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Ankara

The city of Ankara lies in the center of Anatolia on the eastern edge of the great, high Anatolian Plateau, at an altitude of 850 meters. It is the center of the province of the same name, which is a predominantly fertile wheat steppe-land with forested areas in its northeast region. It is bordered by the provinces of Cankiri and Bolu to the north, Eskisehir to the west, Konya and Aksaray to the south, and Kirikkale and Kirsehir to the east.

The region's history goes back to the Bronze Age; Hatti Civilization, which was succeeded in the 2nd millennium BC by the Hittites, then the Phrygians (10th century BC); Lydians and Persians followed. After these came the Galatians, a Celtic race who were the first to make Ankara their capital (3rd century BC). It was then known as Ancyra, meaning anchor. The town subsequently fell to the Romans, Byzantines, and Selcuks under ruler Alparslan in 1073, and then to the Ottomans under sultan Yildirim Beyazit in 1402, who remained in control until the First World War.

The town, once an important trading center on the caravan route to the east, had declined in importance by the nineteenth century. It became an important center again when Kemal Ataturk chose it as the base from which to direct the War of Liberation. In consequence of its role in the war and its strategic position, it was declared the capital of the new Turkish Republic on the 13th October,1923.


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

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.
 

The Temple of Augustus

Situated adjacent to the Haci Bayram Mosque in Ulus, the temple was built in the 2nd century BC in honour of the Phrygian Goddess Men. The remains of the temple we see today are those of the temple built in honour of the Roman Emperor Augustus as a sign of fidelity by the King Pylamenes, the son of the Celtic ruler Amintos. During Byzantine times windows and other additions were made and it was turned into a church.
The perimeter is made up on four walls lined with columns, and around it are the column holders: 15 down the length of each side, six along the width, four in front of the temple door and two in the back. The only standing part of the temple is the door with its ornately carved posts. A copy of Emperor Augustus's last will and testament, the original of which is found in the Temple in Rome, enumerates his accomplishments and is located on the temple wall adjacent to the tomb.
 

Julian's Column

This is located beside the pool between the financial directorate and the governor's building.. It is about 15m high, with a number of rings along its length, and has no inscriptions. It is said to have been set up in honour of Emperor Julian when he passed through Ankara (361-363 AD). It is known locally as the Belkis Minaret.
 

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 date 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 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 Roman Theatre

Located between Hisar and Pinar streets, the theare was first discovered in 1982 and a salvage excavation began on March 15 1983 by the Museum Administration. The Museum of Anatolian Civilizations continued the excavations until 1986. What was uncovered was the remains of a typical Roman theatre dating back to the 2nd century AD. In addition to a number of statues and statue pieces, all that remains are the foundations and walls of what was once a vaulted parados building, orchestra, amphitheatre and a stage.

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.

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