we are just in time to watch the Changing of the Guards ceremony
this hall is called Anitkabar and is the mausoleum for Ataturk, Turkey's first president
the family surprises us with a song
instead we travel by bus and make several stops to enjoy the impressive views
and we also have to decline his invitation
Anitkabar stands 27 meters tall, with a length of 57 meters. Looks impressive
the lions look more like friendly cats
we visit a small pap-and-mam shop where they make original handwoven Angora mohair rugs
the old building style is replaced by more modern brick houses. Not sure it is an improvement...
this group represents the intellectual, the peasant and the soldier
the road of Lions leads us to the Ataturk Mausoleum
from Nevsehir to the Ataturk Mausoleum in Ankara
In 1923, after winning his bloody Turkish War of Independence,
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk made
Ankara the capital of the newly formed
secular Republic of Turkey.
Ankara, formerly known as Angora, has a long history that goes back to the Bronze Age
Hattic civilization.
Today
the capital city is not only the seat of Turkey's government but also an important economic powerhouse, second only to the city
of Istanbul.
Many small shops produce handwoven rugs from this valuable material.
Ankara's main attraction is the
Anitkabir, the
memorial tomb of Ataturk, built of concrete and travertine marble.
The impressive monument was completed in 1953.
In
August 1996 we traveled from Nevsehir in Cappadocia to Ankara where we visited the Anitkabir before taking the night train to
Istanbul.
a camel is too slow to bring us to Ankara in time
there are huge statues representing the people of Turkey
from the Mausoleum there is a glimpse of the city of Ankara with the white Kocatepe Mosque
in the evening it's all aboard the night train to Istanbul