TURKEY – Ankara & Salt Lake

I just came back from Turkey a week ago. Well, I didn’t plan on going for an overseas holiday this year but a company trip is a different story altogether. Hehe.

The first city that I visited is Ankara. Ankara is the capital city of Turkey since 1923, is the country’s second largest city. Located in the heart of Turkey, Ankara is the centre of the Turkish Government and also home to a large population of foreign diplomats and embassy staff. Dubbed as the modern capital of Turkey, Ankara was just a small provincial town of few thousand, mostly living around Ankara Castle before the 1920s. The purpose built capital was chosen by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk as the centre of the resistance movement due to its strategic location at the heart of the country. From then on, the faith of Ankara changed from a population of just a few thousand to the modern Ankara of five million.

Arrived here at the Ankara Esenboga International Airport in the morning and we were met and greeted by the local tour guide.


Esenboga comes from the name of the village where the airport is located which literally means ‘Serene Bull’. The wide fields around the airport is where Timur defeated Ottoman Sultan Bayezid I in 1402, on the great Battle of Ankara.


This is my tour guide, Mr. Burak. We arrived at Ankara around noon and were immediately being transferred to restaurant for lunch.



Tourist tend to see Ankara merely as a transit point for getting to places like the famous Cappadocia because there isn’t any direct flight to Cappadocia. Well it’s not my fault that I didn’t explore the city. One of the major drawback of joining a tour group is you don’t have the ‘say’ on when and where to go. That’s the reason why I usually join a private tour. It’s more expensive, but heck it’s worth it.

 
This is where I had my lunch. It is a local restaurant that serves Turkish food.


The interior of the restaurant.



Taking photo with my colleague.



I opted for the grilled chicken with rice instead of beef. Let’s just say it wasn’t ‘love at first taste’ for me.


Well at least I did not miss the visit to Anitkabir, the main place to go while in Ankara and a major landmark of the city. Located on a hill known as Rasattepe (Observation Hill), the Anitkabir or Ataturk Mausoleum took 9 years to construct which was finally completed on 1st September 1953. The Anitkabir or translated as the memorial tomb is the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.


Mustafa Kemal Ataturk is the leader of the Turkish War of Independence and the founder and first President of the Republic of Turkey. Often, people just call him Ataturk, meaning ‘Father of the Turks’. This name was granted to him in 1934 and forbidden to be used by any other person by the Turkish Parliament.


Teachers leading school children on a field trip at Anitkabir.


There are more Turkish here at the Anitkabir compared to foreigners proving that the Turkish sure do loves him. Well of course they love Mustafa. After the fall of Ottoman Empire, the Allies of World War I namely the British, French, Italians and Greeks began to occupy Turkey and subdivided the land among themselves. It was Mustafa Kemal that led the Turkish national movement to victory in the Turkish War of Independence (1919 - 1923)


Anitkabir consist of four main parts. The Road of Lions, Ceremonial Plaza, Hall of Honour and the Peace Park.



The Road of Lions heading towards the monument is a 262m long pedestrian walkway lined with neo-Hittite stone lion statues. The lions are shown seated to simultaneously represent both power and peace.


A view of the ceremonial courtyard.


Ceremonial guard at the mausoleum.


The grand and imposing Anitkabir, yet simple and timeless in style.




As you climb the monumental staircase, there are inscriptions on either sides which are quotes from Ataturk’s speech on the 10th anniversary (1932) of the republics proclamation. 


The Hall of Honour is a huge hall lined in red marble and has mosaic decorations recalling the many ages and civilisations of Turkey ranging from the Hittite, Hellenic, Roman, Seljuk and Ottoman.


Of course, the Hall of Honour also holds the tomb of Ataturk which is situated under the 40 tonne sarcophagus which was cut from a single block of stone. The body of Ataturk is actually buried below this in a special Tomb Room in the basement level.    


Just opposite Ataturk Mausoleum, is the tomb of General Ismet Inonu beneath the western colonnade. The victorious general in the battle for Turkey’s independence, Ismet Inonu was Ataturk friend, comrade in arms, chief of staff diplomat, prime minister and second president of the Turkish Republic. He was interred there after he died in 1973.




A souvenir shop at the mausoleum selling portraits of Ataturk and related books.


The whole compound of Anitkabir is large. There are ten towers arranged symmetrically at the surrounding area of Anitkabir.

The theme of the tower are as follows, Independence Tower, Female Statue Group, Freedom Tower, Male Statue Group, Mehmetcik Tower, Victory Tower, Peace Tower, 23 April Tower, Tower of Reforms and National Pact Tower.



In front of Freedom Tower, there is a three man statue group. The man at the right wearing a helmet and a coat represents a Turkish soldier. The man on the left with the book in his hand represents Turkish youth and intellectual. Behind both men is the Turkish peasant.



 In front of Independence Tower, there is a three women statue group. The woman on the left with a cup in her hand is asking God for his compassion for Ataturk. The woman in the middle covering her face is crying. And the wreath that the two women at the side is holding represents the abundant country.


Peace Park is a park that surrounds the monument in honour of Ataturk’s famous words ‘Peace at home, peace in the world’.


You’ll have a commanding view of Ankara city from the park. After visiting Anitkabir, we departed for Cappadocia.


Enroute to Cappadocia, we had a quick stop at the Salt Lake. Also known as Lake Tuz, the lake is located in Sereflikochisar and the minerals extracted from the salt lake is a major source of income.


With a surface area of 1,655 km2, it is the second largest lake in Turkey. The water at the lake is very shallow at only 1ft deep. The lake is smaller in comparison with the Great Salt Lake in America and not picturesque. Well, the main function of this lake is just for salt mining which produces more than 60% of the slat consumed in Turkey.



I was told the lake looks better when it is all dried up during the Summer, when you can actually see chunk's of salt at the lake’s bed. It was really cold that day especially when the wind blew. It was estimated to be 2°C or 3°C.


Chunks of salt being sold near the salt lake.


There are also others souvenirs being sold by the salt lake such as key chains with evil eyes. Not really interested, so I didn’t buy anything from the shop.


Today was just a short trip at Ankara. Had my dinner and stayed for the night at Cappadocia. The region of Cappadocia is said to be the highlight of any tour to Turkey and I’m truly looking forward to it.


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