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Ankara
| The city of Ankara
lies in the center of Anatolia on the eastern edge of the great, high
Anatolian Plateau, at an altitude of 850 meters. It is the center of the
province with the same name, which is a predominantly fertile wheat
steppeland, with forested areas in its northeast region. It is bordered by
the provinces of cankiri and Bolu to the north, Eskisehir to the west,
Konya and Aksaray to the south, and Kirikkale and Kirsehir to the east.
The region's history goes back to the Bronze-Age Hatti Civilization, which
was succeeded in the 2nd millenium B.C. by the Hittites, then the
Phrygians (10th century B.C.); Lydians and Persians followed. After these
came the Galatians, a Celtic race who were the first to make Ankara their
capital (3rd century B.C.). It was then known as Ancyra,meaning 'anchor' (which
is one of the oldest words in the language of the sea-loving Celts). The
city subsequently fell to the Romans,
Byzantines, and Seijuks under
Alpaslan in 1073, and then to the
Ottomans under Yildirim Beyazit in 1402,
who remained in control until World War I. |
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| The city, an
important cultural, trading, and arts center in Roman times, and an
important trading center on the caravan route to the east in
Ottoman times,
had declined in importance by the 19th century. It again became an
important center when
Kemal Ataturk chose it as the base from which to
direct the War of Liberation. By consequence of its role in the war and
its strategic position, it was declared the capital of the new Turkish
Republic on October 13,1923. |
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