Ankara

Ankara is the capital city of Turkey. It is the country's second-largest city after Istanbul. The city has over 5 million people living there.

Ankara was once called Ancyra and Angora. It was the capital of the ancient Celtic state of Galatia and later of the Roman province. The Ottomans made it a capital of some areas. It became the new Turkish capital in 1923.

Today, Ankara is an important city for government, business, and industry. It is in the middle of Turkey's roads and railways. The city is known for its Angora wool and Angora animals. Even though the area is dry, Ankara has many green spaces and universities.

Etymology

The name Ankara has changed over time. In ancient times, it was called Ánkyra in Greek and Ancyra in Latin. After the Seljuk Turks took control in 1073, it became known in many European languages as Angora, and in Ottoman Turkish as Engürü. The name "Angora" is still used today in the names of some animal breeds and places in the United States, like Angora.

History

Main article: History of Ankara

For a chronological guide, see Timeline of Ankara

Ankara has a very long history. Many different groups have lived there, including the Hittites, Phrygians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, and Turks.

The city grew big under the Romans and became an important place for trade and travel. Many buildings from that time are still there today.

Later, Ankara was part of the Byzantine Empire and then the Ottoman Empire. In the early 1920s, it became the capital of modern Turkey after a struggle for independence led by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Since then, Ankara has become a large, modern city with many government buildings.

Geography

Ankara is between the Kızılırmak and Sakarya River. The Sakarya River forms a border with Eskişehir to the west. Ankara shares borders with Bolu and Çankırı to the north, Konya to the south, and Kırıkkale to the east.

Ankara and its area are in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey. The Çubuk Brook runs through the city center and connects to the Ankara River in the west, which is part of the larger Sakarya River system.

Climate

Ankara has cold winters with snow and hot, dry summers. Rain mostly falls in spring and autumn. The city gets about 414 millimeters (16 inches) of rain each year. Temperatures range from 0.9 °C (33.6 °F) in January to 24.3 °C (75.7 °F) in July, with an average of 12.6 °C (54.7 °F) throughout the year.

Demographics

Ankara began with 75,000 people in 1927. By 2022, over 5.7 million people lived in Ankara Province. The city was planned for 500,000 people when it became Turkey's capital in 1923, but it grew faster than expected. Many people moved to the city from the countryside for better lives, building informal homes called gecekondu.

Over time, many of these informal homes were replaced by large housing projects, including tower blocks such as Elvankent, Eryaman, and Güzelkent, as well as housing for military and government workers. Some informal homes are still there, but they are being replaced as the city runs out of space.

Cities like Çorum and Yozgat in Central Anatolia have sent many people to Ankara. The literacy rate for people aged 15 and older in Ankara Province is very high at 98.18%. Ankara also has the most university graduates in Turkey, with about 29% of its people holding a degree.

Economy and infrastructure

Ankara is a good place for growing crops like grain, cotton, and fruits. The city is known for special products, such as mohair from the Angora goat and Angora wool from the Angora rabbit. In the past, Ankara sent goods like goat and cat skins, gum, wax, honey, berries, and madder root to other places. It was linked to Istanbul by train before the First World War.

The area around Ankara is famous for growing grapes and making wine, especially Kalecik Karası and Muscat grapes, as well as Kavaklıdere wine. Ankara is also known for its pears and a special kind of light-colored honey called Ankara Balı, mostly made at the Atatürk Forest Farm and Zoo.

Ankara is an important place for defence and aerospace companies, with many big firms based there. The city also has factories for car and bus makers, like the German company MAN SE. There is a big area called the OSTIM Industrial Zone, which is Turkey’s largest industrial park.

Many people in Ankara work for the government, in offices and ministries. There are also people from other countries working in their embassies.

Transportation

See also: Ankara Metro, Ankara railway station, Ankara Esenboğa Airport, and List of airports in Ankara

The Electricity, Gas, Bus General Directorate (EGO) runs the Ankara Metro and other public transport in the city. Ankara has a suburban railway called Başkentray, one light rail transit line called Ankaray, and two Metro lines. More lines are being planned.

Ankara Central Station is a big train station in Turkey. The Turkish State Railways runs trains from Ankara to cities like Istanbul, Eskişehir, İzmir, Kayseri, Adana, and Kars. Trains also run between Sincan and Kayaş.

Ankara Esenboğa Airport, north-east of the city, is the main airport. The AŞTİ is the main coach terminal.

Ankara public transportation statistics

People in Ankara spend about 71 minutes each weekday using public transport. The average waiting time at a stop or station is sixteen minutes. People usually travel about 9.9 km in one trip.

Esenboğa International Airport

Politics

Since April 8, 2019, the mayor of Ankara has been Mansur Yavaş from the Republican People's Party (CHP). He won the mayoral election that year.

Ankara is an important city in Turkish politics. It is a key area where different political groups compete. The main groups are the ruling conservative AK Party, the opposition Kemalist center-left Republican People's Party (CHP), and the nationalist far-right MHP.

The city is divided into 25 districts. For a long time, the CHP had strong support in the central area of Çankaya, the city's most populous district. However, the AK Party has had the most support overall in Ankara.

Melih Gökçek was the mayor of Ankara from 1994 to 2017. He was re-elected several times. In the 2014 election, he won by a very small margin against Mansur Yavaş. After Gökçek resigned in 2017, Mansur Yavaş became the mayor after winning the election in 2019.

Main sights

The foundations of the Ankara castle and citadel were built by the Galatians and finished by the Romans. The Byzantines and Seljuks added to it later. Around the citadel are many old Turkish houses that are now restaurants. The citadel was shown on Turkish banknotes at different times.

You can see the remains of the Antique Rome theatre of Ankara outside the castle, with Roman statues in the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. The Temple of Augustus and Rome was built after the Roman Empire took over Central Anatolia. The Roman Baths of Ankara have rooms that are cold, warm, and hot. They were built to honor the God of Medicine when the Roman emperor Caracalla ruled.

Kocatepe Mosque, the largest mosque in Ankara, was built between 1967 and 1987. Ahmet Hamdi Akseki Mosque, finished in 2013, can hold many people. The Hacı Bayram Mosque was built in the early 1400s, and the Alâeddin Mosque is Ankara's oldest mosque.

Ankara has many monuments, including the Victory Monument from 1927, which shows Mustafa Kemal Atatürk on horseback. The Hittite Sun Course Monument from 1978 remembers an important ancient civilization.

Historical inns like Suluhan and Çengelhan Rahmi M. Koç Museum show Ottoman architecture and have interesting exhibits.

Shopping

Visitors to Ankara often like to explore old shops on Çıkrıkçılar Yokuşu (Weavers' Road) near Ulus. They can find traditional items like fabrics, hand-woven carpets, and leather products. Bakırcılar Çarşısı (Bazaar of Coppersmiths) is popular for jewelry, carpets, costumes, antiques, and embroidery. Up the hill near the castle gate, shops sell fresh spices, dried fruits, nuts, and local produce.

Modern shopping areas are mainly in Kızılay or along Tunalı Hilmi Avenue. Here you’ll find the modern Karum mall, named after ancient Assyrian merchant colonies called Kârum in central Anatolia from the 2nd millennium BC. In Çankaya, the highest part of the city, Atakule Tower next to Atrium Mall has great views and a revolving restaurant. The Armada Shopping Mall has a large anchor monument.

As Ankara grew in the 1970s, new shopping areas appeared along the western highway, known as the Eskişehir Road. Malls like Armada, CEPA, and Kentpark along the highway, Galleria, Arcadium, and Gordion in Ümitköy, and a large mall called Real in Bilkent Center offer many styles of shopping. The ANKAmall on the Istanbul Highway is the largest mall in Ankara and has many international brands. In 2014, new malls like Next Level and Taurus opened along the Mevlana Boulevard (also called Konya Road).

Culture

Ankara is a rich city for the arts. The Turkish State Opera and Ballet is based here, with three main performance spaces including the Ankara Opera House. The city has five classical music orchestras, such as the Presidential Symphony Orchestra and the Bilkent Symphony Orchestra. There are four concert halls, and many music, theater, and film festivals each year.

Ankara has about 50 museums. One famous museum is the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, which shows artifacts from ancient times. Anıtkabir is the grand mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of Turkey. The Ankara Aviation Museum displays historic airplanes and aviation equipment. Other museums include the modern-art Cermodern, the Ankara Ethnography Museum, and the State Art and Sculpture Museum.

Football is the most popular sport in Ankara. Teams like Gençlerbirliği and Ankaragücü play in Turkey’s top leagues. Ankara also has teams in basketball, volleyball, and ice skating. The THF Sport Hall is a key place for handball games in the city.

Parks

Ankara has many beautiful parks and open spaces. These parks were made when the country started and have grown since then. Some important parks are Gençlik Parkı, which has an amusement park and a large pond for rowing boats, and Kuğulu Park, known for its swans that were a gift from the Chinese government.

Atatürk Forest Farm and Zoo is a big area where families can have fun. It has a zoo, small farms, greenhouses, restaurants, and a dairy farm. Visitors can have picnics, go hiking, bike, and enjoy food like old-fashioned beer and ice cream, fresh dairy products, and meat rolls cooked over charcoal. There is also a copy of the house where the country's leader was born in Thessaloniki, Greece.

Education

Main article: Education in Ankara

Universities

Ankara is famous in Turkey for having many universities. Some of the most well-known ones include:

• Ankara University
• Atılım University
• Başkent University
• Bilkent University
• Çankaya University
• Gazi University
• Hacettepe University
• Middle East Technical University
• TED University
• TOBB University of Economics and Technology
• Ufuk University
• Yıldırım Beyazıt University

Fauna

Angora cat

Main article: Turkish Angora

Ankara is known for a special cat called the Turkish Angora. These cats are from Ankara and the area around it in central Turkey. They have a beautiful white, silky coat. Turkish Angoras can also be black, blue, or reddish. Their eyes may be blue, green, or both colors. They have large, pointed ears and a big head.

Angora goat

Main article: Angora goat

The Angora goat is from Ankara and the surrounding region in Turkey. These goats were brought to Europe in the 1500s and later to the United States. Angora goats are raised for their special coat called mohair, which is very fine and soft. Each goat can produce five to eight kilograms of hair each year. They are sheared twice a year for their mohair.

Angora rabbit

Main article: Angora rabbit

The Angora rabbit is another animal from Ankara and its surrounding area. These rabbits are raised for their long, soft fur called Angora wool. They look like a ball of fur and are usually calm and gentle. Their fur needs regular care to keep it from getting tangled. Angora rabbits have been popular pets for many years and are found all over the world.

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Turkey

Twin towns and sister cities

Ankara has friendly relationships with many cities around the world. Some of these cities are:

• Seoul, South Korea (since 1971)
• Islamabad, Pakistan (since 1982)
• Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (since 1984)
• Beijing, China (since 1990)
• Amman, Jordan (since 1992)
• Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan (since 1992)
• Budapest, Hungary (since 1992)
• Khartoum, Sudan (since 1992)
• Moscow, Russia (since 1992)
• Sofia, Bulgaria (since 1992)
• Havana, Cuba (since 1993)
• Kyiv, Ukraine (since 1993)
• Ashgabat, Turkmenistan (since 1994)
• Kuwait City, Kuwait (since 1994)
• Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina (since 1994)
• Tirana, Albania (since 1995)
• Tbilisi, Georgia (since 1996)
• Ufa, Bashkortostan, Russia (since 1997)
• Alanya, Turkey
• Bucharest, Romania (since 1998)
• Hanoi, Vietnam (since 1998)
• Manama, Bahrain (since 2000)
• Mogadishu, Somalia (since 2000)
• Santiago, Chile (since 2000)
• Astana, Kazakhstan (since 2001)
• Dushanbe, Tajikistan (since 2003)
• Kabul, Afghanistan (since 2003)
• Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia (since 2003)
• Cairo, Egypt (since 2004)
• Chișinău, Moldova (since 2004)
• Sanaa, Yemen (since 2004)
• Tashkent, Uzbekistan (since 2004)
• Pristina, Kosovo (since 2005)
• Kazan, Tatarstan, Russia (since 2005)
• Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (since 2005)
• Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (since 2006)
• Minsk, Belarus (since 2007)
• Zagreb, Croatia (since 2008)
• Damascus, Syria (since 2010)
• Bissau, Guinea-Bissau (since 2011)
• Washington, D.C., US (since 2011)
• Bangkok, Thailand (since 2012)
• Tehran, Iran (since 2013)
• Doha, Qatar (since 2016)
• Podgorica, Montenegro (since 7 March 2019)
• North Nicosia, Cyprus/Northern Cyprus
• Djibouti City, Djibouti (since 2017)

Partner cities

• Skopje, North Macedonia (since 1995)
• Vienna, Austria

List of notable people

Main article: List of people from Ankara

Ankara has been home to many famous people. These people were born in or lived in Ankara. They have done important work in many different areas.