TURKEY : The capital
ANKARA
Ankara
is the official capital of Turkey. In 1920 it was a rather sleepy
provincial town with about 30.000 inhabitants. Nowadays, it's Turkey
proud capital with a total of three million people. Ankara is the administrative
center of the country. Here are all the government buildings surrounded
by the offices and embassies of foreign powers. There are different
Colleges and a university. Most of the important companies in the world
have a branch here. Therefore, Ankara is a city of business men and
diplomats. Of course, cities with a European appeal like Ankara attract
the pour country people, who come here in search of happiness and
good fortune. The result of this evolution can be seen in the many slum
areas (geçekondus) that stretch around Ankara.
The urban developers
have left the old fortification hill untouched. Around the hill
lies the old Osman town where the chickens still scatter about and where
elderly ladies still sweep de sidewalk in front of their little wooden
houses. A few hundred meters away from here, modern hotel towers point
skywards, a view that would befit soaps such as Dynasty or Dallas. This
strange combination of two different worlds is very illustrative
for the identity crisis that strikes the Turkish nation. The modern
and progressive Ankara embodies the Turkish dream, whereas the old city
around the fortification shows the 
country's
traditional roots, from which it doesn't want and cannot detach itself.
As a modern metropolis,
Ankara has not that much to offer to today's visitors. Nevertheless,
the city can be an ideal starting point for a trip to Cappadocia and
beyond. Also, the city's splendid museum of Anatolian civilizations
serves as a perfect introduction to what lies beyond Ankara. The Atatürk
Mausoleum bears testimony to the spirit of the Turkish nation. Nobody
needs to feel he's loosing his time in Ankara.
