Tourist information -
Ankara
Ankara, formerly Angora, is a city in central Turkey, capital of the country and of Ankara Province. It is principally a residential city and seat of government, but a number of small industries produce carpets, leather goods, wine, farm implements, and cement. Ankara is an important market and processing center for mohair and for the fine fruits and wheat grown in the surrounding region. The city lies on the main east-west rail line across the Anatolia region of Turkey, and is a major crossroads for trade. Tourism is also increasingly important to the local economy. Ankara is a city of contrasts. The old quarter, built around the ruins of an ancient citadel, has narrow, winding streets and crowded buildings. The new city, laid out in 1928, is spacious and well-planned, with broad boulevards, libraries, museums, embassies, government buildings, and fashionable shops and hotels. Ankara is home to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, which contains a notable collection of Hittite artifacts.
Ankara has been a trading center since ancient times. Hittites occupied the site about 2000 BC. They were succeeded by the Phrygians about 1000 BC. Alexander the Great subdued the city in 333 BC; after his death, conquering Gallic tribes (Galatians) made it their capital. Known as Ancyra, it came under Roman rule in 189 BC, and in 25 BC it became capital of the province of Galatia Prima. Later a major city of the Byzantine Empire, it was successively occupied by Persians, Arabs, Seljuk Turks, and Latin Crusaders. The city, renamed Angora by the Seljuks, fell to the Ottoman Turks in 1360. It was occupied briefly by Mongols in 1402, but reverted to the Ottoman Empire the following year. In 1923, after the establishment of the republic of Turkey, Angora succeeded Istanbul as the capital. The name was changed to Ankara in 1930. Some ruins from its long history still remain. |
