Ankara

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16 October 2012

Ankara was a small town of 30,000 people in 1920 when Kemel Ataturk chose it as his base for fighting the War of Independence. Following his victory it became the capital of the new Turkey and now has a population of 6,000,000.

We visited the Museum of Analotian Civilizations which gave an insight into Turkey’s ancient past. This was followed by a walk up the adjacent hill to the 9^th century Byzantine Citadel and restored 12th century mosque.

In the 1950s an imposing mausoleum for Kemal Ataturk and museum giving details of his life was opened. A tour around this filled the afternoon.

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