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Archive for November, 2008

Museum of Anatolian Civilizations

Friday, November 28th, 2008

The Museum of Anatolian Civilizations (Turkish: Anadolu Medeniyetleri Müzesi) is located on the south side of Ankara Castle in the Atpazari area in Ankara , Turkey. It consists of the old Ottoman Mahmut Pasa bazaar storage building, and the Kursunlu Han. Because of Atatürk’s desire to establish a Hittite museum, the buildings were bought upon the suggestion of Hamit Zübeyir Kosay, who was then Culture Minister, to the National Education Minister, Saffet Arikan. After the remodelling and repairs were completed (1938 -1968), the building was opened to the public as the Ankara Archaeological Museum. It is one of the richest museums in the world

Today, Kursunlu Han, used as an administrative building, houses the work rooms, library, conference hall, laboratory and workshop. The old bazaar building houses the exhibits. Within this Ottoman building, the museum has a number of exhibits of Anatolian archeology. (more…)

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Keçiören, Ankara

Thursday, November 27th, 2008

Keçiören is a metropolitan district of Ankara Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey, a crowded district in the northern part of the city of Ankara. According to 2000 census, population of the district is 672,817 of which 625,167 live in the urban center of Keçiören. The district covers an area of 190 km2 (73 sq mi), and the average elevation is 850 m (2,789 ft). The Çubuk River runs through the middle of the district.

Etymology
The name Keçiören comes from the Turkish for a type of felt footwear that used to be made in the area.
(more…)

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Turkish State Railways

Thursday, November 27th, 2008

Turkish Republic State Railways (Turkish: Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Devlet Demiryollari or TCDD) is the state corporation that operates the public railway system in Turkey. The organization was founded in 1927 to take over the operation of railways that were left within the borders of the Turkish Republic after the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, whose railway network had been run and financed by private corporations. TCDD operates over 8500 kilometres of railway lines and is a member of InterRail.

Operation
As the sole train operator in the country, TCDD operates all passenger, freight and suburban railways, including domestic and international departures. Until the opening of the Marmaray tunnel (Bosporus undersea railway tunnel), the country will continue to have two separate railway networks (in Thrace and Anatolia) that are only connected through the Bosporus railway ferry in Istanbul. (more…)

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Restaurants in Ankara , Turkey

Thursday, November 27th, 2008

A city of nearly five million, Ankara has hundreds of good restaurants, but since your stay in the city will probably be brief, you only need one or two.

Here are some suggestions for where to eat in the places you’re likely to be:

ASTI
Ankara’s main bus station has no fancy restaurant, but there are a dozen eateries on the two levels. On the upper level (Departures), walk to the far left or right past all the ticket offices and snack stands to find the restaurants. On the lower level (Arrivals), there are several quieter cafes, cafeterias and pastry shops (which I prefer). (more…)

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Grand National Assembly of Turkey ankara

Thursday, November 27th, 2008

The Grand National Assembly of Turkey (Turkish: Türkiye Büyük Millet Meclisi - TBMM, usually referred to simply as Meclis - “the Parliament”) is the unicameral parliament of Turkey which is the sole body given the legislative prerogatives by the Turkish Constitution. It was founded in Ankara on 23 April 1920 in the midst of the Turkish War of Independence. The parliament was fundamental in the efforts of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk to found a new state out of the remnants of the Ottoman Empire in the aftermath of the World War I.

Aerial view of the current Turkish Parliament building, designed in 1938 by the renowned Austrian architect Clemens HolzmeisterThere are 550 members of parliament who are elected for a five-year term by D’Hondt method, a party-list proportional representation system, from 85 electoral districts which represent the 81 administrative provinces of Turkey (more…)

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Ankara Gar (Railway Station)

Thursday, November 27th, 2008

The historic Ankara Gar (railway station) is among the best examples of the 1930s Bauhaus style that once defined the look of Ankara along with several graceful buildings from its Ottoman past.

The Gar is an active place, with suburban commuter trains starting early in the morning, followed by the arrival of the overnight expresses from Istanbul and Izmir, then the departure of the day trains to all parts of the country (more…)

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2007 Ankara bombing

Thursday, November 27th, 2008

The 2007 Ankara bombing was a suicide attack that occurred in Ankara , the capital of Turkey, on 22 May 2007. Six people were reported killed, including one of Pakistani origin, and 121 people were wounded. A seventh person died from his injuries on 7 June and another on 17 June raising the death toll to eight. A ninth person died on 4 July from his injuries.

The attack
The explosion occurred outside a shopping centre in the Ulus quarter of Ankara. The police reports suggested a “suicide bombing”. (more…)

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