Ankara is Turkey’s capital, located in the center of Anatolia on the eastern edge of the great, high Anatolian Plateau, in the province of the same name.
The history of Ankara begins in the pre-historic times. About 2000 BC the Hittities has occupied the city and called Ankara with the name Ankuwash. After the Hittities, were the Phrygians occupied the region of Ankara in 1000 B.C. In the 3rd Century BC, a Celtic race known as the Galatians made Ankara their capital city. The name Ankara comes from the word 'Ancyra', which means 'anchor.' It was declared the capital of the new Turkish Republic on October 13th 1923 when the National War of Independence freed Turkey from foreign occupation.
Ankara has a fairly mild climate, though it does experience all four seasons. Summers are warm and dry and the winters are cold and snowy. During the fall, winter, and spring, its "rainy season", especially in May.
The economic base of Ankara is the government and its administration. During the last decades of the 20th century Ankara grew from a largely residential city into an important industrial center. Some of Turkey’s largest construction companies are based in Ankara, they are important defense industries such as the joint Turkish-American venture TUSAS Aerospace Industries Incorporated. Other industries in the city manufacture: metals; defense equipment; tractors and agricultural machinery; lumber, furniture and other forest products; food products; beer and wine; cement and bricks; paint, carpets and textiles. Agriculture and livestock breeding are also economically significant. Ankara is a market and processing center for mohair, a type of yarn, and for the fine fruits and wheat grown in the surrounding region. Tourism is increasingly important to the local economy, and the service sector is expanding.
Being the capital, Ankara also serves as transportation hub for a great region. Ankara’s public transportation system is well developed, cheap and easy to use. Among the alternatives the city is well served by the Municipality buses, public buses, dolmus, taxi and subway. Ankara has two types of metro lines serving the city - a light metro and Metro. Both of them are very comfortable, clean and fast. Dolmus or shared taxis are widely available in Ankara. Usually they have a sign in the lower or upper right-hand corner of their windshield specifying its destination. The fares are cheaper than taxis, and depend on the traveled distance. The dolmus are easily taken from everywhere because they do not have stops, and in the same way to get off.
Among important educational institutions are the University of Ankara, founded in 1946, and the Middle East Technical University, founded in 1956. Ankara also has the National Library, the State Theatre and the Presidential Symphony Orchestra.
Ankara is a city of contrasts. The architecture is quite varied, a reflection of the city's history. The oldest remains go back to Roman times, and include a bath, the Column of Julian and the Temple of Roma and Augustus. 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 European in appearance. It is spacious and well planned, with broad boulevards, a parliament and presidential residence, libraries, museums, embassies, and fashionable shops and hotels. Major mosques in the city include the Yeni Mosque, built by the famous Ottoman architect Sinan in the 16th century, and the large Kocatepe Mosque.
The most interesting structure in Ankara is the Anitkabir (Mausoleum), constructed for Ataturk. The construction of the monument, on Rasattepe, started in 1944 and finished in 1953. In the same year, Ataturk was moved from his temporary grave at the Ethnographic Museum with great ceremony to Anitkabir, his eternal place of rest. Visible from most highpoints within the city, the mausoleum grounds house a memorabilia museum and the sarcophagus of Ismet Inonu, a major figure in the Republic's history. The tomb itself is an impressive piece of work.
The International Ankara Music Festival is held every year in April-May, which is a member of the European Festivals Union, brings together thousands of music lovers, with its increasing number of invited choruses and listener capacity every year.
Ankara is considered as one of the most "serious" cities of Turkey, since it hosts the parliament and many politicians. This brings the mood of stable life in to the city. However, by being the capital and having a huge student population Ankara has a very colorful night life as well.
