What Is Ankara Like 2013

What is the nightlife like in Ankara, Turkey?

It depends what you are looking for of course, but probably you would be able to get satisfied around Tunali Hilmi Street (one of the main streets of Ankara). As I remember; there are many bars, restaurants, cafes (both with or without alcohol) and a few nightclubs.You may see a few with reviews in 4SQ: Yakındaki En İyi Çankaya, Ankara

Which do you prefer, İstanbul or Ankara?

There are pros and cons to both.IstanbulProsalways funLots of stuff to doTons of different kinds of people to meetAmazing Job marketAbsolutely beautifulAmazing amount of culture and historyYou can never finish exploring Istanbul. The city is so huge it would take more than a lifetime to see it all (this could be a con for some people but its definitely a pro for me)Giant airport for international travelConsTraffic is actually the burning fires of Hell the Qur'an and bible mentionSo many people you can become exhuastedSo much to do you can become exhuastedAlways loudSo big even Istanbul natives can get lostIn general the city is just exhausting to live in.AnkaraProsA shiney new modern city (its kind of ugly in my opinion but still)Rent is comparatively cheapLots of unocupied places to liveFar smaller income gapCan fine a moderately well paying jobNot so many people you get lost in human waves but still enoughAnatolian step surrounding the city is beautifulIts far more quiet than IstanbulTraffic is bearableConsParts of Ankara are kind of uglyJob opportunities are not great compared to IstanbulNot much historyIf you want a vacation you have to go to istanbul first to catch a planeIts not very cosmopolitan like Istanbul. So you meet less interesting peopleNothing really to do so its very very boring.All in all I think it depends on the person. I would take Istanbul. I love the exciting atmosphere. Love how big it is. Theres always something to do in Istanbul, even if it takes three hours to drive 5 km.On thr other hand my grandmother loves Ankara. She tells me istanbul is too busy, and that its “a city for young people.”Ankara will give you a nice, much more quiet place to live, with an ok job, decent place to live. And it wont drain you of all your life force at the end of every day. So if you are a more lowkey person Id say Ankara is the place to be.

What is expat life like in Ankara, Turkey?

What aspect of expat life do you want to know more about, exactly? I lived in Ankara for almost a year and worked at a private English school. Before I lived in Ankara I lived in Istanbul and Kayseri.Social: If you are not very outgoing or willing to regularly meet with relative strangers, living in Ankara might be difficult for you. There aren’t nearly as many foreigners or English-speakers living in Ankara as there are in Istanbul, unless you will be going to Middle East Technical University or Bilkent University. If you already have friends in Ankara, there are lots of cafes to hang out in, especially around the Kizilay area.Transportation: There are buses and two trains that can take you to most places in the city. There are also buses and several trains to other cities. All of these are relatively inexpensive. You can buy a transport card in the train stations (underground).Food: There is mostly Turkish food (which is delicious, so no complaints there), but if you are craving something else there are also a few East Asian places, an Indian restaurant, a falafel restaurant, and a vegan place that may or may not still be open (just to name a few). There are small grocery stores all over the place as well if you would rather cook at home. If you want to get less common food items, you can often find them at 5M Migros (the size of Migros’ is determined by the number of Ms. From smallest to biggest: Migros Jet, Migros, 2M Migros, 3M, 4M, 5M).Language: Like I mentioned, there aren’t a *lot* of English-speakers in Ankara, but most people know at least a tiny bit. There are several language schools where you can learn Turkish, which I would highly suggest.Let me know if you have more specific questions. Hope this helped a bit :)

How do Greeks "like" the city of Ankara in Turkey? How is it different from Athens?

Actually there is no points of interest in Ankara for tourists regardless of their nationality. Most of them would prefer to visit istanbul or Izmir (symrna) especially greek tourists. Because there are lots of places to see in these cities in which tourists ,who come from greece, are able to see. Moreover greek tourists would see historical places where built during byzantine empire era or ancient greek era.

What are the best aspects of living in Ankara, Turkey as a young adult?

Ankara is a pretty easy metropolitan to live when compared to other big cities. For instance, the traffic is still way more acceptable than other larger cities in and out of Turkey. So reaching to a destination is not that difficult.Also, Ankara has a quite of bit to see in terms of museums, history, and sightseeing. A full list would be an answer to another question.Since you asked specifically young adult, Ankara has a somewhat lively night life. Unfortunately, a lot of places tend to close too early when compared to cities that live and breathe all night long. But still, “Ankaralılar”, as they are referred to as, find ways to extend the night. For instance, if you make friends in big universities such as ODTÜ, Hacettepe, or Bilkent, you will be able to get into their campuses and have fun drinking, chatting, playing all night long. And I think it is a nice way to go since you mentioned young adults, of course.Also, the richer parts of Ankara may provide a variety of original and interesting places to check out like nice bars, weird parties, etc. There are various gourmet restaurants as well.Ankara also has really nice parks like Seymenler Parkı, Kuğulu Park, or Gençlik Parkı. Depending on your preferences, you can see all sorts of people in these parks.There are some really nice lakes that you can go with friends or go to make new friends, like Eymir Lake or Mogan Lake, the former being a bit nicer in various ways (but it's up to your preferences again).The most famous thing about Ankara is of course the number of big shopping malls. There are almost too many options to choose from and a lot of young adults hang out in these places to watch movies, sit at bars, chat, go shopping, etc.On a final note, Ankara is a best place to be if you are interested in politics. It is the heart of all politics in Turkey and maybe you can think about joining the fight to make Turkey a better place. Regardless of your political views, you can find people like yourself and keep in touch with them.Ankara, in general, is a nice city if you know how to live in it. And it is not difficult to learn.Good luck.

Why is Ankara the capital of Turkey, rather than Istanbul?

As the 1st World War ended and the Ottoman Empire signed the Mondros Ceasefire Agreement which has heavy conditions.At that time Mustafa Kemal ,who was in İstanbul,(Atatürk) was not satisfied with the occupation of the country.So he went to Samsun on 19 May 1919 and started the Turkish Independence War with his comrade-in-arms.According to the circumstances it was quite possible to occupy the western part of the country. ( Istanbul and Izmir were occupied later.)This made the inner Anatolia Region a more wiseful choice to select it as the “ Headquarter”Thus,the Independence War was ruled from Ankara and the first parliament (Grand National Assembly of Turkey) was established in Ankara during the time of the war.( It was active even during the war )Also,Ankara had telegraph lines between east and west.This facilitated communication during the war time.As I mentioned earlier, Ankara is in the inner Anatolia region of Turkey.So Ankara was more difficult to be occupied than Istanbul.And the last reason :Even in the war years,Mustafa Kemal(ATATURK) was aiming to establish a new Turkish State.The Ottoman Empire had no place in history anymore.The new state should not be a continuation of the Ottoman Empire.A modern and exemplary state was needed.If Istanbul was chosen to be the capital of the country,the Turkish State would seem like a continuation of the Ottoman Empire.Hence,Ankara where the Turkish Indepence War was ruled and the parliament stays selected as the capital city.For last, here is a map of the Turkish Republic.Here you can see where Ankara and Istanbul is.