Çankaya
Encyclopedia
Çankaya is the central metropolitan district of the city of Ankara
, the capital of Turkey
, and an administrative district of Ankara Province
. According to the 2000 census, the population of the urban center is 797,109 (2010 est.) which swells up to 2 million or more people during the day.
The district covers an area of 268 km² (103 sq mi), and the urban center lies at an average elevation of 986 m (3,235 ft).
The President of the Republic of Turkey resides here, in the "Çankaya Köşkü
" presidential compound. The area is also home to many of the capital's embassies, government departments and best-known landmarks. Çankaya is the heart of the city, a fashionable business and cultural centre as well as the centre of government.
came to stay in one of the garden houses. Atatürk selected Ankara as capital of the new republic and in the 1920s and 30s the city quickly grew, especially in the direction of Çankaya. In 1934 the writer Yakup Kadri Karaosmanoğlu
described the area as "a wooden bridge, a dirt road, and when you come round the hill you see a hillside, green in gentle contours. That's Çankaya." Çankaya eventually developed into one of the largest central districts of Ankara in later years.
style, but today Çankaya also contains a number of impressive modern buildings. The district is home to a great number of museums, theatres, cinemas, cultural associations, booksellers, publishers and libraries, including the National Library in a new building. Many of the streets in the district are named after poets, writers and thinkers.
Most of Ankara's best-known high schools and a great number of university buildings are in the district, including the large campuses of ODTU, Bilkent University
and (most of) Hacettepe University
. Çankaya University
, a private institution owned by businessman Sıtkı Alp, was opened in a number of former school buildings in 1997.
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
, the capital of Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, and an administrative district of Ankara Province
Ankara Province
Ankara Province in central Turkey is the location of the country's capital, the city of Ankara.Ankara also gave its name to the Ottoman Empire's Ankara Province which covered a larger area than the current province.- Geography :...
. According to the 2000 census, the population of the urban center is 797,109 (2010 est.) which swells up to 2 million or more people during the day.
The district covers an area of 268 km² (103 sq mi), and the urban center lies at an average elevation of 986 m (3,235 ft).
The President of the Republic of Turkey resides here, in the "Çankaya Köşkü
Çankaya Köskü
Çankaya Köşkü or Çankaya Köşk is the official residence of the President of Turkey. It is located in the Çankaya district of Ankara, which lends its name to the palace. The name is sometimes used as a metonymy for the current president. The Çankaya Presidential Compound stretches over of land...
" presidential compound. The area is also home to many of the capital's embassies, government departments and best-known landmarks. Çankaya is the heart of the city, a fashionable business and cultural centre as well as the centre of government.
History
Until the founding of the Republic of Turkey in 1923, Çankaya was a hillside of orchards and gardens to the south of the city, which had grown up in time, surrounding the Ankara Castle (Kale) on the opposite hill. Everything changed in the 1920s when Mustafa Kemal AtatürkMustafa Kemal Atatürk
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was an Ottoman and Turkish army officer, revolutionary statesman, writer, and the first President of Turkey. He is credited with being the founder of the Republic of Turkey....
came to stay in one of the garden houses. Atatürk selected Ankara as capital of the new republic and in the 1920s and 30s the city quickly grew, especially in the direction of Çankaya. In 1934 the writer Yakup Kadri Karaosmanoğlu
Yakup Kadri Karaosmanoglu
Yakup Kadri Karaosmanoğlu was a Turkish novelist, journalist, diplomat, and senator.-Early life:...
described the area as "a wooden bridge, a dirt road, and when you come round the hill you see a hillside, green in gentle contours. That's Çankaya." Çankaya eventually developed into one of the largest central districts of Ankara in later years.
Culture
The early buildings of the republic were in grand OttomanOttoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
style, but today Çankaya also contains a number of impressive modern buildings. The district is home to a great number of museums, theatres, cinemas, cultural associations, booksellers, publishers and libraries, including the National Library in a new building. Many of the streets in the district are named after poets, writers and thinkers.
Most of Ankara's best-known high schools and a great number of university buildings are in the district, including the large campuses of ODTU, Bilkent University
Bilkent University
İhsan Doğramacı Bilkent University, commonly referred to as Bilkent University or Bilkent, is the first private, nonprofit university in Turkey with the fundamental aim of creating a center of excellence in higher education and research...
and (most of) Hacettepe University
Hacettepe University
Hacettepe University is a major state university in Ankara, Turkey.The University has two main campuses. The first is located in the old town of Ankara and hosts the Medical Centre, and the second is the Beytepe Campus, which is 13 km from the city centre...
. Çankaya University
Çankaya University
Çankaya University was established on August 27, 1997, by the Sıtkı Alp Education Foundation in Ankara, Turkey. The university began its teaching in the Fall 1997 semester. Sıtkı Alp is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees.-History:...
, a private institution owned by businessman Sıtkı Alp, was opened in a number of former school buildings in 1997.
Prominent neighbourhoods
- Anıttepe - a quiet residential neighbourhood in the city center, with parks and sports facilities, next to Atatürk's hilltop mausoleum, the AnıtkabirAnitkabirAnıtkabir is the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the leader of the Turkish War of Independence and the founder and first president of the Republic of Turkey...
. The neighbourhood contains a number of public buildings, including the housing units of retired military officers, and an increasing number of shops and offices. The main avenue is Akdeniz Caddesi which means Mediterranean Avenue. The name comes from Atatürk's Turkish War of IndependenceTurkish War of IndependenceThe Turkish War of Independence was a war of independence waged by Turkish nationalists against the Allies, after the country was partitioned by the Allies following the Ottoman Empire's defeat in World War I...
order Armies, your first destination is the Mediterranean (Ordular... İlk hedefiniz Akdenizdir. İleri! - and the streets are named in the order of Ordular Sokak, Ilk Sokak, Hedef Sokak and Akdeniz Caddesi). - Ayrancı - A residential district of modest apartment buildings (maximum 5 storeys) on a steep hillside. Until the 1960s this neighbourhood was still full of orchards and gardens.
- Bağcılar - Another new district, a valley of apartment buildings that until the 1970s was made up largely of orchards.
- BahçelievlerBahçelievler, AnkaraBahçelievler is a neighborhood in Çankaya District of Ankara, Turkey. The name means 'houses with gardens' in Turkish language.The neighborhood was known in the 1970s as a battleground for the right and left wing political factions...
- the name means garden-houses, today there are mainly apartment buildings in this green, residential district centred on 7 nci Cadde (7th Avenue), the crowded shopping and strolling avenue of coffee shops and burger restaurants. The district is popular with students, as there are many cafés, bars, fast-food outlets, and easy transport to Hacettepe, BilkentBilkentBilkent is a district in Ankara, Turkey with the postal code 06800 where Bilkent University is located.Turkey's first private institution for higher education, Bilkent University has a 400,000m2 construction area on its two campuses...
and Başkent UniversityBaskent UniversityBaşkent University was founded on January 13, 1994 by Prof. Dr. Mehmet Haberal. The University center is located in Ankara and also has Medical and Research Centers and Dialysis Centers all around Turkey.-History:...
. Important buildings include the Turkish National Library and the Ankara Ice PalaceAnkara Ice PalaceAnkara Ice Palace is an indoor ice skating and ice hockey arena located in the Bahçelievler neighborhood of Ankara, Turkey. It was opened in 1989 and has a capacity of about 1,150 people....
. The streets in the district mainly have numbers rather than names and one number has unfortunately gone down in history. 15 nci Sokak, number 56, apartment 2 was the location of the code-name 56/2 Bahçelievler massacreBahçelievler massacreThe Bahçelievler incident is the name given to the events of October 9, 1978 in Bahçelievler, Ankara, Turkey, when seven university students, members of the Turkish Workers' Party, were assassinated by neo-fascists including Grey Wolves' leader Abdullah Çatlı, and Haluk Kırcı...
in October 1978, in which seven students, members of the Turkish Workers' Party were strangled by right-wing assassins associated with gang-leader Haluk KırcıHaluk KirciHaluk Kırcı is a renowned Turkish criminal, who was involved in the Susurluk scandal.His father and mother were Şükrü and Hafize, respectively....
. - Balgat - a large city-centre district of low-price apartment buildings, behind Middle East Technical UniversityMiddle East Technical UniversityMiddle East Technical University is a public technical university located in Ankara, Turkey...
. Home to many politicians including one of the ex-premiers Necmettin ErbakanNecmettin ErbakanNecmettin Erbakan was a Turkish engineer, academic, politician , who was the Prime Minister of Turkey from 1996 until 1997. He was Turkey's first Islamist Prime Minister...
and many of his Saadet party members. Prominent buildings include the large headquarters of the commission that oversees government spending (Sayıştay), the Training and Doctrine Command HQ of the Turkish Armed ForcesTurkish Armed ForcesThe Turkish Armed Forces are the military forces of the Republic of Turkey. They consist of the Army, the Navy , and the Air Force...
, the Energy Commission (Energy Market Regulatory Authority) (EPDK) and the headquarters of many political parties including the governing AKPJustice and Development Party (Turkey)The Justice and Development Party , abbreviated JDP in English and AK PARTİ or AKP in Turkish, is a centre-right political party in Turkey. The party is the largest in Turkey, with 327 members of parliament...
, the centre-right DYP and the nationalist MHPNationalist Movement PartyThe Nationalist Movement Party , is a far-right political party in Turkey.In the 2002 general elections, the party had lost its 129 seats as it had won only 8.34% of the national vote...
. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, General Directore of Civil Aviation, Undersecretary of Foreign Trade, Treasury and other key public offices are nearby. Balgat was the subject of a 1950s study by anthropologist Daniel Lerner (The Passing of Traditional Society.) - BilkentBilkentBilkent is a district in Ankara, Turkey with the postal code 06800 where Bilkent University is located.Turkey's first private institution for higher education, Bilkent University has a 400,000m2 construction area on its two campuses...
- One of the youngest neighbourhoods of Ankara, named after the leading private university of the nation, Bilkent UniversityBilkent Universityİhsan Doğramacı Bilkent University, commonly referred to as Bilkent University or Bilkent, is the first private, nonprofit university in Turkey with the fundamental aim of creating a center of excellence in higher education and research...
, which is the heart and soul of the neighourhood. Famous with its expensive and luxury housings, as well as significant shopping malls, sports centers and a large scale of leisure activities. Residents are mostly wealthy families and students. - Cebeci - Named for the OttomanOttoman EmpireThe Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
armoury that was located here, Cebeci is a residential district of narrow streets, popular with students; the faculties of Political Sciences, Law and Education of Ankara UniversityAnkara UniversityAnkara University is a public university in Ankara, the capital city of Turkey. It was the first higher education institution founded in the Turkish Republic....
are located here. The Cebeci Asri cemeteryCebeci Asri CemeteryThe Cebeci Asri Cemetery is a cemetery located in the Cebeci quarter of central Ankara, Turkey serving multiple religions. It was the first modern burial place in the capital city, and is the final resting place of many prominent figures....
was the first modern burial ground in Ankara and is the final resting place of many prominent figures, including assassinated journalists Uğur MumcuUgur MumcuUğur Mumcu was an intrepid Turkish investigative journalist for the leading Kemalist broadsheet, Cumhuriyet. He was assassinated with a bomb placed in his car, outside his home.- Biography :...
, Bahriye ÜçokBahriye ÜçokBahriye Üçok was a female Turkish academic of theology, left-wing politician, writer, columnist and women's rights activist, whose assassination in 1990, remains unresolved.-Biography:...
. - Çankaya - The main center of the Çankaya district. Traditionally, the residents are among the wealthiest class of the city, mostly politicians, high-ranked bureaucrats, foreign service officers and business people. Residential quarters of the President, Prime Minister and the most prominent ministers, as well as the majority of foreign embassies are found here. Atakule is placed in the heart of Çankaya neighbourhood.
- Çukurambar - A former slum district, now the original cottages of workers (with their little gardens) are being replaced with modern apartment buildings. The Foreign Ministry is located here and there is still open land belonging to the municipal farm/forest park Atatürk Forest Farm and ZooAtatürk Forest Farm and ZooAtatürk Forest Farm and Zoo is an expansive recreational farming area, which houses a zoo, several small agricultural farms, greenhouses, restaurants, a dairy farm and a brewery in Ankara, Turkey...
. - Emek - an area of two-storey houses, centred on "8. Cadde", a busy avenue of kebab houses.
- Gazi Osman Paşa - one of Ankara's smartest neighbourhoods, luxury housing overlooking the city centre from a hilltop. GOP was formerly known as 14 May after the date of the first secret ballot in Turkey (in 1950) as the new housing built there was popular with MPs of the Demokrat Parti, who won that election. After the party was brought down by a military coup in 1960 the area was named after the OttomanOttoman EmpireThe Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
general Gazi Osman PashaGazi Osman PashaOsman Nuri Pasha also Gazi Osman Pasha was an Ottoman Turkish field marshal and the hero of the Siege of Plevna in 1877. He was awarded the title 'Gazi' as a result of that siege....
. - Harbiye - home of the Army War Academy (Kara Harp Okulu)
- Ilker - a windswept neighbourhood on the eastern side of the hill, one of Ankara's highest points.
- Incesu - the valley of the Incesu stream, which now runs in channels underground.
- Karakusunlar - the odd name has a story to it; when Atatürk arrived with his troops during the Turkish War of IndependenceTurkish War of IndependenceThe Turkish War of Independence was a war of independence waged by Turkish nationalists against the Allies, after the country was partitioned by the Allies following the Ottoman Empire's defeat in World War I...
, Ankara was under snow and they were unable to find a dry place to camp. Atatürk's order let them camp on the snow (kara kursunlar) has become the name of this district where the scene took place. The village is now a busy district of apartment buildings on a steep slope, behind the Middle East Technical UniversityMiddle East Technical UniversityMiddle East Technical University is a public technical university located in Ankara, Turkey...
campus. - Kavaklıdere, AnkaraKavaklidere, AnkaraKavaklıdere is a neighbourhood of Çankaya district in Ankara, capital of Turkey....
- A smart neighbourhood of tree-lined streets, centred on Ankara's busiest shopping avenue Tunalı Hilmi Caddesi, with its array of cinemas, bookshops, bars, cafés, patisseries, fast-food outlets and Ankara landmarks including the luxury shopping mall Karum, and Kuğulu Park (kuğu means swan in Turkish, although in truth most of the birds in the pond here are ducks.) Until the 1970s this area consisted largely of vineyards and the Kavaklıdere Winery was in this district, where the Sheraton Hotel now stands. The name means stream with poplars in Turkish, but the stream runs underground today and there are few poplars. - Keklikpınarı - steep hilltop district with chilly weather and a view of the whole city; the point where Atatürk entered Ankara on January 27, 1919, as commemorated by the İlkadım (first steps) Park. Until the 1960s this was a tiny village outside the city.
- Kırkkonaklar - a gecekondu district (now apartment buildings) overlooking the highway, far from the city centre, behind the posh Gazi Osman Paşa district.
- Kızılay - the heart of the city, a mess of bustling streets tightly packed with people swarming in and out of schools and evening classes, cafés, and shops (especially bookshops); with many more rushing to and from work in the many shops and offices in the district. Millions of people come into the district each day for work, school and shopping. The pavements are crowded with hawkers and buskers and are decorated with life-size statues in bronze, sitting, reading, or mining coal. The main avenue has long been the venue for most of Ankara's protest marches and demonstrations, especially by government workers and civil servants.
- Bakanlıklar - a smart area, location of the parliament and many government ministries, (although most are moving to new premises on the Eskişehir road) as well as thousands of shops, including Ankara's market of second-hand books.
- Kumrular Sokak - a tree-lined street of cafés.
- Sakarya Caddesi - a street of bars and fish restaurants, Ankara's heart to drink rakı.
- Kızılırmak Sokak - with its cinemas, cafés and evening classes for young people cramming for the university entrance exam.
- Kocatepe - A hill crowned with Ankara's largest mosque. Also known for a high-quality brand of Turkish coffeeTurkish coffeeTurkish coffee is a method of preparing coffee where finely powdered roast coffee beans are boiled in a pot , with sugar according to taste, before being served into a cup where the dregs settle...
. - Küçükesat - a quiet neighbourhood of residential streets, lined with trees, little groceries and kebab sellers and thus popular with retired civil servants (although recently more bars have opened and the main avenue, which is now paraded by Ankara's transvestites.) It is also slightly confusing that the majority of the street-names begin with the letter b.
- Maltepe - an old neighbourhood, once full of workers housing and little workshops, now in decline and best known for its seedy nightclubs, and a large open market for cheap manufactured goods from the former Soviet Union, with pirated films and software.
- Mebusevleri -a quiet area of little houses and gardens, (although many are now being replaced by apartment buildings), near the Anıtkabir.
- Oran Sitesi - Luxury housing complex with a forest behind, home to many of Turkey's leading politicians. Prominent buildings include the parliament residences, army accommodation, the headquarters of the Turkish Radio and Television CorporationTurkish Radio and Television CorporationThe Turkish Radio and Television Corporation, also known as TRT , is the national public broadcaster of Turkey and was founded in 1964. Around 70% of TRT's funding comes from a tax levied on electricity bills and a sales tax on television and radio receivers...
and a number of quality restaurants. - Öveçler - Residential area, 4üncü Cadde is home to a number of IT companies, IT and language training institutes and also the HQ of the Informatics Associations of Turkey (TBD), founded by academic Aydın Köksal.
- Soğutözü - the area on the EskişehirEskisehirEskişehir is a city in northwestern Turkey and the capital of the Eskişehir Province. According to the 2009 census, the population of the city is 631,905. The city is located on the banks of the Porsuk River, 792 m above sea level, where it overlooks the fertile Phrygian Valley. In the nearby...
road where all the inter-city bus terminals are located. Also the big Bayındır hospital, the Gazi military officer's club, and now a number of new buildings housing government ministries and the headquarters of the opposition party CHPRepublican People's Party (Turkey)The Republican People's Party is a centre-left Kemalist political party in Turkey. It is the oldest political party of Turkey and is currently Main Opposition in the Grand National Assembly. The Republican People's Party describes itself as "a modern social-democratic party, which is faithful to...
. - 100. Yıl Sitesi - Used to be a rundown area of low-quality public housing. The blocks were built as housing units for workers, but they are at the borders of the Middle East Technical UniversityMiddle East Technical UniversityMiddle East Technical University is a public technical university located in Ankara, Turkey...
, thus very popular with students. Built in 1981, the centenary of Atatürk's birth, hence the name. It is now home to many modern buildings home to middle class as well as foreign workers. It is where the leader of the opposition CHPRepublican People's Party (Turkey)The Republican People's Party is a centre-left Kemalist political party in Turkey. It is the oldest political party of Turkey and is currently Main Opposition in the Grand National Assembly. The Republican People's Party describes itself as "a modern social-democratic party, which is faithful to...
Kemal KılıçdaroğluKemal KiliçdarogluKemal Kılıçdaroğlu is a Turkish social democrat politician. He is currently leader of the Republican People's Party and Leader of the Main Opposition in Turkey. He has been the Member of Parliament for İstanbul since 2002....
has his residence.
Places of interest
- The Museum of Anatolian CivilizationsMuseum of Anatolian CivilizationsThe Museum of Anatolian Civilizations is located on the south side of Ankara Castle in the Atpazarı area in Ankara, Turkey. It consists of the old Ottoman Mahmut Paşa bazaar storage building, and the Kurşunlu Han...
- AnıtkabirAnitkabirAnıtkabir is the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the leader of the Turkish War of Independence and the founder and first president of the Republic of Turkey...
the mausoleum of Atatürk - Ankara Ethnography Museum
- Atakule TowerAtakule TowerAtakule is a 125m high communications and observation tower located in the Çankaya district of central Ankara, Turkey and is the primary landmark of the city. As the district of Çankaya is itself on a hill, the tower can be spotted from almost anywhere in the city during clear days...
- Çankaya KöşküÇankaya KösküÇankaya Köşkü or Çankaya Köşk is the official residence of the President of Turkey. It is located in the Çankaya district of Ankara, which lends its name to the palace. The name is sometimes used as a metonymy for the current president. The Çankaya Presidential Compound stretches over of land...
- the residence of the President of Turkey - Pembe KöşkPembe KöşkPembe Köşk is an Ottoman orchard house in the Çankaya district of Ankara, Turkey, which is the city’s oldest villa and was the home of Turkish President İsmet İnönü from 1925 to 1973....
- the residence of Turkish President Ismet InönüIsmet InönüMustafa İsmet İnönü was a Turkish Army General, Prime Minister and the second President of Turkey. In 1938, the Republican People's Party gave him the title of "Milli Şef" .-Family and early life:...
from 1925 to 1973