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Ankara - Culture |
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Turkey's
capital, Ankara, despite its long history, is a thoroughly modern,
well-planned city. Its wide avenues, green parks, elegant shops, embassies
and government buildings, and a large number of first class restaurants
and hotels distinguish the city. The city has been continuously
inhabited since the Bronze Age. The very fine Museum of Anatolian
Civilizations details the ebb and flow of cultures that have passed
through the area, from the Hittites, the Phrygians, Lydians and Persians
to the Galatians, Romans, Byzantines, Seljuk Turks and Ottomans. A small
provincial town until Kemal Ataturk named it the capital of the new
Republic on October 13, 1923, Ankara developed very quickly. It is the
only city in Turkey with an urban development plan dating back to the
1930s. Ataturk's Mausoleum dominates the modern part of Ankara. The
imposing limestone structure, completed in 1953, represents a fusion of
ancient and modern architectural concepts. In addition to the numerous
mosques, museums and recreational areas, visitors enjoy touring the
Citadel and browsing through the old shops in Cikricilar Yokusu near the
Ulus area. On the street of Bakircilar Carsisi, you can find many
interesting old and new items: copper objects, jewellery, carpets,
costumes, antiquities and embroidery. In Cankaya, the Atakule Tower, 125
meters tall, offers a magnificent view of the city.
Visitors
to the city usually like to browse through the old shops in Cikrikcilar
Yokusu near Ulus. On the street of coppersmiths, Bakircilar Carsisi, you
can find many interesting old and new items, not only of copper but
jewellery, carpets, costumes, antiquities and embroidery. A walk up the
hill to the Cit adel Gate takes you past many interesting stalls and
vendors selling spices, dried fruits, nuts and all manner of produce.
Modern shopping areas are mostly found in Kizilay, on Tunali Hilmi Avenue
and in the Atakule Tower in Cankaya. The top of Atakule, at 125 meters,
offers a magnificent view over the whole city. Its excellent revolving
restaurant allows you to enjoy the complete view in a leisurely fashion.
In the new Karum shopping mall, in Kavaklidere, some of Turkey's most chic
clothing stores tempt the passer-by. Ankara
has an active artistic and cultural life with world-class performances of
ballet, modern dance, jazz, theatre, opera and folk dancing. The city is
especially well known for its Philharmonic Orchestra, which attracts a
loyal following. Ankara hosts two international festivals in April: "
The Arts and Music Festival", and the world-famous "April 23rd
International Children's Festival". Also,
the mosaics covering the church walls reflect a very powerful aspect of
Byzantine-Christian art form. Icons, wall paintings and colorful brick
lying are still visible on the walls of Byzantine buildings today. Silver
and golden plates and jewelry remained from this age represent a strong
tradition of master ship on jewelry making. |
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Today's
geography quiz takes us to a city called "the melting pot of east and
west." It replaced Istanbul as Turkey's capital seventy-five years
ago. The city is Ankara, where you'll find plenty of European charm as
well as plenty of American fast food. But one authentic culinary
experience you can easily find in Ankara is pudding -- including one
that's dairy-free and lightly seasoned with saffron.
