Ankara

Basics

Ankara is the capital of Turkey, and also an important commercial and industrial city. It is the second largest city after İstanbul. Generally international travellers don’t visit Ankara too much, it is quite far from attractive places for touristic purposes, the city itself grew after 1930’s as a new capital of modern Turkey with all new buildings that represent Turkish modernity process of republic era.

Tips

• Try the Turkish waterpipe (nargile) in a good cafe in Kızılay.
• Taste 'rakı', a Turkish alcoholic beverage which is very famous and special
• Eat meatballs between bread at AOÇ, it also has a very famous ice-cream,
• Drink turkish coffee, then have your fortune told (some kind of a tasseography, but done with coffe grains instead of tea leaves)

Public Transportation

EGO (the bus line) operates the public transportation. There are currently two subway lines in the city and three more are under construction.

CouchSurfers

There are 408 couchsurfers living in Ankara with a CS group "Ankara"[1]

Meetings

soon!

Attractions and Things to See and Do

Anıtkabir is located on an imposing hill in the Anittepe quarter of the city stands the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder of the Republic of Turkey. Completed in 1953, it is an impressive fusion of ancient and modern architecture. An adjacent museum houses a superior 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.

The Ankara Ethnography Museum (Etnoğrafya Müzesi)There is a fine collection of folkloric as well as Seljuk- and Ottoman-era artifacts.

The Museum of Anatolian Civilizations (Anadolu Medeniyetleri Müzesi) Situated at the Ankara Castle entrance, it is an old "bedesten" (covered bazaar) that has been beautifully restored and now houses a unique collection of Paleolithic, Neolithic, Hatti, Hittite, Phrygian, Urartian, and Roman works and showpiece Lydian treasures.

Ankara Citadel The foundations of the citadel were laid by the Galatians on a prominent lava outcrop, and the rest was completed by the Romans. The area around and inside the citadel, being the oldest part of Ankara, contains many fine examples of traditional architecture. There are also recreational areas to relax. Many restored traditional Turkish houses inside the citadel area have found new life as restaurants, serving local cuisine, music and of course, Rakı.

Atakule Tower is a 125 m. high communications and observation tower in Ankara, Turkey, built in 1989. The top section of the tower houses an open terrace, the tower has a magnificent view over the whole city. The bottom structures house a shopping mall and several indoor and outdoor restaurants.

Çıkrıkçılar Yokuşu (Weavers' road) The old shops in 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.

Suburbs

There are some important spots around the city, Beypazari (100km) a town with traditional houses, Gordium-and Tumulus of King Midas- (70km), national parks, ski centers, ancient ruins and UNESCO world heritige sites like Hattusa, Cappadocia, Safranbolu etc.

Trivia

The city was formerly known as Angora or Engürü, and in Roman times as Ancyra, and in classical and Hellenistic periods as Άγκυρα Ánkyra. The city was famous for its long-haired goat and its wool (Angora wool), a unique breed of cat (Ankara cat - Turkish Angora), white rabbits, pear, honey, and the region's muscat grapes.

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