Kapadokya to Istanbul
Overview
The return journey can be by flight or automobile. A direct flight via Turkish Airlines is cheap and will take approx two hours to take you from Kapadokya to Istanbul, however you will miss the nation’s capital, Ankara. To drive from Kapadokya to Istanbul (via Ankara) will take a good 8 – 9 hours, possibly longer depending on traffic on arrival into Istanbul. Bus will take 9 – 10 hours. An option may be to stay in Ankara overnight although the vibe in Ankara is nowhere near that of its exciting big sister, Istanbul, where variety, cuisine, nightlife and culture (as well as people and traffic, unfortunately) run riot.
While there are a few mosques, Anatolian museums and a citadel to be seen in the quieter, more organized residential and political city of Ankara, we chose to make a quick stop at Anıtkabir and then continue on to Istanbul to maximize our time amongst the action. In hindsight, I am not sure that Anıtkabir justified a full day of road travel but it was a nice completion to our travel in Turkey, after hearing of Atatürk’s revolutionary transformation of the current day country. If you’re not keen on history, it is probably best to high tail it to Istanbul and enjoy another energetic day and night.
Essentials
Ankara
> Anıtkabir (Mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk)
Anıtkabir
Anıtkabir (‘memorial tomb’) 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. Atatürk served as a military officer in the Ottoman Empire and led the Turkish National Movement in the Turkish War of Independence after the dissolution of the empire. After leading his troops to victory, he established a program of reforms in order to turn the former empire into a modern and secular republic. He became the first president of the newly established Turkish Republic in 1923.
After Atatürk’s passing in 1938, the Turkish government held a competition encouraging entries for the most monumental tomb, in 1941. It was won by Professor Emin Onat and Assistant Professor Ahmet Orhan Arda whose proposal beat 48 other entries from countries including Germany, Italy, Austria, Czechoslovakia and France, despite it being during WWII. After much deliberation, Anıttepe was chosen for the site, a hill overlooking the city in the district of Çankaya. The second President of Turkey, İsmet İnönü, also rests here, with his tomb facing the Atatürk Mausoleum.
Anıtkabir consists of four parts: the Road of Lions, the Ceremonial Plaza, the Hall of Honour (where Atatürk’s tomb is located under the sarcophagus on the ground floor) and the Peace Park that surrounds the monument, in honour of his famous quote, “Peace at home, peace in the world”. The Ceremonial Plaza is 129 x 84 m and can accommodate 15,000 people. It is worthwhile finding your place at the Hall of Honour for the changing of the guard which bears an uncanny resemblance to the similar royal affair at Buckingham Palace in the UK. On the east side of the courtyard is a museum which displays personal effects, memorabilia and official automobiles of Atatürk. Be careful you know your time allowance when entering this museum; it’s a one way only affair that brings you out on the other side of the Ceremonial Plaza which might cause grief in a group setting. Additionally, the line up to the female bathrooms at this venue is almost worth holding for. There are two ‘Western’ toilets amongst about 10 other ‘local’ toilets. I’ll let you decide!
