Images from Ankara:  Ataturk

It is phenomenal to think of how this giant, Ataturk, at will, changed within a few decades the culture of Turkey. At first, when the author saw so many portraits of him either in painting, sculpture, or photographs in every classroom, office space, and plaza, he thought that it was a bit bizarre. To him, it was just ironic. Here was the leader that turned this Islamic nation into a secular one. Yet, his face and quotations, in every presence of Turkey, appeared as though he was worshipped as a god. But after talking with the people of Turkey and reading about the history of Turkey, the author was convinced that Ataturk was very appreciated as the individual who, for the most part, single-handedly brought Turkey rapidly into the 20^th century. From the year that he founded modern Turkey, 1923, until his death, 1938, Ataturk turned a mostly Muslim country into a secular state. The model that he used was the nations of Western Europe (Lawlor 1).

Lawlor very succinctly lists the accomplishments of Ataturk. This 20^th century giant executed in less than 15 years the steps needed to create modern Turkey. In 1922, he abolished the sultanate and exiled the caliph. He removed education from the clerics and closed the religious courts. He replaced the holy law with a civil code that was a variant of Switzerland’s. He adopted a modified Latin alphabet. For centuries, Turkish was written in the Arabic script. However, in 1925, it was estimated that 80% of the populace was illiterate and could not even read the script. Under his strict directive, his commission produced the Turkish alphabet in just six weeks. According to Lawlor, when the Turkish alphabet became widely used, the Arabic script was almost nonexistent by 1931. He introduced the western concept of the surname. Also, Ataturk outlawed polygamy and advocated equal rights for women. The marks that women have made in "medicine, law, [and] even politics" are largely due in part to the ideas of Ataturk.

The following works of art are examples of how the Turkish people commemorate this great giant of the 20^th century.

Ataturk Mausoleum

This monumental, impressive, grand work of architecture is the epitome of Ataturk. When Ataturk died in Istanbul (Nov. 10, 1938), the Turkish people brought his body to Ankara and placed it in a grave at the Ethnography Museum. However, the Turkish people wanted an edifice and surrounding environment much more befitting for a great world leader. The Grand Assembly formed a committee to construct a mausoleum. The committee chose Rasattepe, a hill located in the middle of Ankara. They also initiated an international competition for the structure. The committee chose the plans of Prof. Emin Onat and his assistant, Prof. Orhan Arda. Construction began in 1944. On November 10, 1953, fifteen years after his death, his remains were moved to the Mausoleum with great ceremony and fanfare (Idil 65).

The symmetrical plan of the Mausoleum is reminiscent of other great commemorative works of architecture in the world. At first glance from afar, one is reminded of the temple-like structure for the Lincoln memorial. The grandeur of the structure also causes one to think of the Funerary Monument for Queen Hatshepsut of Egypt. Some have even related it to the ancient Turkish Mausoleum of Halicarnassus.

The reliefs (on the side walls before climbing the steps) take one back to the impressive reliefs of ancient Near Eastern Cultures, such as ancient Anatolian reliefs. The reliefs are in reference to battles fought against the Greeks during the War of Independence.

The Path of Lions is reminiscent of the gates of the Hittite Empire in Boazkoy, but they certainly call to remembrance the sphinxes that lined the processional way to Queen Hatshepsut’s Mortuary Temple. All of these references to the great individuals and civilizations of the past are befitting to commemorate this giant of Turkish history.

The bowls according to Serif Yenen, are reminiscent of torches that have been used in rituals throughout the history of Anatolia (Yenen, email October 17 1999).

Images from Ankara: Shrine from Chatal Huyuk

This reconstructed shrine from the Neolithic site of Chatal Huyuk represents one of the distinguishing features of the houses found at Chatal Huyuk. Bulls’ heads were attached to the walls. These shrines were not found in separate buildings but were located in rooms of the houses that were believed to have been used for ritual purposes. The bulls’ heads were in the round. Sometimes the artisans covered actual bulls’ heads with clay (Museum of Anatolian Civilizations 25). This shrine indicates that the bull was a sacred animal in this region as it was in other cultures of ancient times

(http://www.turkishodyssey)