Ankara & the Anatolia Region - Turkey with Your Family: From Bustling Bazaars to Historic Sites - page 219

mixed with mud and ash created
a soft tufa layer topped with
hardened basalt. Over some 60
million years the soft layer has
worn away to create high mush-
room-shaped or conical forma-
tions and ravines. The landscape
has taken on an almost surreal
look. Today, there is evidence of
churches, as well as underground
cities and dwellings that have
been carved into the rock, some
dating back to Byzantine times.
Some of these you can step
inside and explore. Your children
will love the experience. The vil-
lage of Göreme has villagers that
still live in cave dwellings, many
of which have been transformed
into restaurants and hotels for
the tourist industry. The open-
air museum is a little difficult to
find although there are a few
signposts. If in doubt give the
tourist information office at
Nev @ ehir a call ( b [phone]
42 60 ) or ask directions from any
one of the towns and villages that
make up the Cappadocia region,
such as Ürgüp or Göreme. It is
one of the best-known museums
in the whole of Turkey so anyone
you ask should be able to point
you in the right direction.
Open: 8am-6pm daily, with reduced
opening hours in winter. Admission:
10 YTL, excluding some exhibition
areas.

welcoming, and affords one of
the most important collections
of artefacts covering Turkey's
many periods of history and cul-
tural influences. It is housed in
buildings dating from the
Ottoman period, including a
bazaar warehouse dating from
the 1400s. The museum is easy
to find, just down from the
citadel in the old quarter of
Ankara. Inside, there is a series
of halls dedicated to different
periods, among them the
Classical period, along with the
Early Bronze Age, Chalcolithic
and the Neolithic periods. The
Hittite period is covered at
length, for it was the Hittites
that, according to research,
established the first kingdom in
Anatolian history that covered a
huge area from the southern-
most and westernmost coastal
regions to the Black Sea region.
Some of the exhibits date from
civilisations that lived in the
Anatolian region from around
50,000 BC. It is a remarkable
collection.
Older children should be
especially interested in seeing
pots, sculpture and jewellery of
such age, although younger chil-
dren will probably need a few
books or games to keep them
amused. There is, however, a
large garden full of exhibits
where, with care, they can let off
some energy. The museum has
'child-friendly' toilet facilities,
including an area for baby-
changing and feeding.
Open 8am-7pm daily. Admission 10
YTL adults, 5 YTL children.

The Museum of Anatolian
Civilizations, Ankara

★★
The Museum of Anatolian Civilizations,
Hisar Caddesi, Ulus, Ankara. b +90
312 324 31 60.

VALUE

This is an outstanding museum
that is spacious, bright and

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