was born in 1881, in Thessaloniki, Greece. Visitors to the "Çiftlik" (farm) as it is affectionately called by Ankarans, can sample such famous products of the farm such as old-fashioned beer and ice cream, fresh dairy products and meat rolls/kebaps made on charcoal, at traditional restaurant (Merkez Lokantasi, Central Restaurant), cafés and other establishments scattered in the farm.
Shopping
Foreign visitors to Ankara usually like to visit the old shops in Çıkrıkçılar Yokuşu (Weavers' road) near Ulus, where a myriad of things ranging from traditional fabrics, hand-woven carpets and leather products can be found for bargain prices. Bakırcılar Çarşısı (Bazaar of coppersmiths) is particularly popular, and many interesting items, not just of copper, can be found here like jewelry, carpets, costumes, antiques and embroidery. Up the hill to the castle gate, there are many shops selling a huge and fresh collection of spices, dried fruits, nuts, and other produce.
Modern shopping areas are mostly found in Kızılay, or on Tunalı Hilmi Avenue, including the modern mall of Karum which is located to the end of the Avenue; and in the Atakule Tower in Çankaya. Çankaya being the quarter with the highest elevation in the city, the tower has a magnificent view over the whole city, and also has a revolving restaurant at the top where the complete panorama can be enjoyed in a more leisurely fashion.
As Ankara started expanding westward in the 1970s, there are several modern, suburbia-style developments and mini-cities along the western highway, also known as Eskişehir road. The Armada mall on the highway, the Galleria in Ümitköy, and a huge mall in Bilkent Center offering North American and European style mall-shopping opportunities (These can be reached following the Eskişehir highway). There is also the newly expanded Ankamall on the outskirts following the Istanbul highway which houses most well-known European brands. This mall is the largest in the Ankara region.
Universities
Ankara is known for the multitude of universities it is home to. These include the following, several of them being among the most reputable of the country:
- Ankara University [3] (Ankara Üniversitesi)
- Atılım University [4] (Atılım Üniversitesi)
- Başkent University [5] (Başkent Üniversitesi)
- Bilkent University [6] (Bilkent Üniversitesi)
- Çankaya University [7] (Çankaya Üniversitesi)
- Gazi University [8] (Gazi Üniversitesi)
- Gulhane Military Academy of Medicine [9] (Gulhane Askeri Tip Akademisi)
- Hacettepe University [10] (Hacettepe Üniversitesi)
- Middle East Technical University [11] (Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi)
- TOBB Economics And Technology University [12] (TOBB Ekonomi ve Teknoloji Üniversitesi)
- Ufuk University [13] (Ufuk Üniversitesi)
Transportation
Esenboğa International Airport, located in the north of the city, is the main airport of Ankara.
Ankara Intercity Bus Terminal (Turkish: Ankara Şehirlerarası Terminal İşletmesi, AŞTİ) is an important part of the bus network which covers every neighbourhood in the city.
The central train station "Ankara Garı" of Turkish Republic Railways (Turkish: Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Devlet Demiryolları, TCDD) is an important hub connecting western and eastern parts of the country.
EGO (Elektrik Gaz Otobüs) operates the public transportation. There are currently two subway lines in the city and three more are under construction.
Sports
The city has three football clubs currently competing in the Turkcell Super League: Gençlerbirliği (finished 5th in the league), Büyükşehir Belediye Ankaraspor (finished 7th in the league), and Ankaragücü (finished 13th in the league). 19 Mayis Stadium is the venue for football games. In the Turkish Basketball League, Ankara is represented by Türk Telekom.
There are many popular spots for skateboarding which is active in the city since the early 1980s. Skaters in Ankara usually meet in the park near the parliament building.
Other
Ankara Kedisi (Turkish Angora Cat)
Ankara is also home to a world famous cat breed — the Turkish Angora, called "Ankara Kedisi" in Turkish. They are medium to small in size, longhaired, long-bodied, relatively fine-boned. Besides their beauty and the athletic grace, Turkish Angora cats are also well known for their intelligence. For instance, it is not uncommon for an Angora cat to play fetch or to open doors.
Views of Ankara
- Armada Mall and Tower in Ankara.jpg
Armada Tower & Mall, "Europe's Best Mall 2003"
- Akman Tower in Ankara.jpg
Contemporary architecture in Ankara
- Karum Shopping Mall and Sheraton Hotel in Ankara.jpg
Karum Shopping Mall and Sheraton Hotel
- Atakule Tower on a snowy day.jpg
Atakule Tower on a snowy winter day
- Ankara.jpg
View of central Ankara from the Botanical Garden
- Ankara Painting and Sculpture Museum.jpg
State Art and Sculpture Museum
- Ziraat Bank Building in Ankara.jpg
Ziraat Bank Headquarters
- State Theater Building in Ankara.jpg
State Theater Building
- The former Ministry of Finance Building in Ankara.jpg
Former Ministry of Finance Building
- Ankara Palas Hotel.jpg
Ankara Palas Hotel
- Türkiye İş Bankası Building in Ankara.jpg
Türkiye İş Bankası
- Central Ankara.jpg
Buildings of central Ankara
- Kızılay Square in central Ankara.jpg
Kızılay Square
- Modern buildings on Kızılay Square in Ankara.jpg
Modern buildings on Kızılay Square
- Turkish Parliament in Ankara.jpg
Turkish Parliament
- Neoclassical buildings and Sheraton Hotel in central Ankara.jpg
Sheraton Hotel
- Sheraton Hotel and Beymen Building in Ankara.jpg
Sheraton Hotel and Beymen Building
- Distant view of Armada Tower in Ankara.jpg
Distant view of Armada Tower
- Atakule Tower Ankara.jpg
Atakule Tower in central Ankara
- Atakule Tower and Mall in Ankara.jpg
Atakule Tower & Mall
- Ankara subway interior view.jpg
Ankara subway train
- Triangular fountain in Ankara.jpg
Triangular fountain in central Ankara
- Dikmen Ankara.jpg
Dikmen Valley, an urban renewal project of Ankara
- Dikmen Valley in Ankara.jpg
Dikmen Valley
- Atakule Ankara.jpg
View of Atakule Tower
- Cafes on Arjantin Avenue in Ankara.jpg
Cafés on Arjantin Avenue
- Ankara Esenboga Airport.jpg
Esenboğa International Airport
- Esenboga Ankara.jpg
Esenboğa International Airport
- Esenboga Airport in Ankara.jpg
Esenboğa International Airport
- Esenboga International Airport.jpg
Esenboğa International Airport
- Ankara skyline from above.gif
Ankara skyline
- Ankara skyline.gif
Ankara skyline
Sister Cities
|
|
See also
- Synod of Ancyra
- State Art and Sculpture Museum
- Museum of Anatolian Civilizations
- Ankara Ethnography Museum
- Names of European cities in different languages
- Names of Asian cities in different languages
- Turkish Angora cat
Famous people from Ankara
- Ekrem Bora
- Can Dündar
- Çilekeş
- Nil Karaibrahimgil
- Funda Arar
- Filiz Akın
- Hande Dalkılıç
- İdil Biret
- Özlem Tekin
- Pilli Bebek
- Joe Strummer
- Vehbi Koç
- Vedat Dalokay
- maNga
- Yağmur Sarıgül
- Yasemin Dalkılıç
- Zerrin Özer
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
"Ankara," Encyclopedia Britannica. 2007 Deluxe DVD Edition. ASIN B000GCBOJ8
Brosnahan, Tom, Yale, Pat. Turkey: A Lonely Planet travel survival kit. London: Lonely Planet Publications, paperback 1996. ISBN 0864423640
"Ankara," Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia 2007
Chapin Metz, Helen, editor. Turkey: A country study. Federal Research Division, Library of Congress. 1995 ISBN 1579800556
U.S. Department of State, Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs. Background Note: Turkey. June 2007 http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3432.htm#history
"Turkey," Central intelligence Agency. The World Factbook 2007. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/tu.html
External links
- Esenboga Ankara Airport
- Municipality of Ankara
- Governor of Ankara
- Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism's Ankara page
- Ankara Weather Forecast Information
Template:Districts of Turkey
Credits
New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here:
The history of this article since it was imported to New World Encyclopedia:
Note: Some restrictions may apply to use of individual images which are separately licensed.
