Today we leave for Ankara, the capital of Turkiye. The country's capital was moved to Ankara in the 1920's by Ataturk.
Just before we leave Cappadocia, we stop at a ceramic factory. It's great to suddenly see how some of the pottery items that you find at all the stalls, are made. We are fortunate to see one of the best artisans make one of the beautifully shaped traditional wine jugs on a kick wheel. This in itself is an art that not many people can perfect, I would think. But seeing the actual artists paint the very delicate patterns on these items was just astonishing to see. Some of the patterns are so very fine, and their artwork is so flawlessly perfect, that it must have taken years to perfect. Yet, some of the artists looked like mere school kids.
The drive to Ankara is long enough to allow for some good nap time on the bus. But Ilker also tells us a few interesting facts about the country and its people. In the Turkish tradition, females continue to have children until she has a boy. They strongly believe that there has to be a boy in the family in order to continue with the bloodline. We are even told about a man who, when asked how many children he has, responded that he was unfortunate to have no children. He only had three daughters. These clearly are not seen as children.
We are also told that the Turkish government has separated politics from religion. So you did not have to be Muslim in order to become a minister or politician. This, however, brought about another law. If you are working at a government institution, you are not allowed to wear anything that represents your religion. So those Turkish women who prefer to say cover their hair, are not allowed to do this. This is of course seen by most Turkish people as discrimination. Fortunately, they have found some way around the covering of the hair bit. They simply wear wigs. And we thought the saying was "A boer maak 'n plan".
In Ankara we spend some time at the Ataturk Mausoleum. A huge monument and museum built in around 1944 to honor Turkey's very beloved president. Even though Ataturk was actually born in Greece, he ended up being Turkey's biggest hero. Everywhere you go, you see something that honors him. And this massive monument reinforces the love and appreciation that this country has for him. At the museum, soldiers from the army, airforce and navy guard and patrol the area. We are told that if you really want to upset the Turks, you should damage this monument, which is why security around the monument is so intense. There are also some glass cages in which the soldiers have to stand at attention for an hour. They may blink and breath, but other than that, they have to be dead still. They see this as an honor to be able to show their deep respect for Ataturk, so they gladly do this. When the hour is up, the trade places by doing a rather animated slow march, and then get back into their glass cages, and do it all over again.
One more museum to see. The Museum of Anatolian Civilization. Sadly, I have very little to say about this museum. I did enjoy some of the exhibits, especially the various versions of the Hitite deer figures, and the sun disk dating from the Bronze era, but the highlight of this visit was the very few snowdrops that fell while we were waiting outside for the rest of the group.
At our hotel, we quickly check in, and then set off on a walk to the city centre. We are surprised at how busy the shops and streets are, considering that today is a Sunday. It's also very refreshing to be walking in the cold. On our way back, we take note of an electronic board that alternates the time and temperature. It is 2 degrees.
It's cold.
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