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Ankara information, Turkey

Ankara, formerly known as Angora, is the capital of Turkey. Ankara is located in the central region of Anatolia, on the eastern edge of the great Anatolian Plateau, and bordered by Cankiri and Bolu to the north, Konya and Aksaray to the south, Eskisehir to the west, and Kirikkale and Kirsehir to the east. This important commercial and industrial city is the centre of the Turkish government, and houses all the foreign embassies. It is also an important site for trade, as it its strategically situated at the heart of Turkey’s highways and railway networks and thus serves as the marketing center for the agricultural area that surrounds it. Among other things, Ankara is famous for its long-haired goats and its prized wool, or the mohair, and their unique breed of cats, white rabbits, pears, honey and the region’s Muscat grapes.

The Hittites gave the name Ankuwash before 1200 BC, while the Galatians and the Romans called it Ancyra. Finally the name evolved to how it is known today. Ankara’s history stretches back all the way to the Bronze Age, and still during the the Hattie Civilization which was defeated by the Hittites in the 2nd millennium B.C. After the Hittites came the Phyrgians, the Lydians and then the Persians. The Galatians followed suit. The Galatians, a Celtic race, were actually the first to make Ankara their capital city. Back then it was known as Ancyra, meaning anchor. The city finally fell to the Romans and to Ottomans, who retained control until the First World War. The city once lessened in importance by the 19th century, and only became an important site again when Kemal Ataturk chose it as its command center during the War of Liberation. Because of its role in the war and its strategic position, it was declared the capital of the Turkish Republic in October 1923.

Ankara is considered one of the driest places in the whole of Turkey. It is surrounded by a barren steppe vegetation as well as archaeological sites from the Hittite, Phyrgian, Hellenistic, Byzantine, Roman and Ottoman eras. It has a harsh, dry climate, with hot, dry summers, and cold snowy winters. Rain falls mostly during the seasons of spring and autumn.

The main spot for residential property in Ankara lies in the neighbourhoods of Cankaya and Gaziosmanpasa in the Ankara metropolitan area. These two prime residential neighbourhoods are where many of the city’s expatriate families live. In both these areas, apartment buildings are the main accommodation units. Both areas are reached by bus and reasonably-priced taxis. Other areas for residence include the areas of Bilkent, Beysukent.

Also, while Istanbul is still the commercial capital of Turkey, many businesses have actually transferred their premises to Ankara. The reasons for this phenomenon lie mostly with infrastructure. Ankara itself was designed as a modern city and many generations of urban planners have made this city a viable and pleasant place to work in. In fact, the last decade has seen a boom in the development of purpose built office complexes both in the city’s commercial centre and even in the outlying commercial parks.

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