Today we hop on our train for 26+ hours of travel across Turkiye form Kars to Ankara, the second biggest city.
As always, Lay and I get to share a cabin. The train is very slow one and in good condition- our attendant is very pleasant and gives us extra pillows and the Western toilet is clean and doesn’t smell, with toilet paper, paper towels and hand washing detergent the whole trip(this is a first for us and we are very appreciative).
The scenery is magnificent.
We open a bottle of wine with our bread and cheese for lunch. And we finish the coffee I bought in Singapore using the aeropress. It’s pretty civilised in our cabin
We notice roadblocks from the train, and early that evening and later at night the armed police get on the train and demand our passports. It’s a bit scary. We later learn that 2 police were shot and the killers are on the run.
We make it into Ankara at lunchtime and after a quick lunch are whipped off to see the Ataturk mausoleum and museum.
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk (1881-1938) holds a unique place
in twentieth century-European history as a political leader, who moved Turkey in 1923 to a secular republic from the ashes of the six-hundred-year-long Islamic Ottoman Empire.
In World War I, he was an up and coming young officer, and played a decisive role in the Gallipoli Campaign (1915–1916) earning national fame as the “Hero of Gallipoli” and laying the foundation for his future political career. When Allied forces (including the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps – ANZAC) made their amphibious landing at Arı Burnu / Anzac Cove, Atatürk recognized the critical importance of the high ground at Chunuk Bair and famously ordered his men: “I do not order you to attack, I order you to die.”
His tactical leadership halted the Allied advance, turning a desperate defense into a grinding trench warfare stalemate that eventually forced an Allied evacuation. The ANZACs framed the Gallipoli campaign as a case of incompetent British generals needlessly sacrificing colonial troops, although it is now conceded that it is somewhat more complex. Ultimately, though, the friction with British high command accelerated a sense of independent national consciousness in Australia and New Zealand. The perceived failures of the British Empire’s elite solidified an anti-colonialANZAC identity built on self-reliance.
Later on, Ataturk himself is alleged to honoured the ANZAC sacrifice at Gallipoli with the following letter, however the provenance has since been questioned.
Ataturk set about transforming his country into a secular republic and a created personality cult around himself which is still evident today.
The state abolished Sharia courts, closed dervish lodges and Sufi orders and removed Islam as the official state religion. It adopted the Swiss Civil Code (1926), replaced religious family law, granted women equal rights in divorce, custody, and inheritance. Women gained municipal voting rights in 1930 and full parliamentary suffrage in 1934.
The adoption of the Swiss Civil Code (1926) replaced religious family law, granting women equal rights in divorce, custody, and inheritance. Women gained municipal voting rights in 1930. The Latin alphabet replaced the Arabic script (1928), and literacy was greatly improved. Traditional religious garments and headwear were discouraged. The Surname Law of 1934 abolished Ottoman titles and ranks, enforcing a standard, Western-style family name system meant to foster social equality before the law.
However, while Turkey was a constitutional republic rooted in popular sovereignty, it operated under a single-party system during Ataturk’s lifetime. He believed that direct, full multi-party democracy could not be immediately implemented in a post-imperial society without prior preparation. His government heavily relied on political and social repression to eliminate dissent and enforce reforms.
The large memorial to Ataturk is beautiful but highly structured and choreographed. The changing of the guard occurred while we were there.
Later, as we are leaving one young sentry passes out. We mention how brutal being at total attention is to Jaan our guide, and he says these young soldiers would consider it an honour to die, let alone faint.
We next visit the anthropology museum (very good small museum) where I am most struck by the beautiful figurines from the bronze age
Very nice beer, early dinner and early night. Off to Istanbul for 3 days tomorrow.
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