# Ankara - The Turkish Capital



## DU999 (Feb 16, 2007)




----------



## Lombak (Sep 29, 2004)

Very colorful.


----------



## Spookvlieger (Jul 10, 2009)

Turknology said:


> what did you think it looked like?


I just didn't expect wooden buildings and chalets in white plaster...


----------



## Turknology (Jan 31, 2007)

joshsam said:


> I just didn't expect wooden buildings and chalets in white plaster...


We call them the old Ankara houses, now they are mostly being restored and converted into cafes etc.


----------



## DU999 (Feb 16, 2007)

Lombak said:


> Very colorful.


Yes  I don't understand why Istabulits think Ankara has a gray feeling.


----------



## DU999 (Feb 16, 2007)




----------



## Benonie (Dec 21, 2005)

Nicer than I thought it would be.


----------



## DU999 (Feb 16, 2007)




----------



## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Very nice, amazing for sure kay:


----------



## DU999 (Feb 16, 2007)

let's continue with 7. cadde a street located in Bahcelievler neighborhood


----------



## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

The street view of Ankara is as always very nice


----------



## DU999 (Feb 16, 2007)

christos-greece said:


> The street view of Ankara is as always very nice


thanks christos more pics from 7.cadde coming soon


----------



## Jennifat (Aug 7, 2005)

Great photos, DU999! Ankara looks like a really cool city.


----------



## Lombak (Sep 29, 2004)

I love the street shots, gives more idea about the cities than the skylines.


----------



## DU999 (Feb 16, 2007)

Lombak said:


> I love the street shots, gives more idea about the cities than the skylines.


I agree with you street shots give you more information about the country, city and people besides that skyline shots of Ankara are crappy.


----------



## DU999 (Feb 16, 2007)

Jennifat said:


> Great photos, DU999! Ankara looks like a really cool city.


Thanks more pics coming soon


----------



## DU999 (Feb 16, 2007)




----------



## DU999 (Feb 16, 2007)




----------



## DU999 (Feb 16, 2007)




----------



## DU999 (Feb 16, 2007)

Some night shots


----------



## DU999 (Feb 16, 2007)

Few pics from Kizilay square


----------



## iskelet (Jan 9, 2011)

... nice...


----------



## Galandar (Dec 2, 2004)

Modern and interesting but far from being something close to Istanbul or Izmir


----------



## DU999 (Feb 16, 2007)

Galandar said:


> Modern and interesting but far from being something close to Istanbul or Izmir


Well I have been in both cities Izmir and Ankara. I think Ankara is in some points better and has much potential but unfortunately it is underrated.


----------



## manon (Jan 8, 2011)

Deleted by Taller, Better

Please do not post photos in a thread intended for someone else's personal pictures.
Also, do NOT post uncredited photos anywhere. Thank you.


----------



## Linguine (Aug 10, 2009)

Nice pics.....:cheers:


----------



## manon (Jan 8, 2011)

Deleted by Taller, Better

Please do not post photos in a thread intended for someone else's personal pictures.
Also, do NOT post uncredited photos anywhere. Thank you.


----------



## chibetogdl (Apr 10, 2006)

nice thread, please keep posting pics.  i like this city


----------



## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Indeed very nice, cool photo updates from Ankara


----------



## DU999 (Feb 16, 2007)

@manon, this section is for selfmade photos. have you taken ​​these pics?


----------



## sarimanok (May 3, 2011)

scenic capital, love the green areas and the shops.


----------



## Rekarte (Mar 28, 2008)

The best threadh about Ankara:cheers:


----------



## corredor06 (Oct 13, 2008)

Looks very nice


----------



## meaoh (Feb 7, 2011)

I was an exchange student living in Ankara 15 years ago. I'm embarrassed to admit that I have forgotten many of the aspects of the city, but looking at this thread has helped me to recollect some of my experiences. 

I must say, I wasn't very impressed overall with Ankara when I lived there. Some parts felt boring/stale, due to the predominance of government facilities. Other parts felt run down. The suburbs were just beginning to expand. 

That said, these photos show how far the city has come in the last 15 years. It looks much more vibrant and exciting. Part of the problem for me was that I spent much of my year living well outside of the city, due to my host families. One of my friends lived in Cankaya and I think she was definitely in a better location.

Also it's nice to see that there's better public transportation in place currently. I used to either have to ride a bus or take a Dolmus everywhere I wanted to go. Blah.

Anyway, thank you all for posting these great photos. Thanks for the trip down memory lane!


----------



## SoroushPersepolisi (Apr 17, 2010)

meaoh said:


> I was an exchange student living in Ankara 15 years ago. I'm embarrassed to admit that I have forgotten many of the aspects of the city, but looking at this thread has helped me to recollect some of my experiences.
> 
> I must say, I wasn't very impressed overall with Ankara when I lived there. Some parts felt boring/stale, due to the predominance of government facilities. Other parts felt run down. The suburbs were just beginning to expand.
> 
> ...


interesting

ive heard that alot, both from visitors to ankara and my turkish friends


the city seems a little lifeless, stale, it also seems to be tougher to live in in comparisson to western turkey, economicaly and socialy

it truely is a government city


----------



## Linguine (Aug 10, 2009)

Cool, I love markets.....thanks.:cheers:


----------



## DU999 (Feb 16, 2007)

I am back with few new pics and this time I also want to show you guys some pics from Sogutözü district. 
Sögütözü is actually a business district which is under construction. However already completed, quality low and high rise buildings gives an impression of how the district will look like in near future.


----------



## DU999 (Feb 16, 2007)




----------



## Linguine (Aug 10, 2009)

great updates....:cheers1:


----------



## Lombak (Sep 29, 2004)

Nice, ty Du999.


----------



## DU999 (Feb 16, 2007)

*nightshots *


----------



## DU999 (Feb 16, 2007)




----------



## Linguine (Aug 10, 2009)

very nice pics from Ankara....thanks for sharing.:cheers2:


----------



## Nightsky (Sep 16, 2002)

Ankara looks interesting!


----------



## domtoren (Jan 20, 2009)

*Very surprising!!!*

Hello, this surprised me quite a lot, looks really like a modern and prosperous place!
Do most Turks have money for buying all these luxuries, the place is full of posh boutiques!
Another thing which surprised me is that there are almost no headscarf wearing ladies in Ankara, here in Utrecht we have a Turkish neigbourhood with many immigrants, in the streets almost all girls and ladies wear headscarves, I've heard that in Turkish/Muslim culture it is not done for ladies to go uncovered and there have been even so-called honor killings here and in Germany because according to the family decency standards dressing and behaving in a too western way dishonors the father/husband and the whole family and that honor can only be restored by killing the "offender" and even if the killer goes to prison for a long time often he takes the consequence, also in some families the murder is carried oud by a minor because minors are punished less harshly than adults. So given this, how can so many girls walk the streets without headscarves in Ankara without consequences? 
Also I saw adverts for beer, I read in a book on Islamic law that alcohol was haram (forbidden) in Islam and its use or sale punished with whiplashes. 
Well, nice thread and wish you good luck with its continuation!


----------



## openlyJane (Feb 3, 2010)

^^Immigrant communities are often a lot more 'traditional' than those in the home country, and a lot more consciously identified with the place of origin - as a way of defining themselves in a 'foreign' culture.


The coastal cities and areas of Turkey are very 'westernised', as are the big cities.

Ataturk banned the wearing of the headscarf.


----------



## DU999 (Feb 16, 2007)

openlyJane said:


> ^^Immigrant communities are often a lot more 'traditional' than those in the home country, and a lot more consciously identified with the place of origin - as a way of defining themselves in a 'foreign' culture.
> 
> 
> The coastal cities and areas of Turkey are very 'westernised', as are the big cities.
> ...


Atatürk had not banned the wearing of the headscarf!!!
During Atatürks time there was no political islam as we have today in Turkey. The banning of the headscarf was much later after islamic parties were founded and the ban was limited only for state buildings schools, universities etc.


----------



## openlyJane (Feb 3, 2010)

^^I stand corrected.


----------



## DU999 (Feb 16, 2007)

domtoren said:


> Hello, this surprised me quite a lot, looks really like a modern and prosperous place!
> Do most Turks have money for buying all these luxuries, the place is full of posh boutiques!
> Another thing which surprised me is that there are almost no headscarf wearing ladies in Ankara, here in Utrecht we have a Turkish neigbourhood with many immigrants, in the streets almost all girls and ladies wear headscarves, I've heard that in Turkish/Muslim culture it is not done for ladies to go uncovered and there have been even so-called honor killings here and in Germany because according to the family decency standards dressing and behaving in a too western way dishonors the father/husband and the whole family and that honor can only be restored by killing the "offender" and even if the killer goes to prison for a long time often he takes the consequence, also in some families the murder is carried oud by a minor because minors are punished less harshly than adults. So given this, how can so many girls walk the streets without headscarves in Ankara without consequences?
> Also I saw adverts for beer, I read in a book on Islamic law that alcohol was haram (forbidden) in Islam and its use or sale punished with whiplashes.
> Well, nice thread and wish you good luck with its continuation!



It suprises me that europeans have still such an unclear picture of Turkey. 

I will start with the economic situation of the people. The situation of social classes in Turkey are not much different from other Eurepean countries. There is an upper class, middel class and a lower class unfortunately there is a widening gap between these classe but yes people have the money to buy all these luxuries. Even if they don't have it they still spend money like crazy because unlike Europeans turkish people have no fear of debts. This is just one of many reasons why foreign brands keep investing in Turkey.

The religion of islam plays an very important role in turkish culture. What makes Turkey different from other highly muslim populated countries is Atatürk the founding father of the Turkish Republic. After the collapse of the Ottoman Empire he and his friends have opted to establish a secular state. Religion should no longer interfere in politics and women and men should be equal before the law. All these things brought women in Turkey freedoms they never had before and many welcomed this. Those men who tried to fight against the new western state and its values get punished. 
Unfortunately these values were given from above and not self-earned, as in Western cultures. Political islam has been growing and with it the number of conservatives. Therefore we can speek of two different turkish societies living together in one country today the western and the eastern. 

You know Christianity has also rules and believers should stand to these rules. As we know most Christians don not follow to all of these rules for example the Pope says don't use condoms but you don't have to listen to him and you can still be religious. The same goes for islam. It is my choice wether I drink alcohol or not.

The first turkish guest workes came at the beginning of the 60s to Germany. These peole were not that much influenced from political islam and if you do a little reasearch you will be very suprised. Only a small percentage of the female guest workers was wearing a headscarf. This picture changed gradually because more and more village people emigrated to Europe and also discriminations forced them to be more conservative. I know it sounds stupid but somehow Europe got the trash of Turkey.

Honor killing is not just a islamic thing actually. It is part of the culture of eastern Turkey and most people who commit such a crime are usually kurdish or from eastern Turkey. The only solution to stop honor killing is education imo.

At the end Turkey is a mix of east and west. Some cities are more western some eastern and sometimes it differs from neighborhood to neighborhood. At the moment Turkey is ruled by an islamic party I hope this will change soon.


----------



## musiccity (Jan 5, 2011)

My dad (American) travels fairly frequently on business to Ankara, and he loves the city. He says it's one of his favorite places to travel to and he travels all over the globe. He also fell in love with Turkish food and he wants to build an oven in our backyard just for the purpose of making Turkish bread. lol

Anyways, it's great to put a face to Ankara after all my dad's descriptions. It truely is an extremely nice city and I would like to travel with him one day here.


----------



## rajesh jagetia (Aug 1, 2009)

Wow, Ankara seems to be a lively vibrant city.
In India, whenever we enquired about Turkey Holiday package, all consists of visiting Istambul only.


----------



## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Amazing and very nice updates from Ankara


----------



## VelesHomais (Sep 1, 2004)

Ankara looks quite nice


----------



## Salazar Rick (Feb 6, 2009)

i love this great country, city of stambul i´m like very much.


----------



## Terpentin07 (Oct 3, 2009)

I really like the streetlife.


----------



## DU999 (Feb 16, 2007)




----------



## URSUS (Aug 26, 2008)

Great updates Du999!! You're doing a great job of giving a multifaceted and representative view of Ankara.


----------



## DU999 (Feb 16, 2007)

Thank you all for the nice comments.


----------



## manon (Jan 8, 2011)

i would like to see some snowy pics of ankara


----------



## DU999 (Feb 16, 2007)

manon said:


> i would like to see some snowy pics of ankara


You can find few winter pics here
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=173123&page=37


----------

