News From the Interzone : Ankara, Turkey, January 2001
Well now, allow me to continue from where I left off--
Anyways, Ankara. Ankara is the capital of Turkey. Although it had existed for millennia Ankara has gained perhaps the most prominence in this century when Ataturk made it the capital and symbol of his secular vision of Turkey. The Hittites first built Ankara aroud 1200 b.c.e. It had an important position between the then capital of Hattushash and Sardis and it remained important under the Phrygians and Lydians, and both Alexander and the Persians used it as a staging point for their traversals of Anatolia. Later rampaging Gauls invaded the region and made it their capital before finally being defeated by the Romans. The Pontic king Mithradates of Sinop was defeated by Pompeius Magnus just north of the city in 74 b.c.e.
By 24 b.c.e. the city and province were incorporated into the Roman empire under Augustus (the city under the name Sebaste- gk. >read 'August'), and indeed one of the most important extant buildings in the city is the Temple of Augustus which contains the most complete copy of the Res Gestae Divi Augusti, the emperor's political testament and autobiography.
Although sometimes threatened by the Persians, Ankara flourished under the Byzantines- however beginning in the 5th century central Anatolia was the scene of repeated wars and the rampages of conquering armies- Persians, Arabs, Crusaders, Mongols, more Mongols, and various waves of Turkish invaders most importantly the Seljuks whose vast empire stretched from central Asia to central Anatolia. They took the city of Ankara in 1071 c.e. It remained a center of Seljuk power until by 1361 c.e. it was taken from them by the growing Ottoman regime based in Bursa. It fell again to Tamerlane in 1402 but he died a few year later and it passed back into Ottoman hands. It was really no more than a provincial backwater during most of this time, famous only for its wool (Angora wool- now produced almost exclusively for export and, oddly enough, difficult to find in Ankara itself). On October 13, 1923 the Turkish parliament ratified it as the offical capital of the Turkish republic. Ataturk wanted first of all a central location from which to administer Turkey, and secondly to escape from the paralyzing power of the clerics and merchants of Old Istanbul. The modern city reflects its once backwater status and the efforts of Ataturk and his successors to modernize it. In many ways it is the most modern of Turkish cities with boulevards, shopping malls, cafes and boutiques; however much of the city is ringed by gecekondu squatter settlements, massive shanty towns whose enormous political constituencies guarantee their survival- especially in the current economic and political climate.
I arrived late in Ankara so, rather than disturb my friends, I went to Ulus, the center of the old city where most of the ancient monuments are extant (this is where most tourists stay when visiting Ankara and it is really not good PR for the city... despite the historical importance of the area I would recommend that first time visitors stay elsewhere and go to Ulus for sightseeing- it's not dangerous, just chaotic and unsightly). I checked into the Hittite hotel, recommended to me by its name more than anything else... Well, I don't think that this place has really changed since the bronze age really- not uncomfortable but a little worn around the edges... but it was warm which was welcome on a very cold and windy night (Ankara can be one of the coldest places in Anatolia in the winter)... In the morning after contacting friends and making arrangements to meet I went to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations...
This is absolutely one of the top museums of antiquities in the world - it definitely has the largest and best collection of Hittite materials anywhere on earth. The museum is well arranged and generally informative, set out in a generally chronological fashion starting with a collection of materials from Catal Huyuk, probably the oldest city in Anatolia and one of the oldest organized settlements in the world (c.6500-6000 b.c.e.)- the central galleries are filled with Hittite stuff- lots of monolithic heads and friezes of gods, ornate with lengthy hieroglyphic inscriptions. There is also an entire gallery filled with Phrygian stuff- removed from the mounds of Gordion and its surrounding regions. This was the culture of Midas whose touch turned all to gold... it is thought that this legend developed because the area is rich in gold, silver and platinum... the successors of the Phrygians, the Lydians, were the first culture to mint coinage... in any case the funerary practices of these people display a rich civilization- massive mounds filled with grave goods... many of the tombs themselves were lined with cedar wood- still extant today... the chambers still reek of the cedar... among the finer pieces on display here are intricately carved furniture and implements of various sorts. In the basement there is a small but decent collection of classical antiquities, numismatics, and some paleontological material...
After my visit to the museum, my real adventures in Ankara began. I went into the garden to wait for a friend who was coming to pick me up. As I was waiting I talked with a couple of the guides who worked at the museum. They informed me of current projects at the museum as well as filled me in on details of the collections I wouldn't have learned otherwise. After several cups of tea (all serious conversation in Turkey requires the consumption of several liters or more of strong tea), I got a little antsy so I went outside to play some Hackey-sack. I ended up playing with some guards and some visiting Turkish girls, who all asked me eagerly of my travels and how I had learned Turkish, etc, etc.. I also attracted the attention of a school group and soon found myself surrounded with about 30 or so young girls who all insisted on telling me their names and what they were going to be when they grew up. This was a very heartwarming experience, and the sort of thing that happens in Turkey with increasingly greater frequency as you travel further and further east.
Eventually my friend Nida came and picked me up and we went and picked up my gear from the Hittites and we went to my friend Jo's apartment where I stayed for nine days. This was quite good for me as I had been staying in hotels and pansiyons for seven months. Access to a kitchen is something that most of us in our daily lives pretty much take for granted. Anyways it was nice and we agreed that it was the real-life equivalent (for those of you familiar with AOE parlance) of garrisoning in the town center to heal--much needed decompression, largely spent playing the aforesaid AOE and other games and working on my website.
Although I engaged in some cultural activity of a touristic nature during my stay in Ankara (visits to the ancient castle and nearby Aslanhane Seljuk mosque and Turbe), I spent most of my time pursuing more genuine Ankara activities, namely nightlife and cuisine with the locals. Ankara is home of course to a huge international (and especially NATO> read American) diplomatic and military corps. The nightlife is really quite good and I had the benefit of seeing some local live music (Not Turkish- mostly Blues and Rock and Roll). On the second night was Jo's birthday party at the Lord Kinross (named after the reknowned biographer of Mustafa Kemal), probably the only genuine English pub in all of Turkey.
Most surprising was going to a club called 'Manhattan' and seeing a Pearl Jam cover band- they were really excellent- better than any I had ever seen in 12 years in Seattle (which I found highly ironic) and told them so... In any case we spent much of this time in the company of a group of BlackHawk Helicopter pilots from the Turkish airforce who regaled me with tales of the air war in 'Kurdistan' over the last decade or so.
Fascinating and a little chilling... I hope to one day return and perhaps fly in one of the beasts.
The other curious nighttime activity that I got a glance of was reggae night. I was surprised in a way to see the diversity of the place... Unfortunately the DJ was either incompetent or drunk (in addition to favoring Dance-Hall and rap-reggae over roots). I met a number of expats who live in Ankara, the vast majority being English teachers from England and the States. They are for the most part a sorry lot, clinging to one another and drinking alot. Apparently few of them, even after a decade or more living there, have bothered to learn Turkish, although a few have gained fluency and married Turkish women. The Turkish women in Ankara tend to be fairly sophisticated and smart dressers. It is after all, in accordance with Ataturk's vision, the most western place in all of Turkey. In any case I decided to stick around for the week and check out the city and then head south with my friends for a weekend in Fethiye.
The next spinetingling installment includes the terrors of ancient Lycia, the chilling horror of Hisaronu, the mindboggling corruption and complacency of Turkey to Greece Ferry companies and their henchman at the Immigration Offices, and the mindwrenching obscenity that is modern Athens, along with other modern marvels and adventures....