Ankara Hotels
Welcome to Istanbul Turkey Hotels Ankara Section
The capital of modern Turkey is situated at
the heart of the extensive Anatolian plateau,
at the foot of the mountain chain known as
Elma Dagi, point of encounter for a
radiating system of important communication
routes. Ancient Ancyra (later Angora), a
center for the production of angora wool
which is still of economic importance for
the textile industry, was taken over by the
Seljuk Turks in 1147. The fortunes of modern
Ankara second only to Istanbul in population,
can be attributed in great part to Mustafa
Kemal, better known as Ataturk (the "Father
of the Turks"), who created the modern state
of Turkey and promoted and encouraged the
process of westernization, bringing Turkey
much closer to Europe than the purely
geographical distances might seem to
indicate. The Mausoleum of Ataturk is set at
the top of a hill overlooking a scenic
boulevard, flanked by granite statues of
lions, which leads to a sqoare at the base
of the monumental staircase. The Museum of
Anatolian Civilisations in Ankara can be
numbered among the most interesting museum
collections in all of Turkey, in particular
as far as the material regarding the ancient
civilization of the Hittites is concerned.
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