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 The legacy of Roman times - the third
century A.D. public baths (built by the Roman Emperor Caracalla), the
fourth century Julian Column and the second-century Temple of Augustus is
located in an area below the citadel, near Ulus Meydani (Nation Square).
The sole surviving "Political Testament of Augustus", a
statement detailing the achievements of the Emperor Augustus, remains
inscribed on the wall of his temple in Ankara. At one time every temple
dedicated to him throughout the Roman Empire bore this document; this is
the only complete copy in existence today. The Galatian king Pylamenes
built the temple as a tribute to Augustus in 10 A.D. and in the second
century, it was re-constructed by the Romans on the ancient Ankara
Acropolis. In the fifth century the Byzantines converted the temple into a
church as the traditional Roman influence on Anatolian art and
architecture starts to decay by the end of 3rd century A.D., a new source
of influence starts to play a dominant role; Christianity and Byzantine.
Early Christian and Byzantine works of art are considered to bean
expressionist interpretation of late Roman art.
Constantinopolis
(Istanbul) built by Emperor Constantine at 330 A.D. became the centre
stone of this emerging new architectural excellence. The Anatolian cities
such as Ephesus, Perge, Sardis, Antakia, Hierapolis and Side soon became
the followers of this spectacular style.
Constantinopolis
became arts and cultural centre of the civilized world between 330-565
A.D. During the reign of Emperor Justinian(527-565 A.D.) early Christian
civilization gained a big momentum and created some of the best landmarks
of the history of civilization. Hagia Sophia, an early basilica erected by
Constantine at 325 and restored many times since then. This church is
accepted as one of the most important monuments of the Byzantine
architecture. Hagia Sophia is a domed basilica and consists of a hall with
exonerate and narthex, a central room with three naves and a gallery, and
a garden surrounding the building. Hagia Sophia is the fourth biggest
basilica following St. Peters in Rome, Duomo in Milan and St.Pauls in
London.
St.John
basilica (Justinian era) and church of Mary (4th and 6th century) in
Ephesus, Alahan church (5th and 6th century) in south Anatolia, St.Mary
Pammakaristos church (1310) and Chora church (late 11th century) are
considered to be the most important and well preserved architectural
masterpieces representing Byzantine style.
Capital
of Turkey with 2,7 million inhabitants. Ankara is situated in the central
of Turkey (Anatolia), and rests at an altitude of almost 1,000 metres
above sea level. Ankara is a very modern city by Turkish standards,
spacious and well planned, with wide boulevards. Ankara is a city with
many green regions, parks and recreation areas in the outskirts.
 Ankara
was made capital after the establishment of Turkey in 1923. Atatúrk
chose the minor city Angora as a new capital, in order to distance the new
state from the Ottoman EmpireMarch 12, 1881, Thessaloniki, (now Greece)-
November 10, 1938, Istanbul) Founder of the modern republic of Turkey. His
original name was Mustafa Kemal, and the honorary title "Atatúrk"
was bestowed upon him as late as 1934, by the Grand National Assembly, and
means "Father of the Turks".
Atatúrk's
achievements were many, but most were formed after clear Western ideals.
Atatúrk meant that the traditional way of running Muslim countries
had outlived itself, and that Turkey's chances of surviving the future as
well as gaining new strength would only be through adopting principles
from the European countries, which at that time had outdistanced Turkey in
all fields. Imposing regulations that hindered the use of central elements
in the Oriental clothing style, introduction of Latin alphabet, reduction
of the centrality of Islam in Turkish public life, equality of all
citizens regardless of religion, emancipation of women, and regular
education of the masses. Atatúrk introduced a political system that
had many elements from Western systems, but he never allowed political
pluralism, allowing only his own Republican People's party. Atatúrk's
system had a unicameral parliament, a government that had to answer to its
achievements, as well as an effective bureaucracy. The modern Turkey was
defined from 6 principles:
The price of Atatúrk's
modernization was principally felt by his political rivals, which he had
removed from power by 1926, when Kemal had them accused of assassination
conspiracy. Atatúrk's Turkey was never established as a democracy,
but it relied heavily on the allegiance from the bureaucracy, and the rich
of the country.
The other victim of
Atatúrk was the traditional way of governing Islam. Islam seized to
be the state religion, and the Caliphate was abolished, an institution of
great symbolic importance for many Muslims inside and outside the former
Ottoman Empire.
BIOGRAPHY:
1881 March 12: Born into a middle class family in Salonika
(today's Greek city of Thessaloniki), of a father who worked as a timber
merchant.
1893: Kemal enters military school in Salonika. Later he went off
to Bitola, now Macedonia.
1899: Kemal starts at the military academy in Istanbul.
1905 January: Kemal graduates from the academy as staff
captain.
1906: While in virtual exile in Syria, Kemal founds the secret
Fatherland and Freedom Society.
1907: Back in Salonika, he joins the Committee of Union and
Progress.
1908: The Committee of Union and Progress performs the young Turks
revolution, but Kemal played only a minor role in this action.
1909: With the coup that ousted the Sultan, Kemal is active.
1911: Kemal fought in Libya against Italy.
November: Kemal is appointed major.
1912: Kemal organised the defence of the Dardanelles in the Balkan
War.
1913 October: Kemal is appointed military attaché in
Bulgaria.
1915: Kemal played a vital role in the Galipolli Campaign, where
Allied invasion was stopped.
1919 May 15: Kemal starts his campaign to oppose the Allied
actions of dismemberment of the old Ottoman Empire. At this time, Kemal
was the inspector of the Third Army in Anatolia, and started operating
contrary to the orders from the sultan's regime in Istanbul, gathering
support from other powers in Turkey.
1920: Sultan's regime in Istanbul signs agreement to leave parts of
Anatolia to the Greeks, as drafted in the Treaty of Sevres.
April: Kemal sets up government in Ankara.
1921 August: Kemal's army wins decisive battle against the
Greeks at Sakarya.
 1922 August: After beating the Greeks in Dumlupinar, Kemal
gets control over Izmir in the following month.
November 1: The sultanate is abolished by the powers around Kemal.
1923 October 29: The republic is declared.
1926: Kemal has established himself as the sole strong man of
Turkey, after putting his strongest competitors in
prison.
1928: Law imposed that no longer defines Islam as the state
religion.
1934: The Grand National Assembly bestows upon Kemal the honorary
title "Atatúrk", meaning, "Father of the
Turks", as an appreciation of his work for establishing the modern
Turkey.
1930s: With the rise of Fascism and Nazism in Europe, Atatúrk
established stronger relationships with Britain and France.
1938 November 10: Atatúrk dies in Istanbul
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