Anatolia has given rise to many civilizations in the course of history.
Although not as advanced as Egypt or Mesopotamia, the Hatti, who spoke a
language characterized by prefixes,were nevertheless one of the more advanced
societies of their age(3000-2000B.C.). The objects on display at the Ankara
Museum of Anatolian Civilizations constitute the finest Bronze Age collection in
the world next to the Ur Treasure in the British Museum. The Ankara collection,
dated at 2000-1900B.C., comes from tumuli at Alacahoyuk, Horoztepe and
Mahmatlar, and includes artifacts in gold silver, electrum bronze and ceramic.
"There, God and human, nature and art are together, they have created such a
perfect place that it is valuable to see." Lamartine’s famous poetic line
reveals his love for Istanbul, describing the embracing of two continents, with
one arm reaching out to Asia and the other to Europe. Istanbul, once known as
the capital of capital cities, has many unique features. It is the only city in
the world to straddle two continents, and the only one to have been a capital
during two consecutive empires - Christian and Islamic. Once capital of the
Ottoman Empire, Istanbul still remains the commercial, historical and cultural
pulse of Turkey, and its beauty lies in its ability to embrace its
contradictions. Ancient and modern, religious and secular, Asia and Europe,
mystical and earthly all co-exist here.
