CENTRAL ANATOLIA

Central Anatolia

Location

The plateau of central Anatolia is rich in historical values and a wide variety of natural beauty like the surreal-looking tuff landscape of Cappadocia. Many cultures in this region have left their mark. In Catalhöyük on the northern slopes of the Taurus Mountains were the remains of settlements from the 8th BC excavated. Central Anatolia was also the home of the Hattis, Hittites, Phryger, Galatians, Romans, Byzantines, Seljuk and Ottoman. Alexander the Great and Timur Lenk also conquered the inland province in the country, coming from the east, the Turks made plateau in the 11th Century own. On 13 October 1923 was in the heart of Turkey is the capital Ankara and thus to the political centre of the Republic appointed.

History and Mythology

In the province of Ankara, there are significant settlements Anatolian cultures. Around 2000 BC took over the Caucasus came to the Hittites Anatolian plateau and from here up their large range, which encompassed virtually throughout Anatolia. The capital of the Hethiterreiches was Hattusha, now Bogazkale. Near the town is the major sanctuary "Yazilikaya" in a group of rocks, with the relief of all Hittite gods, goddesses and kings adorned God. Also in the vicinity of Hattusha found Alacahöyük, the oldest Hethiterstadt whose gate to each side flanked by a sphinx.

Around 1200 BC, the Phryger of Thrace from Inner Anatolia to the west of its capital Ankara Gordion founded. Alexander the Great to be here Gordischen nodes have shattered what him as the oracle had predicted, the rule of the Middle East has brought. The Grabtumulus of Phrygerkönigs Midas, where everything he touched turned into gold, rises in Gordion. In the near Eskisehir, Afyon, further settlements and places of worship of Phryger to visit.

In Roman times, the cities Ancyra (Ankara), Caesarea (Kayseri), Tyana (Nigde) and Dorylaeum (Eskisehir). Konya, Nigde and Kayseri experienced its height under the Seljuk.

Cities Tour

The state capital, Ankara is located in the same province. The most magnificent building in the city is "Anitkabir, the mausoleum of Atatürk, founder of the Turkish Republic. The most unique part of exhibits in Ankara Museum of Anatolian Civilizations document the approximately 50,000-year history of the country.

The Seljuk declared Konya to the capital of their empire. Among them, the area experienced the most significant cultural renaissance in its history and the city of Konya was culturally, scientifically, artistically and politically in the zenith. In the 13th and 14 Konya century was one magnificent collection Seljuk buildings. The great Muslim mystic and philosopher Mevlana here taught his philosophy of love for God and the people. In order to completely absorb this thought, you gave it to the sounds of music to the mystical ceremony hours turns out, the "Sema" of the Order of "dancing dervishes." Every year in December, in Konya Mevlana a memorial held at the Sema dancing. Unlike Mevlanas at times, it is now also available to the public.

In Aksehir was the scope of this far beyond national borders known Nasreddin Hoxha (13th century), the people and the rulers fearless on foot and they looked with subtleties and hintersinnigen stories morality and brotherly love taught. The symbolic tomb of late 1284 is Hodschas in Aksehir. In the region near Eskisehir involuntarily come a few lines from poems of the great poet Yunus Emre to mind. The poet mastered the great art, with the simplest words universal truths in terms of brotherly love, divine justice, love and friendship express. His grave site in the village named after him should be visited.

Natural Wonder

By eruptions of the volcanoes Erciyes Hasan and 3 million years before the whole Nevsehir plateau covered with tufa. Wind and rain have throughout the millennia that they have been looking surrealistisich tuff landscape of Cappadocia shaped, whose brilliant colors of red to yellow and Ockertöne to grey-green range. The first dwellings were about 4000 BC in the rocks gehöhlt. The early Christians and later the Byzantine monasteries have rocks and kapellen into the tuff cone hewn, with magnificent frescoes. Starting point for a tour Cappadocia is the lively tourist centre Ürgüp.

Provinces

Central Anatolia is divided into the 12 provinces of Ankara, Cankiri, Eskisehir, Kayseri, Kirsehir, Konya, Nevsehir, Nigde, Yozgat, Aksaray, Karaman and Kirikkale.

Climate

In the whole of Central Anatolia is a strong continental climate with hot summers and cold winters.