The Ham Nomads

15 Jun 2015. <TR> Ankara —

Today we had the most interesting journey into Ankara proper. First a trip by taxi into Gölbaşı, to where we caught a dolmuş - a cross between a taxi and a bus, which runs along a set route, but which picks up anyone who hails it (space permitting!), and drops them off anywhere they want along that route. We got dropped off at Sihhiye, one of the main metro stations in Ankara. But we didn't take the metro — instead we walked up Atatürk Bulevesi, turning east until we came to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations.

The museum is fascinating, set up in what was once the main market of Ankara, a bedesten or covered bazaar, which once had 102 shops under its beautiful multi-domed roof. Under the auspices of Kemal Atatürk, this has been beautifully restored and converted into what has become one of the world's major museums. Here we found artefacts from the whole history of Anatolia — Paleolithic, Neolithic, Hatti, Hittite, Phrygian, Urartian and Roman. We found artifacts from Çatalhöyük — amazingly 'modern' for objects from a Neolithic site — and from Hattuşa, the capital of the Hittite Empire. These sites were particularly interesting to us, as we have visited Çatalhöyük, and we will be visiting Hattuşa in a few days! There are artefacts from numerous other sites as well, but at this time our interest was primarily the neolithic and Hittite material.

Recreation of a Çatalhöyük room

A ÇatalhHöyük wall mural

Çatalhöyük earth goddess figurine

We saw a model of this flint knife at Çatalhöyük.
Here's the original!

Another Çatalhöyük wall mural

A graphic of Çatalhöyük life

And now from some other sites ...

A Phrygian duck-shaped vessel

And some Hittite material, mainly from Hattuşas ...

Gilgamesh, the keeper of animals

Anıtkabir (Atatürk Mausoleum) was a bit far away to reach by public transport in time, so we splurged and took a taxi there. Actually, taxis in Turkey are pretty cheap, so it wasn't a real spending spree. We got to Anıtkabir. When we got up to the huge square in front of the mausoleum itself, we were most impressed by the sentries. They remain totally unmoving for the whole period of their duty. We watched as a supervisor, obviously concerned for the welfare of one of the sentries, was in the process of sponging his face and ensuring that he would be able to complete his stint. At the changing of the guard, they use an exaggerated slow march, weird, but impressive!

The Mausoleum itself is a simple building, but huge. It's effectively one huge room, with a beautiful marble floor. The decoration inside is restrained, but oh so richly and beautifully done. There is a constant stream of people coming through to pause in front of the huge, but again restrained, tomb of Atatürk.

After paying our respects, we went into a beautifully-presented museum, containing memorabilia of Atatürk. The first section, which has his actual belongings and writings is so sacrosanct that no photography is allowed. But in the second section, documenting the "Turkish War of Independence", starting with the Çanakkale Campaign (what we Aussies know better as Gallipoli) and following on through the First World War, Turkey's occupation by the Allies, and then Atatürk's campaign which started off in Central Anatolia at the end of the First World War, to the ultimate recognition of Turkey as a new, free country in 1923. In this section are numerous paintings, but two of the best are the first known portrait of Mustafa Kemal from 1915, and a superb equestrian portrait from later on.

After spending time at Anıtkabir, we made our way back to the road where we could hail a dolmuş to take us back to Gölbaşı, where we took a taxi back to Hotel Ulasan, the puppy, and another magnificent sunset!

Distance driven — today, nil; to date, 22,099 miles ( 35,565 km )