Advertisement
This is certainly Ataturk country. Turkey may be the former seat of the Roman Empire in the East, known for many centuries as the Byzantine Empire, but today, a statue of Ataturk stands in every town and city in all of Turkey.
This great reforming President was born Mustafa Kemal who adopted the surname Ataturk which means "Father of the Turks". There couldn't have been a more appropriate name. Ataturk ruled Turkey as President from 1923 until he died in 1938 at the Dolmabahce Palace. I have yet to meet a Turk who does not adore him. A debt of gratitude to a man who founded Modern Turkey, and freed it from its bondage to its Ottoman past.
As a country with 99%!o(MISSING)f Turks being Muslim, one can only imagine how strong-willed this man is when he introduced the many reforms that rendered Turkey a modern state that it is now. A secular republic with a Muslim population and heritage. While every mosque, minaret and regular muezzin's call to prayer collectively announce ISLAM in bold letters, Ataturk saw it fit to separate religion from all matters of state. For starters, he banned the fez and the turban. He also discouraged the wearing of the veil, a symbolic emancipation of the Turkish women. More dramatically, Ataturk abolished all religious schools and dervish orders, and replaced the old Arabic script with a new Latin alphabet. All these bold reforms paved the way for the Westernization of Turkey, if you like, along with the transfer of the nation's capital from Istanbul to Ankara.
Perhaps, the sense of national identity became more pronounced when Ataturk died in 1938. It is said that at the precise hour that Ataturk died (9:05 a.m. of November 10), the entire nation came to a halt. Turkey's gratitude to this admirable man is embodied in the very mausoleum that is now this great leader's resting place. The massive edifice dominates the Ankara skyline, yet the building itself seems so featureless but for the many quotations from Ataturk's many speeches inscribed on many of its marble walls. It is as if one is compelled to empty his mind of everything upon entering the mausoleum, and to commence thinking ONLY of Ataturk as one passes through the many galleries and dioramas depicting his life.
The Mausoleum
No frills, nearly featureless, like one big block of marble. And it's Ataturk's resting place. Yet Ankara boasts not only of this Mausoleum but also of the Museum of Anatolyan Civilizations (Anadolu Medeniyetleri Muzesi). Thank God for our Tour Director Oktay, who patiently guided us through our two-hour tour of this very prestigious museum of pre-classical finds. There was a number of student groups also doing the museum tour, but everything is so well-organized that one hardly feels crowded. A video showing allows museum visitors to sit and watch in batches, while others go through the many galleries. There was even a souvenir store and coffee shop which offers a good cup of brew. While others lingered in some of the halls and galleries, we took the chance to get to know some of our fellow travelers in the group while sipping coffee or turkish tea. Having said that and done that, God knows I will likely not remember the differences between and among Neolithic, Bronze Age, Old Hittite, Assyrian, and what have you. Two hours of that and one gets information overload. But I do remember the magnificent headless marble statue we found in the central hall. That's the first photo. Go check it out. Exquisite piece of art, don't you agree?
Advertisement
Tot: 0.095s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 16; qc: 29; dbt: 0.0477s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
AnnaAdventuring
Anna Louise
Hmmm yes, exquistite piece of ar...t! ;)