Ankara Map

Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and is the second largest city after Istanbul. It lies in central Anatolia on a high dry plateau with hot summers and cold snowy winters. It is the political heart of the country home to parliament and ministries embassies and many universities and museums. Ankara is a modern city with light boulevards and new districts but it also has an old citadel area. Roman Reigns and the famous mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk founder of modern Turkey.

History

History People have lived in the Ankara area since at least the Stone Age with clear remains from the Bronze Age first up later in the second millennium BC. The powerful Hittite empire controlled this part of central Anatolia. After the Hittites the Phrygians made Ankara one of their important towns. In 333-334 BCE Alexander the Great took the city from Parisians bringing it into the Greek world. In the 3rd century BCE a celtic tribe called the Tectosages settled here they were part of the people known as the Galatians and made their town their capital calling it Ancyra. Because it lay on key trade routes crossing Anatolia the region grew as a commercial centre where goods and cultures from east and the West met. In 25 BCE the Roman emperor Augustus turned Galatia into a Roman province and made Ancyra its capital.

Under Rome the city became rich and important with temple bath theaters and other public buildings. One of the most famous remains from this time is the temple of Augustus whose walls carry the Latin and Greek text of the emperor's res Gestae, a record of his achievements. When the Roman Empire split the region became part of the eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire. Because of its central position it served as military and administrative centre helping to guard the routes between Istanbul eastern Anatolia and the Black Sea. The city suffered from invasion and war especially during conflict between Byzantines Persian and the later Arab forces but it remains inhabited and fortified. In the 11th century after the battle of Manzikert opened much of Anatolia to the turkic groups, Seljuk Turks began to take control of the central regions including Ankara. Over the next century different Turkish principalities and the Byzantine Empire fought for the cities of power changed hands several times. The Ottomans finally secured Ankara in the late 14th century during the time of Sultan Bayezid I. The city was shaken by the defeat of the Sultan at the battle of Ankara in 1402 which took place on the nearby plain and temporarily disrupted Ottoman control.

However after the Ottomans recovered and reunified their land Ankara became a stable provincial town in the empire. Under the Ottoman rule never used the side or fame of Istanbul but it was known for specific products especially the wool from the angora goats rabbits and local textile. These goods were traded widely and even exported to Europe giving the city economic importance beyond its modest size. The town itself remained relatively small, built around the citadel on a hill with winding streets, traditional houses and local markets. At the start of the 20th century Ankara was still a quiet Anatolian town of limited population and mixed Muslim and minority communities fostered the role changed dramatically after World war I when the Ottoman Empire collapsed and the foreign forces occupied parts of Turkey. Mustafa Kemal chose Ankara as the center of the Turkish national movement because it was an interior away from occupying armies on the coast and close to Anatolian support base. During the Turkish war of independence it became the headquarters of the nationalist government and the grand in the National Assembly. On 13 October 1923 just before the Republic of Turkey was officially proclaimed Ankara was declared the new capital replacing Istanbul and symbolizing a break from the old Ottoman rule. Once it became the capital Ankara changed from a small town into a planned modern city. In the 1920s and 30s urban planners designed the venue, government district and new neighborhood often in the modernist style to express the young Republic ideals. Ministries, embassies , universities and cultural institutions were built which turned it into an administrative and political heart of the country.

Culture

Culture The culture of Ankara blends traditional Anatolian roots with the modern urban life of Turkey. Daily systems center on hospitality where the locals invite guests for tea often refusing at first shows politeness before accepting. Families gathered for meals using only the right hand for shared dishes and removing shoes at home entrances is common.

Food reflects the regional diversity with staples like kebabs, kofte meatballs, borek pastries, pilaf rice and hearty soups such as ezogelin lentil. Sweets like baklava with nuts and syrup and gatherings, little coffee houses buzz with conversation and games. The religion shapes rhythm especially Islam with mosques called to prayer and Ramadan feast breaking the fast community. Festivals include spring fire jumping in some media then national holidays. The Turkish bath serves as a social hub for steam scrub and massage, a holdover from Ottoman times. Art drives through museums like the anatolia civilizations showcasing ancient craft pottery and carpet weaving into the geometric pontiff. Folk music with saz lute And dance mark weddings and events while modern theater and concerts filled the universities.

In public modest dress supplies near mosques public affection stays private and bargaining spices market chats. The region is also famous for fruits especially apples which appear in desert and local dishes. Handicraft like weaving woodwork and pottery skills exist even in small workshops or as souvenirs for tourists rather than building time village crafts.

Language

Geography

Geography Ankara is in central Turkey in the region called central Anatolia. It sits on a wide high plateau about 900 meters above sea level which means it is quite elevated compared to the coastal cities. The land around the city is mostly open rolling hills and plains with some low mountains and the ridges in the distance. There are no big forests or lakes inside the city so the landscape can look dry or brown especially in the summers. Few rivers and streams cut through the area but they re not large water bodies. The location in the middle of Anatolia makes it kind of a crossroad. Major roads and railways connected to Istanbul in the northwest, Izmir In the West and eastern and southern Turkey so it is easy to travel from Ankara to different parts of the country. The city has grown far out from the old hilltop citadel into the surrounding plains with new district industrial zones and suburbs spreading in all directions.

Because the ground is open and not very steep in many places it has been simple to build wide roads and modern neighborhoods. The climate is continental meaning hard dry summer and cold winter with snow. The daytime temperature often rises well above 30 C but nights can be cooler because of the height above sea level and relatively low humidity. Rain is limited in summer so the air and the land become dry and dusty and the hills around turn yellow or light brown. Winters are quite cold compared to many other Turkish cities. The temperature often falls below 80 C and the snow is common, sometimes staying on the ground for weeks or days. The cold can feel strong because of winds blowing over an open plateau. Spring and autumn are the most pleasant seasons with mild temperatures and more rain. Most of the yearly rainfall comes in these seasons often as showers or storms which briefly turned the surrounding area greener. Official Name Ankara Location Central part of Anatolia Area 4130 sq.

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